Baleen Moondjan | Stephen Page
Image: Roy Van Der Vegt
When Stephen Page was invited to create a work for the opening of the Adelaide Festival 2024, he began consulting with his long-term collaborative team which reads like creative royalty, to bring his vision to fruition.
Baleen Moondjan is the result of their combined efforts, creative processes and Page’s first major commission since stepping away from Bangarra Dance Theatre where his tenure as artistic director lasted thirty-one years!
Now Page has returned to his hometown, Meeanjin/Magandjin to share his team’s outstanding efforts for the staging of his landmark production Baleen Moondjan, a celebration of First Nations’ relationships between baleen whales and communities’ totemic systems.
Whale totem of mine, carry my spirit
I will carry your spirit in my belly and heart
Whale totem of mine, carry my joy
I will carry your joy till it bubbles the waves back to the shores of your offspring
Whale totem of mine, ease me into death
I will ease you into a death that will allow your spirit to burst out like a water-softened seed, …
(Stephen Page/Alana Valentine, co-writers)
Image: Roy Van Der Vegt
The Landing at Queen’s Wharf was transformed into an outdoor theatre complete with a floating stage where Set Designer, Jacob Nash’s thirty-nine majestic whalebones constructed from fibreglass jut into the black cloudless night sky. As if to cocoon this intimate space, these regal looking structures arc over this specially constructed stage on Maiwar (Brisbane River) to mark Page’s historic homecoming production.
Standing to attention, the whalebones herald the unfolding of an ode to Page’s Nunukul/Ngugi grandmother’s ancestral stories from the Moondjan First Nations people of Minjerribah (Stradbroke Island), the Saltwater People.
Proud elder Gindara (Elaine Crombie) and her granddaughter, Nundigili (Zipporah Corser-Anu) are central to the storyline where the baton of wisdom is passed to the younger woman amidst much cultural ceremonial splendour ahead of her grandmother’s eventual death when her spirit will pass on to travel with her cetacean totem, the whale.
Accompanied by six remarkable former Bangarra alumni – Beau Dean, Riley Smith (also assistant director), Tara Gower, Rika Hamaguchi, Gusta Mara, Kiarn Doyle and Glory Tuohy-Daniell – the sextet delivered their trademark contemporary dance style with finesse and skill doubtlessly honed over their respective professional dance careers.
Image: Roy Van Der Vegt
The entire show was an awe-inspiring visual feast. One of the many outstanding scenes involved the female dance ensemble, swaying in rhythm to the soundscape, is seated beside Crombie who begins languidly draping the three dancers in a ceremony involving a fishing net. Once this is complete, they rise as one keeping in time with the music while towering above and behind Crombie almost enveloping her in ceremonial flourish. This skilful feat is fluidly delivered while balancing on the shoulders of the male dance ensemble who are cleverly hidden by the fishing net – another moment that drew audible gasps from the audience.
Musicians Taj Pigram and Jorjabelle Munday under the baton of Musical Director, Paul Mac took the soaring, ambient soundscape written by Steve Francis (Composer/Sound Designer) to another level of musicality. The artists accompanied the original soundtrack with their skilful playing of the accompaniment of their expert electric guitar, bass, keyboard skills and rhythmic clapsticks. DOBBY as the Narrator cum accomplished drummer extended the music compositions with his rapid fire spoken word and rap, which beautifully juxtaposed against the soul stirring and heartfelt vocal prowess of Crombie and Corser-Anu.
Brandon Boney as the Spirit of Yallingbillar, added further gravitas to this multi-generational storyline amidst deft twirls, twists, contortions while transforming his onstage persona from docile to near demonic.
Image: Morgan Roberts
Damien Cooper’s marvellous lighting concept kept focus firmly on the magnificent stage design as smoke, infused with the cleansing smell of burning eucalyptus leaves emitted from forty-four gallon drums strategically placed across the space.
Page’s long time creative collaborator, Jennifer Irwin’s multi-hued costume designs took on a life of their own as they rippled and flowed in sync with the dancers – a nod to ancient creatures from the deep. Additional adornments like traditional neck pieces, intricately woven ceremonial skirts and a magnificent cloak to farewell Crombie’s final passing completed Irwin’s splendid designs.
The ceremonial placement of ochre at intervals further reinforced ancient traditions and cultural practices.
“The cycle of life and the certainty of death” (co-writers Stephen Page and Alana Valentine) is told through a blend of English and Jandai language supervised by cultural and language consultant, Donna Page. This powerful combination of distinct intonations spoke volumes with their nuanced delivery made all the more profound by the two Auslan interpreters who expertly conveyed this sacred story — their facial expressions and visually arresting hand/body interpretations bathed in a soft glow of light within a partitioned space.
Gone is the former artistic director of Bangarra.
Page has surpassed my expectations – he is delving into new and more diverse forms of inspiration and creative expressions as can be seen in Baleen Moondjan that will keep the flames of wisdom, ceremony, tradition, culture burning even brighter.
Through his unrivalled contributions to the creative landscape coupled with his knowledge as a First Nations culture keeper, Page epitomises what it means to be the G.O.A.T.
Baleen Moondjan is a mark of new beginnings.
Baleen Moondjan played at Queen’s Wharf from September 2025 as part of the 2025 Brisbane Festival.
Image: Morgan Roberts
