Wharf Stories, an Exhibition

For four decades, Sydney Dance Company has called Walsh Bay Arts Precinct home—a place where history and creativity have unfolded side by side. In celebration of this remarkable milestone, Sydney Dance Company in collaboration with Museums of History NSW presents an exhibition that honours the people, stories and spaces that have shaped both the Company and the Wharf itself.

Through intimate oral histories, audiences are invited to uncover the perspectives of dancers, artistic staff, crew, class participants and community members, whose memories reveal the enduring spirit of a place that has fostered generations of artistic practice.

Alongside these personal reflections, a curated exhibition traces the rich and layered history of Walsh Bay, from its deep and ongoing First Nations connections, and early European settlement, through its boom and bust as a maritime precinct, to its cultural renewal in the late twentieth century as one of Australia’s leading arts destinations.

Historical images of the building’s redevelopment and a retrospective display of Sydney Dance Company’s iconic performance posters celebrate 40 years of creative life on the Wharf, illuminating the enduring relationship between place, memory and performance.

Hero Image:
Interior of Wharf 4/5, Walsh Bay
Wes Stacey, c1970
NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA: PIC/14196/436. PHOTO © ESTATE OF WES STACEY

If you visit the Wharf between 22 August and 16 October, you’ll be able to glance back through history.

To celebrate 40 years of Sydney Dance Company at Walsh Bay, a series of displays, curated in collaboration with Museums of History NSW, looks back at our time on the Wharf, as well as acknowledging those who have called this special place home at different times in its history.

In the foyer at Sydney Dance Company, take a moment to look back in history at images of Walsh Bay that reveal the area during colonisation and early contact between First Nations and European people, its development into a commercial wharf precinct, the downturn in the 1970s, and the cultural revitalisation of the Wharf in the 1980s.

The images come from the collections of the State Library of NSW, Sydney Dance Company, Sydney Theatre Company and Museums of History NSW, and include photographs by Max Dupain and Wes Stacey, among others.

This display is open to the public.

Over 180 works have been developed since Sydney Dance Company moved into our current home in 1986. A selection of posters from each of these works is displayed in recognition of the years of creativity fostered and inspired while in our harbourside home.

This display is in the main corridor of the building, and only available to classes, workshop and course participants, Current ticket holders and students of Sydney Dance Company programs.

The studios on the Wharf have housed rehearsals by our Ensemble for tours, performances and new work development since 1986. A selection of rehearsal images has been uncovered and is on display during the exhibition period.

This display is in the main corridor of the building, and only available to classes, workshop and course participants, Current ticket holders and students of Sydney Dance Company programs.

At the heart of this project is a collection of oral histories that capture the lived experiences of those who have shaped Sydney Dance Company’s home at Wharf 4/5. Featuring reflections from former and current Ensemble dancers, artistic and production staff, dance class teaching staff, and class participants, among others, these personal accounts reveal how a place becomes more than a building, through the memories, relationships and daily rituals that unfold within it. Together, they form a rich portrait of creative life on the Wharf, exploring first impressions, the atmosphere of the studios, the people who left lasting impressions, and the evolving culture that has defined 40 years of dance at Walsh Bay.

Visit Sydney Dance Company to view them all in the Clegg Foyer or café area between 22 August and 16 October.

This exhibition is open to the public.

Sydney Dance Company began as a group founded in 1969 by dancer Suzanne Musitz. Soon known as The Dance Company (NSW), from 1975 to 1976 the Company was directed by Dutch choreographer Jaap Flier, before the appointment of Australian choreographer Graeme Murphy in 1976. In 1979 Murphy and his partner Janet Vernon instituted the defining name change to Sydney Dance Company and proceeded to lead it for a remarkable 30 years. Murphy and his collaborators created work that enthralled audiences in Australia and in extensive international touring, including being the first western contemporary dance company to perform in the People’s Republic of China.

Sydney Dance Company has been led since 2009 by Spanish-born Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela. Over the past 17 years the Company has cemented its reputation as a creative powerhouse, with an acclaimed group of dancers presenting new work by Bonachela and other choreographers, designers, composers and creatives. The Company has expanded its reach into the towns and cities it visits with workshops for schools and local dancers.

Since 1986 the Company has been a resident of the purpose-built studios at the Wharf in Sydney’s Walsh Bay Arts Precinct, minutes from the city’s famed Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House.

Museums of History NSW brings history to life through its museums, collections and the nation’s oldest archives and provides inspiring opportunities for the public to engage with history by delivering a diverse range of exhibitions, major cultural events and creative activations in Sydney, Western Sydney and regional NSW.

Discover fascinating historic sites, unique exhibitions and memorable events at mhnsw.au.

Wharf Stories, an Exhibition will be held at Sydney Dance Company.

How to get there
Public transport is the best way to get to Sydney Dance Company. Barangaroo metro station is the closest public transport hub.

Train & Metro
Sydney Dance Company is a short, 8-minute walk from Barangaroo metro station or a 15-minute walk from Circular Quay and Wynyard train stations.

Bus services
Buses 324 and 325 run from the CBD to the precinct, with stops just outside the Studios. For details please visit  Transport NSW or telephone 131 500.

Parking
While on-street metered parking is available at the precinct, we recommend parking at the following parking stations located along Hickson Road:
● Bond One, 26 Hickson Road, Walsh Bay
● Barangaroo Point Car Park, entry via Hickson Road
● Barangaroo Reserve, 5 Towns Place, Barangaroo

More Information
For more information about Sydney Dance Company, please contact our team via phone 9221 4811 or email at sdc@sydneydancecompany.com.