Australia’s leading Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander performing arts company, Bangarra Dance Theatre, has announced that Biripi woman Tamara Bouman, Gomeroi man Edan Porter, and South Sea Islander and Yuwibara man Zeak Tass, will join Bangarra as full-time ensemble members for 2025.
Bouman, Porter and Tass were selected from more than 30 applicants following auditions held in September last year. Porter and Tass commenced their role in January and will join Bangarra for their upcoming regional tour of The Light Inside, which visits Wollongong, Newcastle, and Adelaide in February and March, and Bouman joins Bangarra in March for the national tour of Illume.
“I am delighted to announce that we are growing the Bangarra community in 2025 with the addition of three incredibly talented dancers Tamara, Edan, and Zeak,” said Bangarra Dance Theatre’s Artistic Director, Frances Rings. “The trio bring a diverse set of skills and experience to the table, and I can’t wait to share their artistry with audiences across the country.”
Tamara Bouman is a 26-year-old contemporary dance artist and a proud descendant of the Biripi Peoples of the mid-New South Wales Coast. A graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts, her work spans diverse performance and creative practices, encompassing ballet, performance art, children’s theatre, circus and harness, contact improvisation, film, puppeteering and physical theatre. Career highlights include performing in The Ring Cycle with Dance North and Opera Australia, joining Bangarra’s Horizon season at the Sydney Opera House, and making her international touring debut with THAW by Legs on the Wall.
Edan Porter, a proud Gomeroi man from North-West NSW, began his dance journey at age 7, learning Traditional Aboriginal dance from his Elders on Country. He trained professionally at NAISDA Dance College, graduating in 2019. Edan has worked with and been mentored by leading companies and creatives, including Jacob Boehme, Sydney Dance Company, Bangarra Dance Theatre, Marrugeku, Opera Australia, Brown’s Mart Theatre, NT Dance Company, Circa, The Dreaming Project, KARUL Projects, and the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Canada.
Zeak Tass is a proud South Sea Islander and Yuwibara man from Mackay, who began dancing at age 12, training in Contemporary, Jazz, Tap, and Ballet. He furthered his training at the National College of Dance, earning a Diploma in Elite Performance. Career highlights include dancing at Disneyland Paris, performing as a soloist at the Moulin Rouge and founding the Contemporary Ballet Youth Company Z in North Queensland.
For more information about Bangarra and their dancers, visit: www.bangarra.com.au for details.
Image: Zeak Tass, Edan Porter and Tamara Bouman – photo by Daniel Boud