Sheltering (Bangarra) ★★★★

Choreographed by Frances Rings, Glory Tuohy-Daniell, Daniel Mateo and the Dancers of Bangarra Dance Theatre. Sydney Opera House. 3-13 Jun, 2026.

Three different existing works are expanded and brought together by their thematic connection to First Nations cultural legacy in Sheltering, the new full-length show from Bangarra Dance Theatre, that celebrates the breadth of form in the community.

The opening piece, Keeping Grounded (choreographed by Glory Tuohy-Daniell) focuses on the literal, physical connection to land – the earth beneath our feet. The most recent of the three works performed, it was first created in 2023 before being reimagined and expanded for the Joan Sutherland Theatre stage. Opening with a writhing mass of bodies released as a giant net is raised into the sky – there is a fiercely kinetic energy to the movement – a sharpness of execution that blends contemporary, commercial dance motifs into the storytelling. Shana O’Brien’s design, the rippled netting that gives texture to the dark stage, gives the work a dramatic sense of height, allowing the dancers to suspend in the air without defying the gravity that connects them to the ground. Of the three works, it was my favourite – I was left wanting more.

The second work, the stunning short film Brown Boys by Daniel Mateo, is possibly the most exciting of the three for its sheer, refreshing change of form. Brown Boys is poetry, told through words and movement, captured by excellent direction, design and editing. There is a well-planned elegance to its execution (the slow transformation of Elizabeth Gadsby’s set itself has a choreography all its own). Filmmakers Cass Mortimer Eipper and Liam Brennan bring a sympathetic and emotive lens to Mateo’s words and movement. There is a richness of tone to the video-work that amplifies Mateo’s poetry, which affirm the beauty and power of brown skin – elevating Brown Boys from a “music video” into video art in its own right. It’s only six minutes long, but those six minutes are beautifully realised.

The major work of the night is Frances Rings’ Sheoak, first developed in 2015 in response to the Abbott administration. Of the three works in Sheltering, Sheoak carries the most weight – there is a defiance and pain that runs through it that now, more than 10 years on from its first staging, acts as a reminder of broken promises. From the symbolic use of suspended wooden beams, to the ethereal glow of a blanket of light – the piece transforms across its 48 minutes. While I feel like Sheoak perhaps starts to dip into indulgences at times, it is still a work of rebuke and resilience, of the long memory of culture, and of the power to stand – and even generate new hope – against pressure.

It’s another beautiful collection of works from Bangarra Dance Theatre that demonstrates their breadth of dancing and choreographing talent across generations. Sheltering revives the old through the new (new voices, new dancers, new media) and shows that legacy can form a strong foundation for the future.