The senior artist who portrayed Bennelong in an extraordinary 2017 dance, Beau Dean Riley-Smith, will depart from the Bangarra company after one decade with the troupe.

Riley-Smith an Aboriginal man from the Wiradjuri Nation of Central New South Wales and the Gamilaraay Nation of New South Wales, began working for Bangarra in 2013 after graduating from NAISDA.

For the past decade Riley-Smith's passion for his culture and telling First Nation stories has helped foster important relationships with many cultural families, particularly around Dubbo and Western NSW.

His famous embodiment of Bennelong in 2017 brought spirit to the conflicted life of the Wangal man and the cultural heart he carried in his role as mediator.

Riley-Smith went on to win a Helpmann Award, an Australian Dance Award, and a Green Room Award nomination for his performance.

Beau Dean Riley Smith Terrain 2016 Photo by Zan Wimberely

Bangarra artistic director Stephen Page said he had nothing but kind words for Riley-Smith and his journey with Bangarra.

"Beau is one of those rare artists who innately embodies a distinctive style that connects the physical, spiritual and the narrative of story, whilst along the way always having his feet connected to Country," he said.

"He is an incredible storyteller of dance and a future dance maker who will be strongly telling truth from his black perspective.

"His footprint is left in the ground of our Bangarra foundation will always be admired and respected."

As a choreographer and cultural man, Riley-Smith worked with Daniel Riley in Miyagan in 2016, a personal and touching production.

That beautifully explored the Wiradjuri kinship and family ties, that reflected the strength and resilience that Riley-Smith embodies on stage and off.

Earlier this year Riley Smith impressed audiences in his musical theatre debut for Queensland Theatre Company's The Sunshine Club directed by Wesley Enoch.

In 2023, he will appear in The Visitors with Sydney Theatre Company.