In a world premiere work showcasing a palpably seamless collaboration between two of the country’s signature dance companies, our continent’s unique plant life – and First Nations Peoples’ millennia-long relationship with it, grounded in use, care, co-habitation and struggles – appear front and centre.
Commissioned by The Australian Ballet, choreographed by Bangarra Dance Theatre’s Artistic Director Frances Rings and danced by 35 artists from the two companies to the spiritually seductive music of Kalkadungu composer William Barton, Flora imparts its distinctive richness and meaningful ideas with an absorbingly simmering energy.
Rings and Barton’s 80-minute work comprises 12 parts spread across two acts, separated by an interval. From a brooding visual representation of creation stories beginning below the Earth’s surface in Mother Seed – incorporating the use of long sticks that strike the ground with rhythmical impact – to the conclusive colourful burst of colour and sense of hope achieved in Bush Flowers, the work unfolds along a loosely chronological trajectory.
In the second movement, Sleeping Yams, 5 dancers hang upside down, cocoon-like, before unfurling in an aerial dance display executed with melting dynamism. The significance of native grasses is highlighted by two subsequent movements that bring closer attention to their social and cultural meaning before the first act closes with a pronounced shift of mood alongside the unmistakable arrival of colonisation – and its impact on the local flora – in Hooves are Coming.
Two very different perspectives on the plant world emerge when the opening of Act Two’s Ten Days reveals a dozen oversized plant specimen bags hanging from a circular gantry, a dancer contorting in each – symbolic of both botanist Joseph Banks’ removal of native species from their environment and suffocation of First Nations Peoples’ rights.
That concept is driven home in the brutally powerful solo performance that follows as part of Golden Wattle, danced by The Australian Ballet’s Jill Ogai, during which, among others, the words “Aboriginal people shall not be counted” are both broadcast and projected. Rings subsequently reminds her audience that it was not until 1967 that First Nations Peoples were included in the population count.
Optimism follows with Repatriation, and human stewardship in the rejuvenation of the landscape is glowingly portrayed in Fire Song as the work builds to the bright floral finale – the finishing touch to a journey that intelligently and artistically illuminates our continent’s story in potent, abstracted ways.
Overall, a wealth of evocatively detailed imagery accompanies a dance style characterised by effortless organic rhythms and free-flowing sequences that occasionally transform into ordered patterns. Both broad-sweeping fluidity and tight, sharp angularity are juxtaposed judiciously, with finely crafted ensemble work being the key driver.
In addition to Ogai’s sensitively danced Golden Wattle Solo, other noteworthy performances include Callum Linnane’s expressive and masterful Yams Solo, Kassidy Waters’ vigorous Single Thread Solo, Elijah Trevitt’s strikingly effective Fire Spirit and Courtney Radford’s beautifully focused Regeneration Solo. The results testify to the success of uniting two dance companies with markedly different stylistic traditions.
It couldn’t have shone without Barton’s captivating, atmospheric soundscape that blends rhythmic Indigenous sounds with contemporary, classic and electronic influences. Scored for a medium-sized orchestra, the music easily stands alone as a fulfilling, vivid, listening experience. Conductor Jonathan Lo and Orchestra Victoria highlighted its attributes marvellously in the pit.
Integral to conveying the work’s strength and meaning, Grace Lillian Lee (costumes), Elizabeth Gadsby (sets) and Karen Norris (lighting) create a visual world that constantly stimulates.
An extensive range of nature-inspired costumes appears in thematic tones and varied styles. The expansive stage is sparingly treated with design elements that complement Rings’ concept – never superfluous and leaving the spotlight to the dancers – while Norris’ lighting impresses with its dramatic variation.
The fusion of Australian artistic talent and expression in Flora is something to admire – a work that will resonate long after the final curtain and, one hopes, deepen our collective sense of connection and place.
FLORA
Regent Theatre, 191 Collins Street, Melbourne
Performance: Thursday 12 March 2026
Season continues to 21 March 2026
Bookings: www.australianballet.com.au
Following the Melbourne season, Flora will be presented at the Joan Sutherland Theatre – Sydney Opera House from 7 – 18 April 2026. For more information, visit: www.australianballet.com.au for details.
Images: Artists of The Australian Ballet and Bangarra Dance Theatre in Flora (Rings) – photo by Kate Longley | Artists of The Australian Ballet and Bangarra Dance Theatre in Flora (Rings) – photo by Kate Longley | Jill Ogai in Flora (Rings) – photo by Kate Longley | Elijah Trevitt in Flora (Rings) – photo by Kate Longley