This September, Australia’s pre-eminent First Nations performing arts company, Bangarra Dance Theatre, will embark on an international tour, with the international premiere of FuturesPast at the 54th Festival Internacional Cervantino in Guanajuato, Mexico, and at the Teatro Julio Castillo of Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura (INBAL) in Mexico City this September and October. Drawing from Mirning woman and Bangarra’s Artistic Director and Co-CEO, Frances Rings’ choreographic career, FuturesPast embodies the spirit, artistry, and strength that have defined Bangarra’s work for 37 years.

FuturesPast carries audiences from the dawn of time, through a cycle of belonging that transcends generations. The work is structured in three acts – Old World, People, and Country, journeys through the significant impacts that have challenged Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, honouring the spirit of resilience that has shaped their survival. The performances in Mexico build on Bangarra’s three-decade history of international touring while opening exciting new pathways for cultural exchange and long-term relationships with First Nations artists and cultural institutions across Latin America.

Through storytelling and exchange, this tour strengthens cultural understanding, expands Bangarra’s global First Nations creative network and embeds Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices within international conversations – on issues that connect across cultures and borders. Bangarra’s tour to Mexico will follow performances of Terrain at La Biennale di Venezia this July, where the company’s global impact for the past 37 years will be recognised with the prestigious Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in Danceby the Biennale Danza 2026, the dance division of La Biennale di Venezia, becoming the first Australians and the first company to receive the esteemed award since its inception.