Australia’s leading Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander performing arts company, Bangarra  Dance Theatre is pleased to announce Wiradjuri woman Amy Flannery and Leon Rodgers, a  descendent of the Worimi nation, as the 2021 David Page Music Fellows.  

The Fellowship program offers the opportunity, as well as financial support, for two First  Nations composers to work and create with Bangarra in a culturally safe and collaborative  work environment while being supported by highly experienced mentors. The program will  culminate in a production outcome with the Bangarra Dance Ensemble as part of a season of  new short works premiering in early 2023. 

The David Page Music Fellowship program was initiated in 2017, in honour of Roy David Page,  Bangarra Dance Theatre’s Songman, Composer and Music Director. A proud Munaldjali and  Nunukal man, his legacy lives on in perpetuity as the musical heartbeat of the company to  which he dedicated so much of his life.  

Bangarra Artistic Director, Stephen Page said: “David would be overjoyed that there are so  many artists out there, hearing with the same ear and the same heart, and bringing First  Nations Cultures forward so beautifully through contemporary Songlines”. 

Amy Flannery’s journey as a young First Nations artist has taken in a great deal in a very short  time. A Wiradjuri woman based on the NSW Central Coast, Amy studied dance and music  simultaneously during high school and at NAISDA Dance College. After graduating from  NAISDA in 2018, Amy worked on a number of independent productions as choreographer and  composer, building skills, and delving into a range of technologies to craft a personal creative  voice. 

Flannery said: “The David Page Music Fellowship is a meeting place for some of my  greatest passions. I am grateful to be welcomed behind the scenes of Bangarra’s creative  environment where these passions of Music, Dance, and Culture are woven together.” 

Leon Rodgers is a descendent of the Worimi nation from the Myall Lakes region in NSW.  Currently based in Melbourne, Leon has created sound composition for film and  documentaries as well as for the commercial sector. A graduate of the Australian Institute of  Music and RMIT (VIC), Leon is not only a composer, but also a bassist and songwriter, and has  collaborated with First Nations film producer John Harvey on a number of projects. 

Rodgers said: “I am honoured and humbled to be receiving this opportunity, and to be a part  of David Page’s legacy and what it means to Bangarra. I’m very much looking forward to  collaborating with the performers and everyone else involved.” 

The David Page Music Fellowship is generously supported by Robert Albert AO and Libby  Albert.