Following a successful world premiere, Frances Rings' latest work Yuldea is set to arrive in her hometown of Adelaide.
The production, which has already enthralled audiences in Sydney and Canberra will show at Adelaide's iconic Her Majesty's Theatre from August 10 to 12, as part of the Adelaide Festival Centre's 50th anniversary celebrations.
Ms Rings has entered her new role as the Bangarra Dance Theatre's Artistic Director, with her first work being a deeply personal ceremonial affirmation of history and heritage.
A descendant of the Wirangu and Mirning tribes, Ms Rings was inspired by her family's connection to the area.
Her work Yuldea awakens the earth and sky worlds to tell the story of the Aṉangu people of the Great Victorian Desert.
The performance explores the abrupt moment that traditional life collided with the industrial ambition of a growing nation in South Australia's Yuldea (Ooldea).
In Yuldea, the ancient water soak, Yooldil Kapi connected important trading routes and dreaming stories that crossed through the site for thousands of years.
Yooldil Kapi was instrumental in the construction of the trans-Australian railway extending across the Nullarbor, joining the east coast to the west coast.
As a result of the industrial pressures placed on the permanent waterhole in 1917, the water ran dry.
Afterwards, memories lay scattered, along with the Aṉangu people, who were displaced from their home. Remnants of colonial progress, swallowed by sand.
However the Aṉangu endured, determined to keep strong the knowledge systems of land and sky, honouring the eternal bonds of kinship between people and place.
"Within my family lineage lies the stories of forefathers and mothers who lived a dynamic, sophisticated desert life," Ms Rings said.
"Leaving their imprint scattered throughout Country like memories suspended in time. Their lives were forever changed by the impact of colonial progress.
"The story of Yuldea asks us to look beyond the narrative of our nation's modernisation to reconcile a fraught history, and to affirm a future that no longer hides behind its truths but grows because of them."
The Sydney Morning Herald described Yuldea as "so fresh and uninhibited it almost bursts off the stage", while Aboriginal Art Directory said "Rings proves herself a master of dynamic, eye-catching choreography".
Ms Rings got her first big break in 2002 with her choreographic debut with the critically-acclaimed Rations bill of Walkabout, which she followed by creating six works for the company.
In 2004, Bulletin Magazine named Ms Rings in their Smart 100, following the world premiere of her work Unaipon at The Adelaide Festival of the Arts.
Internationally, she has been fortunate to establish important intercultural relationships with First Nations performing arts companies in Canada and New Zealand.
Yuldea will be brought to life with costumes from the multi-award-winning Jennifer Irwin and lighting by Karen Norris, with the show featuring original music composed by David Page Music Fellow, Leon Rodgers, a descendant of the Worimi nation in NSW.
The performance also welcomes an exciting new creative collaboration by featuring songs from multi-award-winning South Australian duo Electric Fields.
