Jessica Machin

Founded in 2013, NT Dance Company is Indigenous owned and aims to be the premier dance company in the NT. Resident company at Darwin Entertainment Centre, NT Dance Company reflects the multicultural essence of Darwin and gives NT based aspiring dancers the opportunity to develop their talent and be part of the highest quality dance productions and performances delivered in the NT and beyond. The Company is the creative vision of its Artistic Director, Gary Lang, a Larrakia man from Darwin with extended family relationships in Yirrkala NT. Gary Lang is a vibrant dancer, choreographer, teacher and performer, well known and respected both in the Northern Territory (NT) dance community and on national and international levels. He has worked widely throughout Australia, England, Germany, India, Columbia, Argentina, Brazil, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Egypt, Jakarta, New Zealand, USA and Noumea. Gary creates sensual and evocative works presenting what has been described as ‘Indigenous Ballet’, embedded in the traditions of an Indigenous Australian tale of spiritual interaction and reconciliation. A critical part of our work is cross-cultural collaboration. We see this through the diverse backgrounds of dancers learning Gary’s unique style of Indigenous Ballet, and secondly by our collaborative partnerships such as West Australian Ballet (WA), Artback NT, Miku Performing Arts and Darwin Symphony Orchestra (NT), NAISDA (NSW) and Northumbria University (UK). Key works in our history have included Munuk Gapy (2008), Goose Lagoon (2010), Mokuy (2014), Milnjiya – Milky Way, River of the Stars (2020), Forbidden (2021). Milnjiya - Milky Way, River of the Stars, was shortlisted for the 2020 Australian Dance Awards for Most Outstanding Performance by a Company. This work was a collaboration with West Australian Ballet, Miku Performing Arts and Yorta Yorta Opera singer Deborah Cheetham AO.