Bangarra Dance Theatre has made history by becoming the first Australians, and the first company, to receive the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in Dance from the Venice Biennale.

For nearly 35 years, Bangarra has reshaped contemporary dance by weaving First Nations storytelling with striking modern choreography and original music.

The Golden Lion, one of international dance’s highest honours, has previously been awarded to figures such as Merce Cunningham, Pina Bausch, William Forsythe and Twyla Tharp. Historically reserved for individual choreographers and dancers, Bangarra broke new ground as the first collective to receive the lifetime honour.

The award will be formally presented during the 20th International Festival of Contemporary Dance in Venice from July to August this year, Bangarra will also premiere its production Terrain in Europe, a work created by artistic director Frances Rings.

Rings said she was honoured to accept the award on behalf of the company, paying tribute to Bangarra’s founders, Rob Bryant, Cheryl Stone and Carole Y Johnson as well as the national First Nations training institution NAISDA and former artistic director Stephen Page, who had led the company for three decades.

Page, who guided Bangarra from 1991 to 2022 alongside his brothers Russell and David Page, said the company’s distinctive dance language had endured in the mainstream nationally and globally for almost 35 years, grounded in First Peoples’ artistic kinship systems.

The honour was awarded on the recommendation of acclaimed choreographer and Biennale Dance artistic director Wayne McGregor, who praised Bangarra for driving a fundamental shift in understanding dance and its cultural context.