Frances Rings

Frances Rings is an Aboriginal Australian dancer, choreographer and television presenter of the Kokatha people. She has long been associated with the Bangarra Dance Theatre, and will be taking over as artistic director after the 2022 season.


Early life and education

Frances Rings was born in Adelaide, South Australia.[1] She is a descendant of the Kokatha people from her mother’s side, and is of German heritage from her father’s side.[2] Her parents divorced when she was very young, and was placed under the custody of her father.[1] Her father was a railway worker. Her childhood consisted of moving around and living in different parts of Australia since her father, who worked on the railways in Port Augusta eventually got transferred to Kalgoorlie.[3] They went on to move to Albany in Western Australia, and then Queensland because of the climate there. During this period, Rings had gone to six different schools.

Rings took a dance elective at high school, later enrolling at National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association Dance College and while studying, toured with the Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre and performed with Bangarra Dance Theatre.[4]

Dance

Frances joined Bangarra Dance Theatre in 1993, performing in Stephen Page's Praying Mantis Dreaming, Ninni and Ochres. In 1995 she took up an Australia Council grant to study in New York City at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

Career highlights include performing in the opening ceremony of the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000, at New York's Brooklyn Academy of Music as part of the Next Wave Down Under Festival, and at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.. In 2002 Rings made her mainstage choreographic debut for Bangarra with Rations, the first half of the acclaimed production of Walkabout. In 2007 she choreographed X300 which was based on the British nuclear tests at Maralinga.[5]

In early December 2021, Stephen Page announced that he would be stepping down from the role of artistic director after the 2022 season, handing over to Rings, who is currently associate artistic director.[6]

Television

Rings has starred in the documentary drama The Widower (2004) and has presented television shows SBS TV's ICAM (Indigenous Current Affairs Magazine) and ABC TV's Sunday Arts program. She presented live-to-air coverage of the Reconciliation Walk as part of Corroboree 2000 across the Sydney Harbour Bridge for SBS.

Other roles

As of 2005 Rings was a member of the Dance Board of the Australia Council.[7]

Awards

She has received numerous awards for her work, including a Helpmann Award and an Ausdance Outstanding Achievement Award for Choreography.[8]

Notes
  1. Pointes·4, Claudia Lawson·Talking (27 August 2021). "The Rise of Frances Rings". Fjord Review. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  2. Nil, Rose. "Bangarra Dance Theatre – Frances Rings & Rose, a Tête-à-Tête". The Culture Concept Circle. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  3. "Subscribe to The Australian | Newspaper home delivery, website, iPad, iPhone & Android apps". Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  4. Frances Rings, Choreographer, at Bangarra Dance Theatre [Dead link]
  5. "The Australian Live Performance Database".
  6. Jefferson, Dee (2 December 2021). "Stephen Page to step down from Bangarra artistic director role, passing torch to Frances Rings". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  7. "Media Release: Minister for the Arts and Sport, Senator Rod Kemp announcing Frances Rings appointment to the Australia Council Dance Board, 14 September 2005". Archived from the original on 31 August 2007. Retrieved 29 August 2007.
  8. "Frances Rings introduction at Australia Council, Dance Board Assessment Meeting Report, February 2006" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 August 2007. Retrieved 29 August 2007.
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