“Every family's not perfect, and we all experience our ups and downs." Page says. Footage of old home movies depict a fun-loving, music-loving, performance-loving family, that nonetheless dealt with alcohol and substance issues, linked to racism, colonisation and transgenerational trauma.įirestarter shows it all, and is unwaveringly authentic, raw and deeply touching as a result. Growing up in Mt Gravatt, Brisbane, there were twelve Page children – not uncommon for blackfella families back in the 40s, 50s and 60s. This intrinsic connection between the artistic director and his dance company is reflected in Firestarter, which, along with interviews featuring founding members and original dancers, looks back at the dynamic, humorous, dysfunctional and loving family life of the Page brothers.
Stephen was appointed Artistic Director of Bangarra in 1991, aged just twenty-six. “The thing we loved the most was our culture and feeding that through a contemporary expression,” says Stephen. The Page brothers are Nunukul mob and Munaldjali clan of the Yugambeh nation of South East Queensland. “Even when you say it, three brothers sounds like the beginning of a dreaming story,” Sydney Festival Director Wesley Enoch says in the film. The beginnings of Bangarra Dance Theatre, as well as its continued success and longevity, are intimately bound to the story of the three Page brothers: Stephen, David and Russell, or the storyteller (choreographer), the music man (composer) and the dancer (lead artist).
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