A story that returns across oceans.
Six years after its first development in Newcastle Upon Tyne, with Northumbria University, The Other Side of Me premieres in the United Kingdom this month.
Directed by Larrakia artist Gary Lang, the work traces a lived experience of the Stolen Generations through an intimate dance duet shaped by memory, separation and enduring connection between mothers and sons.
Developed between Australia and the UK, the work honours the real story at its core and the many lives shaped by these histories.
UK Tour 2026
Northern Stage, Newcastle Upon Tyne (presented with Northumbria University) @northern_stage@northumbriauni
Wednesday 20 May 2026, 7:00PM
Wick High School, Caithness, presented by Lyth Arts Centre & Dance North Scotland, (as part of RISE Festival) @lythartscentre@dancenorthscot
Saturday 23 May 2026, 7:30PM
Eden Court Highlands, Inverness, presented by Eden Court & Dance North Scotland, (as part of RISE Festival) @edencourttheatrecinema@dancenorthscot
Wednesday 27 May 2026, 7:00PM
Tickets and details;
.au/profile-projects/tosom-uk
The UK tour has received financial assistance from the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body, the International Cultural Diplomacy Arts Fund and the Northern Territory Government through Arts NT.
RISE 2026 - PERFORMANCES 🌟
GUURANDA X RISE - JACOB BOEHME
GUURANDA X is a shared performance experience for all ages, led by Narungga artists and guided by Country. Through song, movement and storytelling, families are invited to gather, listen and move together, discovering stories that connect people, place and the generations who come after us.
Featuring a dynamic cast of Indigenous Australian and Scottish performers, alongside a community choir made up of local voices, this site-specific production is a powerful celebration of collaboration, and a truly unique and unmissable experience.
Follow the story at @guuranda_x
About the artist:
Jacob Boehme (@jacobboehme ) is a Narungga/Kaurna artist, director, choreographer and cultural leader whose practice spans contemporary performance, large-scale public ceremony, cultural exchange and community-centred creation.
Over the past two decades, his work has shaped how First Nations stories, knowledge systems and ceremonial practices are shared in contemporary performance contexts in Australia and internationally.
Details:
📆 Sunday 31 May | 2.00-4.00pm & 7.00-900pm | The Park Ecovillage, Findhorn
Included in RISE Festival Weekend pass or £20 if bought separately
Suitable for all ages. Book now via the RISE website - link in bio!
Guuranda X has been assisted by the Australian Government through @creative.australia , its principal arts investment and advisory body, and with support from the @aubritish Connections Through Culture Programme. Additional support has been received through the Government of South Australia and @createsa_ . Further support from @blakdance .
📸 Tim Standing; Dorine Blaise
RISE 2026 - PERFORMANCES 🌟
THE OTHER SIDE OF ME - GARY LANG NT DANCE COMPANY
@dancenorthscot , @lythartscentre and @edencourttheatrecinema present
The Other Side of Me
By @garylang_ntdancecompany
Produced by @blakdance
One mother’s love, another’s loss. Between them the child that grows to a man who can never return home.
The Other Side of Me by @lamggary shares the tragedy of Stolen Generations through the heartbreaking story of one man stranded between two families, continents and cultures.
This achingly intimate duet confronts the destruction wrought by Motherland and colony still felt by First Nations people but offers the redemptive beauty of singing his spirit home.
About the artist:
Born in Darwin, Larrakia man Gary Lang is a NAISDA graduate and alumnus of Bangarra and Dance north.
Since 2002 Gary Lang has choreographed 9 seminal works in the Aboriginal dance canon, including GOOSE LAGOON, Mokuy, Waŋa (Spirit), Forbidden, Milnjiya, Milky Way' - River of Stars created with the Western Australian Ballet. In 2013, he was honoured with the distinguished Australia Council for the Arts’ Dance Board Fellowship.
Details:
📆 Sat 23 May | 7.30 - 8.30pm | Wick High School, Caithness
📆 Wed 27 May | 7.00 – 8.00pm | Eden Court, Inverness
Age suitability 15+. Contains distressing themes.
Buy tickets via the RISE website - LINK IN BIO!
The Other Side of Me is produced and toured by @blakdance . The tour has received financial assistance from the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.
The production is a collaboration between Gary Lang NT Dance Company and Northumbria University, UK. It received financial support through the Northern Territory Government, Darwin Entertainment Centre, Regional Arts Australia, the British Council, Creative Australia, Brisbane Festival and Queensland Performing Arts Centre for the premiere in 2023 in Darwin Festival at the Darwin Entertainment Centre.
📸 Paz Tassone; Gregory Lorenzutti
GLOBAL INDIGENOUS VOICES AT RISE 2026 - PERFORMANCES 🌟
GUURANDA X RISE - JACOB BOEHME
GUURANDA X is a shared performance experience for all ages, led by Narungga artists and guided by Country.
Through song, movement and storytelling, families are invited to gather, listen and move together, discovering stories that connect people, place and the generations who come after us.
Featuring a dynamic cast of Indigenous Australian and Scottish performers, alongside a community choir made up of local voices, this site-specific production is a powerful celebration of collaboration, and a truly unique and unmissable experience.
GUURANDA x RISE is a cultural exchange inspired by GUURANDA by Jacob Boehme at Adelaide Festival 2024, commissioned by Adelaide Festival and produced by Insite Arts. Reimagined for Findhorn in collaboration with local communities and Dance North.
-
About the artist:
Jacob Boehme is a Narungga/Kaurna artist, director, choreographer and cultural leader whose practice spans contemporary performance, large-scale public ceremony, cultural exchange and community-centred creation.
Over the past two decades, his work has shaped how First Nations stories, knowledge systems and ceremonial practices are shared in contemporary performance contexts in Australia and internationally.
-
Details:
📆 Sunday 31 May | 2.00-4.00pm & 7.00-900pm | The Park Ecovillage, Findhorn
Included in RISE Festival Weekend pass or £20 if bought separately
Suitable for all ages. Tickets: www.risefestival.scot/guuranda-x-rise
RISE Festival Weekend pass: www.risefestival.scot/rise-festival-weekend
Guuranda X has been assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body, and with support from British Council Australia's Connections Through Culture Programme. Additional support has been received through the Government of South Australia and CreateSA.
GLOBAL INDIGENOUS VOICES AT RISE 2026 🌟
THE OTHER SIDE OF ME - GARY LANG NT DANCE COMPANY
@dancenorthscot , @lythartscentre and @edencourttheatrecinema present
The Other Side of Me
By @garylang_ntdancecompany
Produced by @blakdance
One mother’s love, another’s loss. Between them the child that grows to a man who can never return home.
The Other Side of Me by Gary Lang shares the tragedy of Stolen Generations through the heartbreaking story of one man stranded between two families, continents and cultures.
This achingly intimate duet confronts the destruction wrought by Motherland and colony still felt by First Nations people but offers the redemptive beauty of singing his spirit home.
-
About the artist:
Born in Darwin, Larrakia man Gary Lang is a NAISDA graduate and alumnus of Bangarra and Dance north.
Since 2002 Gary Lang has choreographed 9 seminal works in the Aboriginal dance canon, including GOOSE LAGOON, Mokuy, Waŋa (Spirit), Forbidden, Milnjiya, Milky Way' - River of Stars created with the Western Australian Ballet. In 2013, he was honoured with the distinguished Australia Council for the Arts’ Dance Board Fellowship.
-
Details:
📆 Sat 23 May | 7.30 - 8.30pm | Wick High School, Caithness
📆 Wed 27 May | 7.00 – 8.00pm | Eden Court, Inverness
Age suitability 15+. Contains distressing themes.
Buy tickets via the RISE festival website - link in bio!
The Other Side of Me is produced and toured by BlakDance. The tour has received financial assistance from the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body, the International Cultural Diplomacy Arts Fund and the Northern Territory Government through Arts NT.
📸 Paz Tassone; Gregory Lorenzutti
A new chapter for BlakDance.
We thank Kate Eltham for her significant contribution over many years and acknowledge the role she has played in strengthening the organisation. We wish her all the best in what’s next.
BlakDance now moves forward under 100% First Nations leadership. First Nations Kullilli woman Trudy Gunston steps into the role of Acting Co-CEO, working alongside Wiradjuri woman Co-CEO and Executive Producer Merindah Donnelly.
Together, they lead the organisation forward, grounded in cultural authority, strong governance and community.
Our work continues at full pace across national and international programs.
Read more via the link in bio.
Image BlakDance Cultural Council with Executive Leadership Team
From left to right: Trudy Gunston, Kate Eltham, Jasmine Gulash, Gary Lang, Merindah Donnelly and Marilyn Miller (founder).
Image credit: Paz Tassone
The Other Side of Me sets out this week heading to Dharawal Country (Wollongong), Palawa Country - Pataway (Burnie) & Nipaluna (Hobart) and finally Tubowgule on Gadigal Country at Sydney Opera House.
Illawarra Performing Arts Centre, Wollongong
22 - 23 April 2026
@merrigongtheatreco
Burnie Arts Centre, Burnie
29 April 2026
@burniearts
Theatre Royal, Hobart
01 - 02 May 2026
@theatreroyalhobart
Sydney Opera House, Sydney
06 - 09 May 2026
@sydneyoperahouse
📷 The Other Side of Me by Gary Lang NT Dance Company, pictured Cheeky Chandler and Alexander Abbot. Image by Gregory Lorenzutti, DanceX 2025, Arts Centre Melbourne.
The Other Side of Me is produced and toured by BlakDance. The tour has received financial assistance from the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.
From the top of the country to the bottom, this week we head back out on the road again for the East Coast Tour of The Other Side of Me.
★★★★☆ “a confident, carefully crafted production - it invites audiences to witness an internal struggle rendered in muscle, breath and light. It may not hand you every answer, but it offers a space to sit with the important questions.” Weekend Notes
Come through. Tix link in bio. MobTix available.
Illawarra Performing Arts Centre, Wollongong @merrigongtheatreco
Wednesday 22 - Thursday 23 April 2026
Burnie Arts Centre, Burnie @burniearts
Wednesday 29 April 2026
Theatre Royal, Hobart @theatreroyalhobart
Friday 01 - Saturday 02 May 2026
Sydney Opera House, Sydney @sydneyoperahouse
Wednesday 06 - Saturday 09 May 2026
📷 The Other Side of Me by Gary Lang NT Dance Company, pictured Cheeky Chandler and Alexander Abbot. Image by Gregory Lorenzutti, DanceX 2025, Arts Centre Melbourne.
The Other Side of Me is produced and toured by BlakDance. The tour has received financial assistance from the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.
We're Hiring! | Finance Manager
BlakDance is seeking a skilled Finance Manager to support a dynamic national organisation during an exciting period of growth. You’ll lead financial operations, reporting and budgets, working closely with leadership to strengthen systems and support programs, touring and sector development helping drive impact in First Nations contemporary dance.
We can’t wait to hear from you! Full position description and details available on our website. Link in bio. Know someone perfect for this role? Tag them below!
#Hiring #JobOpening #Finance Manager #JoinOurTeam #BlakDanceCareers
Garabari by Joel Bray Dance returns to Wiradjuri Country for its final 2 performances.
This Thursday and Friday @ Orange Civic Theatre.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Sydney Morning Herald
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- Limelight Magazine
Don’t miss your last chance to dance Garabari with us (for now).
Ticket link in bio.
Celebrating the premiere of GuurandaX in Chennai
Grounded in Narungga Country and responsibility, this First Nations-led climate positive methodology tour continues to build relationships across place and practice. It carries forward what has come before, bringing together story, movement and connection in each location it touches.
Created by Artistic Director and Lead Producer Jacob Boehme, in collaboration with Shreya Nagarajan Singh Arts Development Consultancy and KM Music Conservatory, GuurandaX premiered in Chennai last weekend.
Congratulations to the artists and creative team, and to the communities and stories held within this work.
@guuranda_x@shreyanagarajansingh@kmmcchennai
Supported by Narungga Elders, Creative Australia’s International Engagement Fund, Create SA and the Australian Government through the International Cultural Diplomacy Arts Fund.
Image Credit: Imayavarambhan
