WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.440
My name is Stephen Page. I'm a Mununjali
Nugi man from South East Queensland,

2
00:00:05.440 --> 00:00:11.120
freshwater and saltwater countries of Yugambeh
Nation and Quandamooka Nation.

3
00:00:11.120 --> 00:00:22.360
I'm probably known for my work as artistic
director of Bangarra Dance Theatre,

4
00:00:22.360 --> 00:00:32.280
choreographer and for over 34 years. So at the
end of 2022 I stood down after 34 years.

5
00:00:32.280 --> 00:00:33.960
But yeah, I'm a storyteller.

6
00:00:33.960 --> 00:00:45.440
I do believe that that time, it's a timing thing,
the environment, the politics. We were, I was,

7
00:00:45.440 --> 00:00:53.760
my brothers were artists in that clan of Bangarra,
were around a revolutionary sort of time.

8
00:00:53.760 --> 00:01:04.800
A lot of contemporary art, social forms, foundations,
the medical centers, the legal services,

9
00:01:04.800 --> 00:01:11.120
there was a community within Sydney's metropolitan
and being Redfern and Waterloo.

10
00:01:11.120 --> 00:01:16.480
And we were all in Glebe. So you know, it's
the inner west, north-south-east west.

11
00:01:16.480 --> 00:01:24.560
And Glebe was an old church and it was a college where
this careers and dance opportunity happened.

12
00:01:24.560 --> 00:01:32.640
So I think I ended up being in the middle of, ah,
because this is black fellas from all over.

13
00:01:32.640 --> 00:01:38.960
You know, like everyone, Torres Strait Aboriginal,
urban, connected, not connected,

14
00:01:38.960 --> 00:01:44.320
past history, stolen generation, like this
diversity of where you came from.

15
00:01:44.320 --> 00:01:51.440
And you all shoved into this church to do an
array of contemporary forms of dance.

16
00:01:51.440 --> 00:02:06.000
Some lads. Well, I remember, as I was saying before, one of the
beautiful moments were different art form communities

17
00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:12.240
would always be at the college. And I know
Tracy Moffatt would have her camera.

18
00:02:12.240 --> 00:02:17.280
There was that energy that was coming
from the decade before moving into,

19
00:02:17.280 --> 00:02:25.280
we were having more black voices, well, a better
representation of black voices and politics.

20
00:02:25.280 --> 00:02:35.760
And a lot of them were, we became great message
voices in our art form for any sense of

21
00:02:35.760 --> 00:02:41.360
celebrating our voice through
certain social policies.

22
00:02:41.360 --> 00:02:45.360
So when we had the community come to the college
and I know Tracy Moffatt would be there,

23
00:02:45.360 --> 00:02:52.720
she would love it because the form of body
and moving and dancing is such a,

24
00:02:52.720 --> 00:02:58.000
such a great form to put through
a lens and to photograph.

25
00:03:02.400 --> 00:03:12.400
I remember the Some Lads story project or the idea, the
old canvas cloth as a backdrop that just sagged

26
00:03:12.400 --> 00:03:18.480
and a bit of, I think they used an old, she used
an old, we used to have some of the set cloths

27
00:03:18.480 --> 00:03:26.240
from the end of your shows that would just be, you
know, calico with ocher stains and paint on it,

28
00:03:26.240 --> 00:03:36.480
very abstract, culturally inspired. She's just got those
boys and just, they just poised in their own

29
00:03:36.480 --> 00:03:47.680
energies. These young men who come from diverse backgrounds,
First Nations landscape, just their energy.