Bangarra Dance Theatre has been awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in Dance by La Biennale di Venezia, becoming the first Australians to receive the prestigious honour.
Presented by Biennale Danza 2026, the dance division of La Biennale di Venezia, the Golden Lion recognises a lifetime body of work and artists who have transformed and expanded the language of dance. Historically awarded to individual choreographers and dancers, Bangarra will be the first company to receive the award since its inception.
The Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement will be presented during the 20th International Festival of Contemporary Dance in Venice from 17 July to 1 August 2026. As part of the festival, Bangarra will also present the European premiere of Terrain, a seminal work by the company’s Artistic Director and Co-CEO, Frances Rings.
The awards were approved by the Board of Directors of La Biennale di Venezia at the recommendation of the festival’s Dance Department Artistic Director, Wayne McGregor.
“Since the start of my directorship, I have aimed to profile and advocate for the outstanding artists and companies whose influence and impact extend beyond their remarkable work alone,” McGregor said. “Highlighting and honouring the artists selected for this year’s Golden and Silver Lions exemplifies this ambition – not least because they are individuals and collectives who have caused a seismic shift in our understanding of dance and the cultural context in which it is performed.”
On learning of the award, Rings, a Mirning woman, said she was deeply honoured to accept the Golden Lion on behalf of the company.
“This prestigious award also recognises all those who have come before me at Bangarra; our dancers, Uncle Rob Bryant, Cheryl Stone and Carole Y. Johnson who founded the company, our premiere First Nations training institution NAISDA – the National Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Association, and Stephen Page who led Bangarra for thirty years, working alongside his brothers Russell and David Page,” Rings said.
Bangarra’s former Artistic Director Stephen Page, who led the company from 1991 to 2022, described the recognition as profoundly meaningful.
“We are deeply humbled and profoundly grateful for this recognition of our distinctive Dance Theatre language, both contemporary and traditional, that has survived in the mainstream nationally and globally for almost 35 years. First Peoples’ Artistic kinship system is at the core of our knowledge systems, and we are honoured to be the caretakers of our dance legacy and our continual creative dance future.”
The award has also been welcomed at a national level. Federal Minister for the Arts Tony Burke said, “For the arts, no award is greater and for Australian dance there is no greater company than Bangarra. This isn't simply Bangarra appearing on the world stage, this is them owning it.”
Bangarra Patron, Sam Mostyn, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, described the recognition as “a powerful moment for Australian culture on the world stage, celebrating Bangarra's artistic excellence and the unique strength of the company's storytelling, grounded in the world’s oldest continuing culture.”
Founded in 1989 by Uncle Rob Bryant, Cheryl Stone and Carole Y. Johnson, Bangarra Dance Theatre is one of Australia’s leading performing arts companies, drawing on 65,000 years of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture to create contemporary dance theatre works that integrate music, poetry and design. Under Rings’ leadership, alongside Executive Director and Co-CEO Louise Ingram, the company continues its mission to share First Nations stories, knowledge and experience with audiences across Australia and internationally.
The Golden Lion places Bangarra alongside an illustrious list of past recipients including Pina Bausch, William Forsythe and Sylvie Guillem, underscoring the company’s enduring impact on the global dance landscape.