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| Marrugeku | |
|---|---|
| Name | Marrugeku |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Founders | John? (not linked) |
| Country | Australia |
| Genre | Contemporary dance, theatre |
Marrugeku Marrugeku is an Australian contemporary dance and theatre company known for cross-cultural performance and Aboriginal-led practice. The company works across dance, theatre, film and community projects, engaging with Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists, cultural institutions and festivals. Marrugeku has presented work nationally and internationally with collaborators from diverse artistic, academic and governmental contexts.
Marrugeku developed from collaborations in the late 2000s involving artists active in Australia Council for the Arts, Subdivision of Arts NSW and networks connected to Monash University, University of Sydney, University of Melbourne and University of Queensland. Early projects intersected with organisations such as Bangarra Dance Theatre, Belvoir Theatre, Sydney Festival, Melbourne Festival, Adelaide Festival, Perth Festival and Brisbane Festival. The company’s trajectory includes residencies at Carriageworks, Belvoir St Theatre, Blacktown Arts Centre, Sheffield Theatres and international exchanges with Kunstenfestivaldesarts, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Stuttgart Ballet programmes and Asia TOPA. Marrugeku’s history is tied to funding and policy environments shaped by Australia Council for the Arts, Creative Victoria and local councils including City of Sydney and City of Melbourne.
Marrugeku’s practice blends elements from Indigenous Australian cultural protocols and contemporary performance methodologies associated with postcolonial theatre, physical theatre, contemporary dance and site-specific performance. The company draws on movement vocabularies linked to performers trained at institutions such as NAISDA Dance College, Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, Victorian College of the Arts and AFTRS. Choreographic processes have involved influences from practitioners connected to Merce Cunningham, Pina Bausch, Trisha Brown and Steve Paxton, while dramaturgy intersects with writers and directors operating in the genealogies of Neil Armfield, Ricky Maynard and John Bell. Marrugeku often engages with visual artists who have exhibited at Biennale of Sydney, Tate Modern, National Gallery of Australia and Museum of Contemporary Art Australia.
Significant productions by Marrugeku have been presented alongside works by Bangarra Dance Theatre, Back to Back Theatre, Fraternal Arts, and within festivals such as Vivid Sydney, Sundance Film Festival and Venice Biennale satellite programs. Major staged works have toured to venues including Sydney Opera House, Arts Centre Melbourne, Carriageworks, Belvoir Theatre, Festival d'Avignon and Lincoln Center. The company’s productions often feature collaborations with composers and musicians who have worked with Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Bangarra musicians, Australian Chamber Orchestra and independent artists linked to Triple J and ABC Classic. Film and video work has screened at institutions such as Sundance Film Festival, Berlinale, Toronto International Film Festival and regional festivals supported by Screen Australia.
Marrugeku has collaborated with a broad network including Bangarra Dance Theatre, Belvoir Theatre, Carriageworks, Blacktown Arts Centre, Sydney Festival, Melbourne Festival, Adelaide Festival, Perth Festival, Brisbane Festival, Arts Centre Melbourne, Sydney Opera House, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, National Gallery of Australia, Creative Victoria, Australia Council for the Arts, ABC, SBS, Screen Australia, Monash University, University of Sydney, University of Melbourne, University of Queensland, NAISDA Dance College, Victorian College of the Arts, Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, Tate Modern, Lincoln Center, Festival d'Avignon, Kunstenfestivaldesarts, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Venice Biennale and Sundance Film Festival. International partnerships have connected Marrugeku to ensembles and presenters in Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Japan, United Kingdom, United States, France, Germany and Netherlands.
Marrugeku runs community projects that work with remote communities, urban centres and school programs partnering with entities such as Department of Education (New South Wales), Department of Education (Victoria), NSW Department of Aboriginal Affairs, Victorian Aboriginal Affairs Framework and local councils including City of Sydney and City of Melbourne. Community programs have linked with NAISDA Dance College, Australasian Dance Collective and Indigenous cultural organisations active at National Indigenous Australians Agency initiatives. The company’s cultural impact resonates in discourses coordinated by researchers at Australian National University, University of Western Australia, Macquarie University and through platforms like ABC Indigenous and SBS NITV.
Marrugeku’s work has been acknowledged within award circuits and institutional prizes associated with Helpmann Awards, Green Room Awards, Sydney Theatre Awards, Matilda Awards, Australia Council Fellowships, Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards and festival awards from Melbourne Festival and Adelaide Festival. Grants and fellowships from Australia Council for the Arts, Creative Victoria, Screen Australia and university research bodies have supported major projects and touring activity.
Education programs facilitated by Marrugeku have been developed for schools and tertiary partners including Victorian College of the Arts, NAISDA Dance College, Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, Monash University, University of Sydney and University of Melbourne. Training initiatives include workshops in collaboration with practitioners associated with Australian Dance Theatre, Bangarra Dance Theatre, Belvoir Theatre, Back to Back Theatre and guest artists from Pina Bausch Tanztheater, Merce Cunningham Trust and international conservatoires. These programs have been integrated with curriculum frameworks from Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority and community learning schemes administered by local councils.
Category:Australian contemporary dance companies