“arguably the single best piece created by and for an Australian dance company for many years” Adelaide Advertiser
★★★★ 1/2 “A hypnotically beautiful work, stunningly performed to music that is visceral and moving” Limelight
Tour Dates & Locations
Dates 15 June -10 September
Locations NSW, QLD, WA, NT, VIC
Durations Approx 60 mins
“Extraordinary… form and function meet seamlessly in every aspect”
The Australian
After two years of disrupted plans, we are incredibly excited to be back on the road in 2022, bringing Impermanence to QLD, NSW, WA, NT and Melbourne.
A visceral and thrilling exploration of the juxtaposition of beauty and devastation, this full-length work features a new score full of emotional power from Grammy Award-winning composer Bryce Dessner.
Best known as a founder of American rock band The National and for his film scores for The Revenant and The Two Popes, Dessner was initially inspired by the tragedy of the Australian bush fires and the Notre-Dame fire in Paris.
Sydney Dance Company’s “awe-inspiring” (In Daily) ensemble will be joined live on stage by the Australian String Quartet for a number of the performances, including the Arts Centre Melbourne season in September.
2022 Tour Dates and Locations
New South Wales
Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre: 15 June
Queensland
Gold Coast Home of the Arts: 18 June
Gladstone Entertainment Convention Centre: 22 June
Rockhampton Pilbeam Theatre: 25 June
New South Wales
Dubbo Regional Theatre and Convention Centre: 9 July
Orange Civic Theatre: 15 July
The Art House Wyong: 19 July
Northern Territory
Darwin Entertainment Centre: 23 July
Western Australia
Kalgoorlie Goldfields Arts Centre: 27 July
Albany Entertainment Centre: 30 July
Red Earth Arts Precinct, Karratha: 3 August
Mandurah Performing Arts Centre: 6 August
State Theatre Centre of WA, Perth: 10-13 August
New South Wales
Wagga Wagga Civic Theatre: 26 August
Melbourne
Arts Centre Melbourne: 6 – 10 September
Don’t miss this epic, driven performance that packs an emotional punch.
Tickets are available for purchase at each venue and on their respective web sites. Click through on the links to buy, as each venue goes on sale.
The Sydney and Australian national performances of Impermanence are presented in association with the Australian String Quartet. Bryce Dessner’s music composition Impermanence is commissioned by the Australian String Quartet and Sydney Dance Company. This commission has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body.
Commissioning Partners:
The Concertgebouw (Amsterdam) , Araluen Arts Centre, Art House Wyong, Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre, Canberra Theatre Centre, Capitol Theatre Tamworth, Civic Theatre (City of Newcastle), Darwin Entertainment Centre, Frankston Arts Centre, Glasshouse Port Macquarie, Lighthouse Theatre Warrnambool, Mildura Arts Centre, Orange Civic Theatre, Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre and Theatre Royal Hobart.
View Sydney Dance Company’s 2022 Annual Program here.
Follow @SydneyDanceCo and #2022SDC on Facebook and Instagram.
Buy a Performance Voucher for Sydney and Melbourne performances here.
Impermanence Media
★★★★ “Dance moves for the end of the world… Choreographer Rafael Bonachela sets his excellent dancers on a whirling, bounding trajectory that sustains them in duets, trios and interestingly constructed ensembles…” The Sydney Morning Herald
“…it is arguably the single best piece created by and for an Australian dance company for many years” Adelaide Advertiser
★★★★ 1/2 “A hypnotically beautiful work, stunningly performed by the Company’s 17 dancers to music that is visceral and moving” Limelight
★★★★★ “The music alone is worth hearing live in concert and Bonachela’s choreography adds a whole other dimension to these collaborative contemplations of humanity for our times.” ClassikON
“Extraordinary… Form and function meet seamlessly in every aspect — Bonachela’s huge, fast, juicy movement, Damien Cooper’s luscious lighting, David Fleischer’s imposing stage design and Aleisa Jelbart’s nature-inspired costumes, all in the tight embrace of Dessner’s score.” The Australian
“A tear-jerker without being baroque, with a finger on the vein of our collective anxieties and dislocations, Impermanence is a triumph of collaboration and passion.” The Arts Hub
“Moving and powerful, at-once capturing transience and fragility then strength and passion.” Timeout
“Awareness of the impermanence of everything makes me feel that we must use every moment – that every moment counts – and that the transitory nature of life inspires a need for energy, urgency and radiance.” Rafael Bonachela
“The dancers, wow. They are incredible, so talented. I love the physicality of them, and Rafael’s work really suits my music. The new piece is very much for them – definitely the musical language is inspired by the company itself even to the point that I was seeing those dancers in my mind as I composed… a stunning, inexplicable alchemy happens with the melding of movement and sound. A third art form is born.” Bryce Dessner, The Australian
“There’s a certain sense of beauty about bringing something back, but also there’s this sense of regrowth and rebuilding on the experiences and perspectives of what we have all been through as people and as artists ourselves.” Liam Green, Company dancer
“Impermanence was pure magic – fleeting – a moment in time of delicacy, softness, stillness and breath” Alyssa Hanley, audience member.
“We have been twice now. So good!” Selina Baxby, audience member.
“Unbelievable performance! We loved every minute – such superb choreography and amazingly talented dancers.” Melanie Jane, audience member.
“We have a world top dance company in our very own city. We feel nourished by your art and it breathes sunshine and joy into our life. We so appreciate your generosity in a very personal way. We don’t quite get that feeling from any other dance companies.” Michael P., Subscriber
Creatives
When COVID-19 struck in March 2020, Impermanence was only four days from its world premiere and opening night. As the impact of the pandemic became apparent, performances were cancelled and artists sent into lockdown. Life, and recovery, were on hold, but the collaboration persevered. The ASQ recorded the compositions in lockdown, the dancers rehearsed in isolation, and with the added poignancy of a pandemic that has exposed so many vulnerabilities and changed us all at a profound level, Impermanence finally takes the stage.
Choreographer: Rafael Bonachela
Composer: Bryce Dessner
Music Performed By: Australian String Quartet
Music Features: Another World by Damien Cooper
Stage Designer: David Fleischer
Costume Designer: Aleisa Jelbart
The Sydney and Australian national performances of Impermanence are presented in association with the Australian String Quartet. Bryce Dessner’s music composition Impermanence is commissioned by the Australian String Quartet and Sydney Dance Company. This commission has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body.
Commissioning Partners:
Araluen Arts Centre, Art House Wyong, Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre, Canberra Theatre Centre, Capitol Theatre Tamworth, Civic Theatre (City of Newcastle), Darwin Entertainment Centre, Frankston Arts Centre, Glasshouse Port Macquarie, Griffith Regional Theatre, Lighthouse Theatre Warrnambool, Mildura Arts Centre, Orange Civic Theatre, Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre, Theatre Royal Hobart and Ulumbarra Theatre (Bendigo Venues & Events).
Impermanence/Disintegration - The Album
Impermanence/Disintegration places Grammy Award winning composer Bryce Dessner in partnership with Sydney Dance Company and the Australian String Quartet in constructing a dynamic, profoundly moving emotional response to the fleeting transience of life.
Influenced by the searing impact of the wildfires that ravaged Australia late in 2019 and the devastation of the Notre Dame fire, Impermanence reflects on the mutability of the structures around us, both tangible and intangible.
Click below to discover more about the album.














