Bangarra Dance Theatre is one of the youngest and the oldest of Australia's dance companies. Its living traditions go back at least 40,000 years with the Indigenous people of Australia, yet it also reflects the lives and attitudes of indigenous people today. Steps that have pounded the dust of a dry continent for so long are the source of a truly Australian dance language. Not only concentrating on the development of its own style, Bangarra has successfully sought to forge creative partnerships with other key artistic organisations. Last year, in recognition of the national significance of the company, Bangarra was invited by The Australian Ballet to participate in an historic collaboration. Rites, Stephen Page for the 1997 Melbourne International Festival of the Arts created a new version of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring.