Tango bravo: Recognition for SES leader with a doctorate in dance

A day in the life of Faye Bendrups could take the Melbourne resident from a lecture theatre in the morning to a tango production in the afternoon then a bushfire site in the evening.

As a leading tango performer, composer and researcher, Dr Bendrups has received an Order of Australia Medal for service to the performing arts, particularly through music. Her “portfolio career” – “that is, I’ll have a go at anything” – has also seen her rise to a leader in the Victorian State Emergency Service over more than 15 years of volunteering.

Faye Bendrups is a leading tango composer, performer and researcher as well as SES volunteer.Credit: Paul Jeffers

Dr Bendrups has written two contemporary operas and composed scores for 17 musical theatre productions. Many have been staged at local Victorian venues, including Carlton’s La Mama Theatre and Playbox Theatre in Melbourne’s CBD, now known as Malthouse Theatre.

In 2002 she completed a PhD on how tango mirrored the society and politics of its home country; Argentina. It emboldened her belief in the power of the arts to nourish the soul.

“The arts also provide – tango is a great example – social connection. It’s a feeling of people being drawn together, going through a particular experience together that is derived from emotion and personal expression,” Dr Bendrups says.

“The arts can also work as a therapeutic message. In Argentina, I worked at a psychiatric institution where tango was being used as a clinical tool. Like sporting clubs, people are referred to tango as a therapeutic method, a chance to improve their wellbeing.”

Tango originated in Argentina before being exported across the world, and is popular in Australia.Credit:

While the bold orange of an SES uniform could double as a tango outfit, few have committed themselves to both for such an extended period.

Alongside her work at the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires, Dr Bendrups lists her attempts to increase diversity and improve the workplace culture of the SES as one of her proudest pursuits. Last year she commissioned a report that found bullying, sexual harassment, discrimination and abuse within the organisation.

Her advice to women considering joining the emergency services is that “you can’t make the change if you’re not in the room”.

“We absolutely all have the aptitude to do SES work, it’s not gender specific,” the 66-year-old says.

“So I would encourage women to come in, learn, take on leadership roles. And speak up if they see anything that’s not right. Once a few people spoke up for our survey last year, several hundred came out.”

Dr Bendrups says her dual passions have improved her skills in both dancing and the emergency services, centred on one key characteristic: creativity.

“Working in performing arts means you’re improvising, you’re spontaneous, you don’t slip into habits because you’re working on new projects every time. It’s the same in an emergency response. You don’t want tunnel vision, you need to be nimble and empathetic,” she says.

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