COMPANY BIOS
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR GARY LANG
Gary Lang is a Larrakia man; he trained at the National Aboriginal and Islander
Dance School (NAISDA) and has toured nationally and internationally with some
of Australia's premier dance companies, the Aboriginal and Islander Dance
Theatre, Bangarra, Dance North and Tracks Inc.
Gary is a dynamic dancer, choreographer, teacher and performer and a much
loved and revered figure in the NT dance community. He actively strives to
maintain a strong cultural identity, acting as an ambassador for his culture
through his practice. Since returning to Darwin Gary has been working with a group of male and
female dancers and he has unearthed a cache of hidden talent - many of who have recently
performed as part of his company in Mokuy (Spirit) for Garrmalang Festival 2014 at the Darwin
Entertainment Centre.
Gary's choreographic work is sensual and evocative, presenting the best of contemporary dance
rooted in the traditions of Indigenous Australia. In 2004 Gary presented Entrapment as a work for iMoves - Darwin Fringe Festival. In 2005 Gary formed his own company Baru Kadal with Juliette
Hubbard and re-choreographed Entrapment into a full-length contemporary Indigenous dance
production as part of the Darwin Festival and i-Moves 2005.
In 2006 Gary was invited to present a choreographic work at the prestigious Indigenous Dreaming
Festival. He created and presented the Dream. The incredible success of Gary’s work led to many
discussions to the future developments of performance events of this nature and in 2007 the
collective presented Goose Lagoon at Australia’s Indigenous Dreaming Festival.
Gary began running regular contemporary dance classes to provide professional development
opportunities for his group of athletic and impressive dancers. Committed to working from a grass
roots level, Gary also works with local schools conducting a range of dance training programs, once
again filling a much needed niche in the Darwin dance community.
During 2008, Gary researched and created Munuk Gapu – Fresh water Salt water - a dance
production that interprets the lives, adventures and misadventures of Territory pearl divers from a
bygone era. In August 2008, Munuk Gapu was featured at the Darwin Festival, performing at the
Playhouse Theatre in the Darwin Entertainment Centre.
In 2010, Gary presented Goose Lagoon at the Darwin Festival with original magpie geese puppets
being incorporated into the production.
MOKUY (Spirit) is Gary’s latest work that premiered at the Garrmalang Festival at Darwin
Entertainment Centre in May 2014. MOKUY is a series of vignettes that depict an evocative
reflection on the journey of the spirit following death through contemporary dance, projections and
traditional and contemporary music. For Gary Lang, Mokuy is his personal response to youth suicide
in remote Indigenous communities.
Gary Lang NT Dance Company ABN 21 159 439 040 ACN 159 439 040 PO Box 2005 Parap NT 0804
Mobile: 0450 362 460
E-mail [email protected]
DANCER MICHELE DOTT
Michele is a Gary Lang NTDC dancer and rehearsal director. Michele was
classically trained by Kathleen Gorham OBE and Karen Stephens ARAD to
Advanced standard. She was coached as a classical student teacher for five years
and then from the ages of 17 to19 she was responsible for classical levels
Primary thru to Pre-Elementary.
Michele’s modern dance training was originally through Coral Deague, who
employed Michele in 1975 for theatrical dance performances at the ‘Overlander’
Theatre Restaurant. Michele then spent two years with Calvin Von Reinhold (Merce Cunningham
student) incorporating the ‘Cunningham’ Technique of Modern dance. Then five years with Ronne
Arnold’s advanced jazz training and performance, learning the grounding and soul of movements.
After that, four years were spent in WA with movement direction from John Tsakiris (ex. Ballet
Rambert), who enlightened Michele with the essence of contemporary movement.
Michele has been continually choreographing, teaching and/or performing for many varied venues
and occasions (from WA Burswood Casino Dance Production, to an extra for the Australian Ballet
Company’s performance of ‘Manon’ at the State Theatre in Victoria).
Michele arrived in the Territory in 1996 and taught dance & drama to Aboriginal school children
(Pre-school through to Year 8) in Lajamanu, NT, for two years. From 1998 to 2005 she taught the
Stage 1 and Stage 2 Dance and Dance Studies course at Casuarina Senior College in Darwin. She has
continued her involvement in the local dance community through dance teaching, choreography and
performance. Michele’s involvement with Gary Lang commenced in 2004 and has grown with her
deep respect and belief in the direction and choreography of Gary Lang’s productions.
This will be Michele’s sixth production with Gary Lang NT Dance Company.
DANCER DARREN EDWARDS
Darren was born and bred in Darwin. He started his dancing career with Gary
Lang at the 2006 Dreaming Festival in Woodford QLD. This sparked his love for
dance and since then he has performed at the 2006 Deadly Awards, 2007
Dreaming Festival, 2007 Darwin Festival in IMoves, 2007 Strut Festival Perth and
the 2008 Quinkan for esteemed Indigenous choreographer Marilyn Miller.
Darren was part of the ensemble involved in Goose Lagoon and worked with
Gary Lang and OCHRE Contemporary Indigenous Dance Company.
Darren performed an acting role in ‘Slow Falling Bird’ directed by Gail Evans for the Darwin Theatre
Company in 2013. His acting career continued in 2014 performing in ‘The Hoist’ directed by Gail
Evans for the Darwin Theatre Company. Darren toured with ‘The Gift of Life’ through Western
Australia earlier this year with Artback NT.
Darren was part of the latest Gary Lang NT Dance production – Mokuy (Spirit). This will be Darren’s
fifth production with Gary Lang NT Dance Company.
Gary Lang NT Dance Company ABN 21 159 439 040 ACN 159 439 040 PO Box 2005 Parap NT 0804
Mobile: 0450 362 460
E-mail [email protected]
DANCER CATHERINE YOUNG
Originally from Darwin, Catherine began her dance training in classical ballet,
and later contemporary dance. Catherine is a 2009 Bachelor of Arts (Dance)
graduate; she completed her tertiary full-time dance training at the Western
Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA).
After graduating from WAAPA she produced her own collaborative dance project
in Melbourne with RMIT Honors fashion students. Catherine has also worked
with independent Melbourne choreographer Christina Evans. Now living in
Darwin she has the pleasure of dancing for choreographer Gary Lang.
This will be Catherine’s second production with Gary Lang NT Dance Company.
DANCER KYLE RAMBOYONG
Born in the Northern Territory, Kyle Ramboyong started his dance education in
2009 at the age of 17 in with dance teacher, Marita Smith. After graduating
from college, Kyle continued training with Gary Lang, understudying for the
production, Goose Lagoon that premiered at Darwin Festival in 2010. Later that
year, Kyle was invited to perform as a principle dancer in Goose Lagoon as part
of the Mahbilil Festival. Kyle also performed with Tracks Dance in Pineapple
Women Crocodile Man (2011). During 2012 and 2013 Kyle performed as a
principal dancer for Gary Lang NT Dance Company at the Seabreeze Festival,
the Telstra Art Awards, The World Indigenous Network Conference and Les Grande Classique. In
2014, Kyle performed with Gary Lang NT Dance Company’s Mokuy (Spirit) and with Tracks Dance
Company in ‘You Dance Funny – The Sequale’.
This will be Kyle’s second production with Gary Lang NT Dance Company.
DANCER BRYN WACKETT
Bryn has been an integral and active part of Northern Territory dance
communities since 2007. Her dedication and light-hearted approach to dance
and her enthusiasm and appreciation for all forms of creative and cultural
movement has enabled her to form strong links with fellow NT artists. Originally
from Sydney, Bryn gained her AISTD in Cecchetti Ballet Method and studied
contemporary dance under Bernadette Walong and Garry Lester at UWS
Nepean.
Bryn has become deeply embedded in the local Northern Territory Dance Sector
as a performer, choreographer, facilitator, educator and manager. She is a long
term dancer with Gary Lang NT Dance Company, worked as Project Manager
and then Director of Ausdance NT in 2009 & 2010, coordinating many projects with the organisation.
She has been involved in: several initiatives with Dusty Feet Dance Collective (Alice Springs),
developing and delivering the 2009 Darwin Masterclass Series (Darwin & Alice Springs), copresenting the Darwin Screenings of 2010 Reel Dance International Film Festival, Rix Kix Arts projects
(choreographer/ teacher), and Dirty Feet Dance Collective residencies (Sydney). She has been
contracted to Tracks Dance Company for various projects throughout 2012 as
Gary Lang NT Dance Company ABN 21 159 439 040 ACN 159 439 040 PO Box 2005 Parap NT 0804
Mobile: 0450 362 460
E-mail [email protected]
performer/choreographer and in 2013 co-coordinated the Cultural Mapping Project. July 2013, she
performed with Rachael Wallis for the opening of the NAIDOC Week Yirrkala Bark Petitions 50th
Anniversary Concert. 2014 sees her in a Tracks Residency Program for a collaboration and skills
exchange project with Roue Cyr performer, Jon Clark, alongside working as a core dancer for Gary
Lang NT Dance Company’s latest work “Mokuy”. She has taught dance programs for local and
regional primary and secondary schools (most recently Essington School & Casuarina Senior College,
Nightcliff Precinct) and has taken on the role as Director of Dance for NT Music Schools ‘Beat
Festival’ for a second year.
Bryn has shared her dance with remote Indigenous communities as far reaching as Docker River to
the west and Yirrkala to the east and taught as a freelance teacher at many private Dance Studio’s in
Darwin throughout this time. Her choreographic and teaching experience reaches back as far as
1992 when she completed her AISTD in Ccechetti Method Ballet training and began employment
within a number of NSW Public Schools. Alongside her teaching and performing activities here in the
Territory, Bryn took on the role of co-ordinating the vibrant and multicultural Dance Stage for the
annual Nightcliff Seabreeze Festival in 2009 – 1012 until in 2013 she took on the management role
for the entire Festival for 2013 and produced the best and most vibrant Big Day the Seabreeze had
seen in 9 years.
This will be Bryn’s fourth production with Gary Lang NT Dance Company.
DANCER EMILY CORPUS
Emily Corpus was born and raised in Darwin, Northern Territory and is a local performing dance artist.
Emily’s heritage is steeped in classical dance history with her grandmother Dorothy Simpson being the
Artistic Director for the South Australian National Ballet Company and who played an influential role
during Emily’s earlier dancing years.
Emily began dancing at the age of 7, training in Cecchetti classical ballet under the direction of Jan
Hedenig, (Principal) for the Palmerston Ballet School during which time she was the recipient of a PAD
junior scholarship and acknowledged with a Lily Vita Award for Most Promising Dance (Senior). In
1999, Emily was nominated for the Young Achiever of the Year Awards for her active participation and
commitment to dance in the community and community events.
As a young adult, Emily explored dance through other techniques including hip hop and contemporary
movement where she had the privilege of working with several local choreographers, as well as
performances with the Juniper Tree Dance Company, Tracks Dance Company and travelling to Bergen,
Norway with The Barefoot Theatre Company.
After taking some time away to raise a family, Emily returned to dance again in 2005 with Gary Lang
NT Dance Company and performed in The Dreaming and Goose Lagoon at the Dreaming Festival in
2006.
This will be Emily’s third production with Gary Lang NT Dance Company.
Gary Lang NT Dance Company ABN 21 159 439 040 ACN 159 439 040 PO Box 2005 Parap NT 0804
Mobile: 0450 362 460
E-mail [email protected]