Sydney Opera House has announced a powerful healing work centred on a Stolen Generations experience will make its Sydney debut next year.
The Other Side of Me, an inspiring dance production, will be performed May 6-9, 2026 at the Opera House.
This journey of identity and belonging is an intimate duet, using the language of dance to explore the inner turmoil of one man stranded between two families, continents and cultures. Choreographed by industry-leading Larrakia man Gary Lang, it raises complex questions about love and loss, displacement, the criminal justice system and trauma.
The Other Side of Me centres on the childhood experiences of a man who was removed from his Aboriginal family to be raised by a white family in an English village. Based on a true story, the narrative draws inspiration from personal letters and poems to provide heartbreaking insight into the complex struggles of First Nations adoptees attempting to reconnect with their origins.
Gary Lang, the choreographer of this piece and artistic director of Gary Lang NT Dance Company, shared how The Other Side of Me is about the prison that everyone has in their own minds.
"While this work was inspired by a specific and gut-wrenching story about the loss of a Blak boy's identity, the exploration is about the many 'what if' moments we can all recognise in our lives. The Other Side of Me is about the prison that everyone has in their own minds - how we keep ourselves behind bars and how we try to find our own freedom," he said.
Michael Hutchings, Sydney Opera House head of First Nations Programming, also spoke on the piece of work and Lang's talent for showcasing stories and culture through dance.
"The Other Side of Me showcases Gary Lang's gift for capturing profound stories of depth and grace through dance. We're proud to bring this important story of dispossession and its continuing impacts on First Nations people to Tubowgule, the site of the Opera House and a gathering place for storytelling for tens of thousands of years," he said.
This international, cross-cultural collaboration between Gary Lang NT Dance Company and Northumbria University (UK) shines a light on the scars of displacement and colonisation.
The evocative soundscape is a collaboration between two award-winning Yolŋu men from Yirrkala in northeast Arnhem Land, songman Banula Marika, a senior loreman of the Rirratjingu clan who sings the Manikay heard in the work and sound designer Arian Pearson, and is composed by Sam Pankhurst.
The production is informed by cultural consultant Josie Cranshaw and the lived experience of Lang's nephew, Jesse Norris, who provided cultural dramaturgy and advice about the representation of a First Nations man in incarceration.
The production received financial support from the Northern Territory Government, Darwin Entertainment Centre, Regional Arts Australia, the British Council, Creative Australia, Brisbane Festival and Queensland Performing Arts Centre for the premiere in the 2023 Darwin Festival at the Darwin Entertainment Centre.
The Other Side of Me is produced and toured by BlakDance. The tour has received financial assistance from the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body. The story is based on actual events. However, names, incidents and timelines have been changed for dramatic purposes.
The Sydney Opera House season of The Other Side of Me is part of a seven-centre Australian East Coast tour.
The Other Side of Me will be shown from the 6th - 9th of May 2026 at Sydney Opera House. General public tickets are on sale 9am Friday 28th November 2025.
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