Frances Rings was born in Adelaide, 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 a railway worker in Port 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 to Kalgoorlie, and then they eventually went on to move to Albany in Western Australia, and then to Queensland because of the climate there.[6]
Railway Station in Port Augusta, South Australia
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 for ballet lessons. She continued to show her passion for dance as she created a theatre in her backyard out of water tanks, which she turned into a cubby house and decorated with curtains, 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 in Ipswich, Queensland where she attended a boarding school. In year 11, when pursuing her Higher School Certificate, dance was offered as a HSC course. Rings decided to sign up for HSC dance as one of her electives. She mentioned 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 the National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA) in Sydney, where Indigenous 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]
Career
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre in New York City
In 1992, Rings graduated from NAISDA.[3] she performed in her graduation performance where Stephen Page, the artistic director of the Bangarra Dance Theatre at the time, 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 of Praying Mantis Dreaming, Ninni and Ochres. She became the first choreographic Artist in Residence for Bangarra.[3] In 1995, Rings went to New York on an Australia Council grant, to study at the Alvin 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 6 more works for Bangarra, including Bush (2003), Unaipon (2004), X300 (2007), Artefact (2010), Terrain (2012), Sheoak (2015).[6]
Within Australia, Rings has choreographed works for leading dance companies like the West Australian Ballet, Tasdance and performed for Legs on the Wall theatre company in Sydney. She has also danced in works by leading Australian choreographers like Meryl Tankard and Leigh Warren. Internationally, she has worked with companies like Kahawi Dance Theatre in Six Nations, Turtle Islands (Canada), as well as Atamira Dance Company in Auckland, New Zealand, where she was a guest collaborator and performer for their production of MITIMITI. In 2018, she choreographed a new piece for Atamira called Kotahi.[6]
In 2016, Rings returned to NAISDA as the Head of Creative Studies until 2019. Within this period, she directed five end of year productions including, Your Skin, My Skin (2014), Kamu (2015), From Sand to Stage (2016), Restoration (2017) and Story 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]
Influences
Rings’ earliest memory of dance is watching Young Talent Time (1971-1988), an Australian variety show on television which inspired her to become a dancer.[1] Some of her earlier dance heroes were Alvin Ailey, whom she admired due to his American Dance Theatre which was one of the first professional dance companies that welcomed dancers of all races and backgrounds.[9][10] Before Alvin Ailey, she was inspired by Michael Jackson.[9]
During high school, Rings’ dance class was taken on a trip to Sydney to watch a live performance of Cats the musical at the Theatre 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] The performance inspired her further to pursue dance as a career.
Choreographic works
Rings' choreographic works are often influenced by her childhood experiences with nature. During her childhood, her father, a German migrant, struggled financially to provide for his family due to the aftermath of World War II. The main source of sustenance that he could provide for his family included what he grew in his own vegetable patch and orchard. Rings also recalls how on the way to school in the morning, she would climb over other people's fences to pick figs, nuts and grapes. 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.[11]
Rings mentions being influenced by the way her aunts and sisters told stories, specifically their body language, such as gestures and expressions, and how she is able to see them reflected within the shape of trees.[11] 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.[12]
Unaipon (2004)
Unaipon (2004)[13] was Rings' third work for Bangarra. It was a celebration of the life of Ngarrindjeri author and inventor David Unaipon[12] (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.[13] 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.[12]
Terrain (2012 and 2022)
Lake Eyre Sign Post
Stephen Page asked Rings to choreograph a work depicting Aboriginal views on landscape.[5] She cites her trips to Flinders Ranges, which she used to visit every weekend as a child, and also Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre as her main influence to choreograph a piece that illustrates how geographical features influences people's mood and spirit.[5][11] She wanted to incorporate imagery of Lake Eyre that she had witnessed during her visit.[14][11] 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 an Arabana elder, who showed her around waterholes and sacred sites. She had access to stone tools and ancient paintings that mapped secret waterways.[11] Rings was influenced by literal ideas of elements that make up the physical landscape of the lake, and explored figurative ideas of human connections to land and nature which she incorporated into her work, Terrain in 2012.[15]
Rings re-staged Terrain in 2022, with the show touring Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane from June to August.[12]
Sheoak (2015)
When choreographing Sheoak, Rings was influenced by sheoak 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 the sheoak trees and Indigenous stories, focusing on how like sheoak trees, Indigenous languages, customs and knowledge are endangered.[16][17]
Television
Rings has starred in the documentary drama The Widower (2004).[18]
Modern dance in the United States is a form of contemporary dance that was developed in the United States in the 20th century. African American modern dance also developed a distinct style.
Alvin Ailey Jr. was an American dancer, director, choreographer, and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT). He created AAADT and its affiliated Alvin Ailey American Dance Center as havens for nurturing Black artists and expressing the universality of the African-American experience through dance.
David Ngunaitponi, known as David Unaipon, was an Aboriginal Australian preacher, inventor, and author. A Ngarrindjeri man, his contribution to Australian society helped to break many stereotypes of Aboriginal people, and he is featured on the Australian $50 note in commemoration of his work. He was the son of preacher and writer James Unaipon.
Bangarra Dance Theatre is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance company focused on contemporary dance. It was founded by African American dancer and choreographer Carole Y. Johnson, Gumbaynggirr man Rob Bryant, and South African-born Cheryl Stone. Stephen Page was artistic director from 1991 to 2021, with Frances Rings taking over in 2022.
Stephen George Page is an Australian choreographer, film director and former dancer. He is the former artistic director of the Bangarra Dance Theatre, an Indigenous Australian dance company. Page is descended from the Nunukul people and the Munaldjali of the Yugambeh people from southeast Queensland, Australia.
Ceremonial dancing has a very important place in the Indigenous cultures of Australia. They vary from place to place, but most ceremonies combine dance, song, rituals and often elaborate body decorations and costumes. The different body paintings indicate the type of ceremony being performed. They play an important role in marriage ceremonies, in the education of Indigenous children, as well as storytelling and oral history. The term corroboree is commonly used to refer to Australian Aboriginal dances, although this term has its origins among the people of the Sydney region. In some places, Aboriginal people perform corroborees for tourists. In the latter part of the 20th century the influence of Indigenous Australian dance traditions has been seen with the development of concert dance, with the Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts (ACPA) providing training in contemporary dance.
The NAISDA Dance College is a performing arts training college based in Kariong, New South Wales for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia. It was established as the Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Scheme (AISDS) in 1975, which became the National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA) in 1988. The date of establishment of the college is usually cited as 1976, although some sources report it as 1975.
Judith Ann Jamison is an American dancer and choreographer. She is the artistic director emerita of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) is a modern dance company based in New York City. It was founded in 1958 by choreographer and dancer Alvin Ailey. It is made up of 32 dancers, led by artistic director Robert Battle and associate artistic director Matthew Rushing.
Lynne Taylor-Corbett is a choreographer, director, lyricist, and composer. She was born in Denver, Colorado.
Daniela Malusardi is an Italian choreographer, teacher and dancer.
Robert Battle is a dancer, choreographer and the former Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
Camille A. Brown is a dancer, choreographer, director and dance educator. She is the Founder & Artistic Director of Camille A. Brown & Dancers, and has congruently choreographed commissioned pieces for dance companies, Broadway shows, and universities. Brown started her career as a dancer in Ronald K. Brown’s Evidence, A Dance Company, and was a guest artist with Rennie Harris Puremovement, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Brown has choreographed major Broadway shows such as Choir Boy, Once on This Island and Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert! that aired on NBC. Brown also teaches dance and gives lectures to audiences at various universities such as Long Island University, Barnard College and ACDFA, among others.
Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre (AIDT) was the first dance company used to train Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students on their dancing career, and grew into a performance group. Originating in the National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association, it was based in Sydney, New South Wales, and operated from 1976 to 1998.
Roy David Page, known as Dubboo to his close friends, was an Australian composer who was the music director of the Bangarra Dance Theatre. He was descended from the Nunukul people and the Munaldjali clan of the Yugambeh people of south-east Queensland, and brother of choreographer Stephen Page and dancer Russell Page. He was also an actor, singer and drag artist.
Guypunura "Janet" Munyarryun is an Aboriginal dancer, choreographer and tutor. She was a founding member of the Bangarra Dance Theatre.
Elma Gada Kris is an Australian dancer, choreographer and NAIDOC award winner. She is a Torres Strait Islander woman of the Wagadagam, Kaurareg, Sipingur, Gebbara and Kai Dangal Buai peoples, and a member of the Bangarra Dance Theatre.
Hope Boykin is an American dancer, choreographer, educator, director, writer, and speaker who is a former member of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Her mission is to create and share "within an environment of acceptance, brings new levels of awareness. Exploring, developing, and teaching a sound and healthy approach to movement and expression, promotes growth. Lifting and leading young and aspiring artists to a secure foundation and a concrete understanding evolves a confidence and an assurance which will be unmatched. There are no limits." She has inspired many with her journey to sharing her continued explorations with others on her path to search for hope. She continues to exhibit that her voice is indeed relevant and continues to remain significant within the dance community and world today.
Lillian Crombie was an Aboriginal Australian actress and dancer, known for her work on stage, film and television.
Carole Yvonne Johnson is an African American contemporary dancer and choreographer, known for her role in the establishment of the National Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA), and as co-founder of Bangarra Dance Theatre in Australia. Early in her career she became a lead dancer in the Eleo Pomare Dance Company, and Pomare had a profound influence on her dancing style.
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