Stephen Page, Choreographer
Born in Brisbane, Stephen is descended from the Nunukul people and the Munaldjali clan of the Yugambeh tribe from southeast Queensland, Australia. Stephen danced with the Sydney Dance Company until 1991 when he was appointed Artistic Director of Bangarra Dance Theatre. With his works, Praying Mantis Dreaming, Ninni, and Ochres, Stephen established milestones for the company and for Australian dance.
In 1996, Stephen made his creative debut with The Australian Ballet, choreographing the short work Alchemy. The following year, he brought The Australian Ballet and Bangarra together in Rites, to Stravinsky's Rite of Spring.
The following year Stephen choreographed Fish for Bangarra, with its world premiere at the Edinburgh International Festival, before going to the Sydney Opera House as part of the Indigenous Festival of the Dreaming.
Stephen choreographed the flag handover ceremony for the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996 and directed the Indigenous segments of the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. He also created the ceremony that opened the Olympic Arts Festival. That same year, he choreographed Bangarra's next major work Skin, which premiered at the festival. This production has since won Stephen and Bangarra the coveted Helpmann Award for Best New Australian Work and Best Dance Work.
Stephen's triple bill Corroboree toured nationally and internationally, including a sell-out tour of the United States with appearances at BAM in New York and Washington's Kennedy Center. This major work earned Stephen the Helpmann Award for Best Choreography.
The following year, Stephen was honoured with the Matilda Award for his contribution to the arts in Queensland and choreographed Totem for the Australian Ballet's principal dancer, Stephen Heathcoate. 2002 also saw the world premiere of Bangarra's double bill, Walkabout which Stephen co-choreographed with Frances Rings.
Stephen and Frances Rings later co-choreographed Bush for Bangarra that sold out on its Australian tour as well as its 2004 tour to the United States. Also in 2004 Bangarra returned to the Sydney Opera House with another sell-out production co-choreographed by Stephen and Frances, Clan. The following year Stephen choreographed Boomerang that once again enjoyed great critical and popular acclaim, selling out its Australian tour.
In 2006, Stephen was commissioned by The Australian Ballet to choreograph a collaborative work with Bangarra called Gathering, a double bill consisting of a remounted work Rites and the new work, Amalgamate. Gathering has been one of the best selling contemporary works for The Australian Ballet.
Stephen's film and theatre credits include the contemporary operatic film Black River, numerous music video clips and most recently directing his own brother David Page in the highly acclaimed one-man show Page 8 which toured the UK.
As Artistic Director of Australia's premiere arts festival, the 2004 Adelaide Festival of the Arts, Stephen has been praised for reinvigorating the event with an impressive and highly successful world-class program.
Biography sourced from http://www.bangarra.com.au/bios/spage.html