One of Australia's leading Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander performing arts companies, Bangarra Dance Theatre, has announced Tamara Bouman, Edan Porter, and Zeak Tass will join the company as full-time ensemble members in 2025.
Selected from more than 30 applicants from auditions held in September last year, Mr Porter and Mr Tass commenced their roles in January.
The pair will debut with Bangarra during the upcoming regional tour of The Light Inside, which visits Wollongong, Newcastle, and Adelaide in February and March, while Ms Bouman will officially join the company in March, performing in the national tour of Illume.
Bangarra Dance Theatre's Artistic Director, Frances Rings, welcomed the new ensemble members.
"I am delighted to announce that we are growing the Bangarra community in 2025 with the addition of three incredibly talented dancers—Tamara, Edan, and Zeak," Ms Rings said.
"Each of them brings a unique artistry and depth of experience, and I look forward to sharing their talents with audiences across the country."
From the mid-New South Wales coast, Biripi woman Tamara Bouman is a 26-year-old contemporary dance artist and a graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts.
Her diverse career spans ballet, performance art, children's theatre, circus and harness work, contact improvisation, film, puppeteering, and physical theatre.
Notable performances include The Ring Cycle with Dance North and Opera Australia, Bangarra's Horizon season at the Sydney Opera House, and her international debut in THAW by Legs on the Wall.
Beginning his dance journey at age seven was learning Traditional Aboriginal dance from his Elders on Country, Edan Porter, a Gomeroi man, is trained professionally at NAISDA Dance College, graduating in 2019.
He has since collaborated with leading companies and artists, including Jacob Boehme, Sydney Dance Company, Bangarra Dance Theatre, Marrugeku, Opera Australia, Brown's Mart Theatre, NT Dance Company, Circa, The Dreaming Project, KARUL Projects, and Canada's Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.
Hailing from Mackay, Zeak Tass is a proud South Sea Islander and Yuwibara man who began dancing at age 12, training in Contemporary, Jazz, Tap, and Ballet. He later earned a Diploma in Elite Performance from the National College of Dance.
His career highlights include performing at Disneyland Paris, working as a soloist at the Moulin Rouge, and founding Contemporary Ballet Youth Company Z in North Queensland.
With Ms Bouman, Mr Porter, and Mr Tass joining the ensemble, Bangarra Dance Theatre continues to foster a new generation of storytellers, celebrating the richness and diversity of First Nations dance and culture.