Nicola Sabatino Patyegarang

Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2014, Australia's multi-award winning dance theatre company Bangarra Dance Theatre tells the story of Patyegarang, the inspirational journey of a potent Indigenous spirit alive in Australia's past and present.

Tickets for the world premiere season of Patyegarang at the Sydney Opera House (June 13 to July 5), and the Arts Centre Melbourne (August 28 to September 6), will go on sale at 10am on Tuesday 25 February 2014. Tickets are on sale now for limited seasons at Canberra Theatre Centre; State Theatre of WA, Perth; and Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Brisbane.

Patyegarang marks the first time that Bangarra has told a specific Sydney story. Expressed in the beauty of Artistic Director Stephen Page's distinctive choreography and based on historical events and documents, Patyegarang celebrates Bangarra's unique ability to tell stories through the prism of our contemporary experiences, enriched by our shared history.

This powerful and historically important new work acquaints us with Patyegarang, a young Aboriginal woman of intense and enduring courage, and an inspiration today for the respect of Aboriginal knowledge and language.

As the colonial fleet arrived on Eora country in the late 18th Century, Patyegarang befriended Lieutenant William Dawes, gifting him her language in an extraordinary display of trust and friendship, which now inspires our imaginations about -first contact'.

Staying apart from the early Sydney settlement in a place called Tar-ra (now Dawes Point), Dawes, an astronomer, mathematician and linguist, faithfully recorded his encounters with Patyegarang in his notebooks. Rediscovered in 1972, these notebooks are transcripts of this remarkable cultural exchange. Patyegarang's words are a window into a rich, complex and utterly different view of her world, its values and its sacred meanings.

Bangarra liberates Patyegarang from the library shelves, putting spirit into her heart, as a striking visionary and educator.

This deeply moving production is told through the acclaimed creativity of Stephen Page's choreography and David Page's soundscape, in a powerful and meaningful dance theatre experience. Artistic Director Stephen Page says of the new work, '-Patyegarang is a story that has been lingering in my mind for a long time. This young Aboriginal girl was from the Eora nation, the custodians of the land on which Bangarra has created and performed dance theatre works since 1989. In the year of the company's 25th anniversary, Bangarra honours the Eora, through Patyegarang's story, celebrating the significance of this place and its first peoples. Through discussions with local communities, and thanks to an ever-inspiring team of designers, story tellers and dancers, this story gives us an opportunity to reflect on our future as a new nation."

The role of Patyegarang will be played by Bangarra dancer Jasmin Sheppard who joined the company in 2007 and has performed in eleven Bangarra productions internationally and nationally. Sheppard's first choreographic work Macq debuted as part of Bangarra's Dance Clan 3 in November 2013. South Australian born physical performer Thomas Greenfield will join Bangarra as a guest artist, performing the role of Lieutenant William Dawes. Greenfield's performance with the company marks the fourth time in Bangarra's history that a non-Indigenous dancer has performed with the company.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2014, Bangarra Dance Theatre is Australia's premier national Indigenous performing arts company. Under the brilliant and inspirational artistic direction of Stephen Page, Bangarra has strived to maintain the cultural integrity and spirit of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander tradition, combining it with contemporary expressions of stories, dance and music. Bangarra creates dynamic, moving theatrical experiences and delivers these experiences to audiences across Australia and around the world.

Patyegarang
Artistic Director: Stephen Page
Choreography: Stephen Page
Music: David Page
Set Design: Jacob Nash
Costume Design: Jennifer Irwin
Lighting Design: Nick Schlieper
Dramaturgy: Alana Valentine

Show duration: 75 minutes
www.bangarra.com.au

Sydney Opera House, June 13th to July 5th 2014. www.sydneyoperahouse.com

Canberra Theatre Centre, July 17th to 19th 2014. www.canberratheatrecentre.com.au State Theatre Centre of Western Australia, July 30th to August 2nd 2014. http://premier.ticketek.com.au

Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC), August 15th to 23rd. qpac.com.au

Arts Centre Melbourne, August 28th to September 6th 2014. www.artscentremelbourne.com.au

Interview with Nicola Sabatino

Nicola Sabatino was raised in Weipa, Far North QLD and is a descendant of the Kaurareg and Meriam peoples of the Torres Strait Islands. Nicola also shares Filipino, Scottish and German ancestry.

Nicola began dancing under the guidance of Amanda Seawright, starting with ballet and branching out into jazz and tap. In 2007, Nicola left for Brisbane, commencing a 2-year full time training course in ballet and contemporary dance at the Australian Dance Performance Institute.

Nicola went on to study at the National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA) where she had the privilege of learning traditional dance from the Dätiwuy Clan of the Yolngu people and Saibai Island people whilst simultaneously honing her ballet and modern dance techniques. While at NAISDA, Nicola had the pleasure of working with renowned artists Bernadette Walong, Jason Pitt, Charles Koroneho, Tammi Gissell, Vicki Van Hout, Deon Hastie, Sani Townson and her mentor Graeme Watson.

Since graduating from NAISDA in 2012, Nicola has performed as a soloist for Opera Australia in Graeme Murphy's Turandot, with Blakdance 2012, in Tammi Gissell's Feather and Tar – A Cabaret of Sorrows and with Ochre Contemporary Dance Company in Diaphanous.

Joining the Bangarra family in 2013, Nicola toured to Vietnam performing in Spirit and nationally performing in Blak. Nicola completed her first year with Bangarra performing in Kinship on the regional tour to VIC and TAS and featured in Bangarraʼs Dance Clan 3 as part of the inaugural Corroboree Sydney. Nicola featured in Dan Sultanʼs music video for his single Under Your Skin that same year.

In 2014 Nicola will perform with Bangarra in Kinship at Holland Dance Festival and on the regional and remote areas tour, as well in Stephenʼs Pageʼs new work Patyegarang, touring Australian capital cities from June to September.

Question: How would you describe the production Patyegarang?

Nicola Sabatino: To me, Patyegarang is a modern exploration of the relationship and exchange between one of the first settlers, Lieutenant William Dawes, and the young aboriginal woman Patyegarang. We've drawn inspiration from the writings of Dawes' diary which recorded their conversations in local Dharug language and also other stories that Dharug elders have shared with us.


Question: What does Patyegarang, mean to you?

Nicola Sabatino: The story of Patyegarang is an important one to the Sydney area and Dharug people. By performing this story, Bangarra can inspire people to look into the history of Sydney and its original inhabitants. There are many stories from here; to get our audience interested in the local history is very important.


Question: Can you talk about the role you play in Patyegarang?

Nicola Sabatino: The production is an abstracted version of the Patyegarang story so I play a variety of roles. I play a member of the clan, an astral body in a constellation and a child from a propaganda poster from 1900s.


Question: Can you talk us through the preparation that goes into a show such as Patyegarang?

Nicola Sabatino: As a dancer, fitness is always an important part of preparing for a performance. I find research is also very helpful especially when it comes to a show based on an historical event, such as Patyegarang. This influences and inspires us when we create our movement.


Question: What do you enjoy most about travelling with Bangarra Dance Theatre for Patyegarang?
Nicola Sabatino: I love touring with Bangarra! We get to see many different places and explore our own beautiful country. We've got a very exciting regional tour planned for this year, I'll finally get to see Uluru with my own eyes!


Question: How does it feel to be participating in the 25th anniversary show for Bangarra Dance Theatre?

Nicola Sabatino: Bangarra has lasted for twenty five years, this is a great accomplishment as a major indigenous company. It's very humbling to join the company for a second year, knowing the history of amazing dancers that were here before me.


Question: What is it like working with Stephen Page?

Nicola Sabatino: Stephen is a very generous and caring choreographer. He has nurtured the company for a very long time and brings out the best in us dancers. Bangarra is a company that many indigenous dancers aspire to join; to be working in amongst the dancers you dreamed of while you trained and being under the guidance of Stephen is amazing. I'm very lucky!


Interview by Brooke Hunter
Images: Greg Barrett and Jessica Bialek