Frances Rings is anAboriginal Australian dancer,choreographer and formertelevision presenter. She was born inAdelaide,South Australia, and is a Wirangu and Mirning woman. She became artistic director forBangarra Dance Theatre in 2023.
Frances Rings | |
|---|---|
| Born | Frances Rings |
| Education | Bundamba State Secondary College National Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Association |
| Occupation(s) | Choreographer Dancer |
| Career | |
| Current group | Bangarra Dance Theatre |
Frances Rings was born inAdelaide,South Australia.[1] She is a descendant of the Wirangu and Mirning Tribes from the West Coast of South Australia.[2] She has a younger sister Gina, who is a dancer and choreographer. Rings’ parents divorced when she was three years old, and Rings went to live with her father, while her mother continued living on the west coast of South Australia.[3] Her father was arailway worker inPort Augusta, where she partially grew up.[4] From that time Rings’ and her father started to move around Australia frequently.[5] For his work, her father was transferred toKalgoorlie, and then they eventually went on to move toAlbany in Western Australia, and then toQueensland because of theclimate there.[6]
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Growing up in Port Augusta during her early childhood, Rings had voiced an interest in dance, but her family was unable to afford to pay forballet lessons. She continued to show her passion for dance as she created atheatre in herbackyard out ofwater tanks, which she turned into a cubby house and decorated withcurtains, as well as dressing up her siblings in costumes which she made out of bits of materials that were available to her. She would often stage mini productions with her siblings in her makeshift theatre.[7]
At the age of 16, Rings was living inIpswich, Queensland, where she attended a boarding school. In year 11, when pursuing herHigher School Certificate, dance was offered as a HSC course. Rings decided to sign up for HSC dance as one of her electives. She said that she had an encouraging dance teacher who pushed her to do her best.[1]
When Rings was 17, her speech and drama teacher at school told her about theNational Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA) inSydney, whereIndigenous students are given the opportunity to learn about dance and culture. Her teacher encouraged her to apply to NAISDA. After completing Year 12, Rings left Ipswich to attend NAISDA in Sydney.[1]
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In 1992, Rings graduated from NAISDA.[3] she performed in her graduation performance whereStephen Page, artistic director of the Bangarra Dance Theatre, saw her, and invited her to join Bangarra.[2] In 1993, Rings joined Bangarra to develop her skills as a choreographer. She also performed in Page's production ofPraying Mantis Dreaming,Ninni, andOchres. She became the first choreographic Artist in Residence for Bangarra.[3] In 1995, Rings went toNew York on anAustralia Council grant, to study at theAlvin Ailey American Dance Theater for three months.[4]
In 2002, Rings made her mainstage choreographic debut with the choreographic production,Rations. She went on to create six more works for Bangarra, includingBush (2003),Unaipon (2004),X300 (2007),Artefact (2010),Terrain (2012), andSheoak (2015).[6]
Within Australia, Rings has choreographed works for leading dance companies, including theWest Australian Ballet,Tasdance and performed forLegs on the Wall theatre company in Sydney. She has also danced in works by leading Australian choreographers likeMeryl Tankard andLeigh Warren. Internationally, she has worked with companies like Kahawi Dance Theatre in Six Nations,Turtle Islands (Canada), as well asAtamira Dance Company inAuckland, New Zealand, where she was a guest collaborator and performer for their production ofMITIMITI. In 2018, she choreographed a new piece for Atamira calledKotahi.[6]
In 2016, Rings returned to NAISDA as head of creative studies until 2019. Within this period, she directed five end-of-year productions, includingYour Skin, My Skin (2014),Kamu (2015),From Sand to Stage (2016),Restoration (2017), andStory Place (2018). After leaving NAISDA, she returned to Bangarra as the associate artistic director in 2019.[6]
On 2 December 2021 it was announced that Rings would take over the role of artistic director from Stephen Page in Bangarra in 2023.[8]
Rings' earliest memory of dance is watchingYoung Talent Time (1971-1988), an Australian variety show ontelevision which inspired her to become a dancer.[1] During high school, Rings' dance class was taken on a trip to Sydney to watch a live performance ofCats the musical at theTheatre Royal.[1][4] Rings remembers being fascinated by the way dancers were able to move their bodies and stated she did not know dancers could use their bodies to create such movements.[1]
Her first dance hero wasMichael Jackson, before discovering NAISDA[9] and thenAlvin Ailey, whose work greatly influenced her dancing and choreography after her time spent in his studios.[10][11]
Rings' choreographic works are often influenced by her childhood experiences with nature. During her childhood, her father, aGerman migrant to Australia, struggled financially to provide for his family due to the aftermath ofWorld War II. The main source of sustenance that he could provide for his family included what he grew in his own vegetable patch andorchard. Rings also recalls how on the way to school in the morning, she would climb over other people's fences to pickfigs, nuts andgrapes. She believes that because of her father, Rings developed her "connection to country". It was not because of her Aboriginal background, or from a cultural perspective.[12]
Rings mentions being influenced by the way her aunts and sisters told stories, specifically theirbody language, such asgestures and expressions, and how she is able to see them reflected within the shape of trees.[12] She said in 2022 that she likes choreography that shows "clean shapes and distinctive physical architecture of body", that also embodies the convergence of the spirits of culture, Country and people.[13]
Unaipon (2004)[14] was Rings' third work for Bangarra. It was a celebration of the life ofNgarrindjeri author and inventorDavid Unaipon[13] (1872–1967), with the work comprising three sections: "Ngarrindjeri", "Science", and "Religion". Each section related to different aspects of Unaipon’s life and work, with the whole work bringing an interconnected story to the stage.[14] Rings saw this as a way of bringing Indigenous stories, which had often been ignored in school curricula, to a wider audience, of bringing them into the mainstream.[13]
Stephen Page asked Rings to choreograph a work depicting Aboriginal views onlandscape.[5] She cites her trips toFlinders Ranges, which she used to visit every weekend as a child, and alsoKati Thanda–Lake Eyre as her main influence to choreograph a piece that illustrates howgeographical features influences people's mood andspirit.[5][12] She wanted to incorporateimagery of Lake Eyre that she had witnessed during her visit.[15][12] She states how on the first day of her trip to the lake, it was filled with water, but the next day it was empty and shiny. She also took a tour with anArabana elder, who showed her aroundwaterholes andsacred sites. She had access tostone tools and ancient paintings that mapped secretwaterways.[12] Rings was influenced by literal ideas of elements that make up the physical landscape of the lake, and explored figurative ideas of human connections toland and nature which she incorporated into her work,Terrain in 2012.[16]
Rings re-stagedTerrain in 2022, with the show touring Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane from June to August.[13]
When choreographingSheoak, Rings was influenced bysheoak trees and how it is used by people to provide medicine, shelter and food amongst other purposes. Through symbolism, Through the choreography, Rings wanted to create a connection between thesheoak trees and Indigenous stories, focusing on how like sheoak trees,Indigenous languages, customs andknowledge are endangered.[17][18]
Rings has starred in the drama filmThe Widower (2004).[19]
As of 2005[update] Rings was a member of the Dance Board of theAustralia Council.[20]
| Year | Award(s) | Category | Recipient/Nominated Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Helpmann Award | Best Ballet or Dance Work | Frances Rings Walkabout | Won |
| 2003 | Deadly Award | Female Dancer of the Year | Frances Rings | Won |
| 2004 | Australian Dance Award | Outstanding Achievement in Choreography | Frances Rings Unaipon | Won |
| 2010 | Helpmann Award | Best Regional Touring Production | Frances Rings True Stories | Won |
| 2011 | Green Room Award | Frances Rings Artefact | Won | |
| 2013 | Helpmann Award | Best Ballet or Dance Work | Frances Rings Terrain | Won |
| 2016 | Helpmann Award | Best Ballet or Dance Work & Best Choreograph in a Dance or Physical Theatre Work | Frances Rings Sheoak | Won |
| 2017 | Helpmann Award | Best Regional Touring Show | Frances Rings Terrain | Won |