Performances

Frame of Mind

March 27 - April 6
Somos
Neilson Studio, Sydney Dance Company
October 22 - November 1
Continuum
Roslyn Packer Theatre, Walsh Bay
December 3 - December 13
New Breed
Carriageworks, Eveleigh

Repertoire Archive

2024

Love Lock
Choreography / Melanie Lane
Inspired by the power of love stories, Melanie Lane’s bold new work Love Lock deconstructs love songs to create a folk dance that celebrates the fantasies and realities of love.
Duration: 25 minutes
momenta – Contemporary Dance Work
Choreography / Rafael Bonachela
A journey into the poetry and physicality of human bonds.
Duration: 75 minutes

2023

The Shell, A Ghost, The Host & The Lyrebird
Choreography / Marina Mascarell
This piece poses many questions: the body's meaning and its capacity to transform; the relationship with technology, and the connection with nature.
Duration: 26 minutes
I Am-Ness
Choreography / Rafael Bonachela
I Am-ness calls for the convergence of the moving body and creative mind, charting a world in flux where simplicity dominates, and expectations are subverted.
Duration: 15 minutes
Somos
Choreography / Rafael Bonachela
Meaning “we are” in Spanish, Somos features a cascade of intimate solos, duets and trios with a distinct Spanish flavour.
Duration: 50 minutes

2022

Summer
Choreography / Rafael Bonachela
An uplifting new work from Rafael Bonachela, capturing the lightness and positivity of new beginnings. With a score by Australian composer Kate Moore, recorded by the Australian String Quartet and striking costumes by the masters of colour Romance Was Born, Summer will have your spirits soaring.
Duration: 16 minutes
The Universe is Here
Choreography / Stephanie Lake
Fusing movement and music, The Universe is Here brings blistering light to the stage and a fizzing glimpse of a haunted dreamscape. Poetic, fresh and forceful, Stephanie Lake's work is intricate and dynamic dance that hits you in the solar plexus.
Duration: 35 minutes

2021

Impermanence
Choreography / Rafael Bonachela
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 performed in association with the Australian String Quartet.
Duration: 65 minutes

2020

Cuatro
Choreography / Rafael Bonachela
Four dancers. Four musicians. Four Films.
Duration: 14 minutes

2019

Us 50
Choreography / Gideon Obarzanek
Us 50 is a grand-scale work by Gideon Obarzanek featuring 50 performers made up of past dancers that have graced our stage, current Company dancers, and members of our community.
Duration: 40 minutes
Neon Aether
Choreography / Gabrielle Nankivell
Gabrielle Nankivell’s premiere, Neon Aether, is a theatrical adventure into the infinite unknown. Inspired by science fiction and outer space, audiences will be transported into a vivid, ethereal world beyond the clouds.
Duration: 25 minutes
Cinco
Choreography / Rafael Bonachela
Be moved by a “dazzling technical display of flexibility” (★★★★, Sydney Morning Herald) in the world premiere of Rafael Bonachela’s Cinco. Watch “elastic dynamic dancing” (The Daily Telegraph) from our award-winning dancers, in delicate costumes by revered fashion designer Bianca Spender, set to Alberto Ginastera’s soaring String Quartet No.2.
Duration: 26 minutes

2018

ab [intra] – Contemporary Dance Work
Choreography / Rafael Bonachela
ab [intra],​ meaning ‘from within’ in Latin is ‘an exploration of our primal instincts, our impulses and our visceral responses’, says choreographer Rafael Bonachela. From tenderness to turmoil, ​ab [intra]​ is a journey of intense human existence that will command your attention.
Duration: 70 minutes
Forever & Ever
Choreography / Antony Hamilton
Set to a sonically stimulating score by The Presets’ Julian Hamilton, Forever & Ever fuses together a killer mix of dance, techno, high fashion and vivid lighting to hypnotic effect.
Duration: 36 minutes

2017

Ocho
Choreography / Rafael Bonachela
Explosive and powerful, Ocho, is "sexy, athletic choreography…" (Time Out Sydney), showcasing the dancers' virtuosity. Fusing a brutalist industrial dreamscape with a surging electronic score by Nick Wales that features haunting vocals by Aboriginal singer ​Rrawun Maymuru​ of the Mangalili clan, ​Ocho explores​ the infinite connections that exist between us all.
Duration: 40 minutes
Full Moon
Choreography / Cheng Tsung-lung
Cheng Tsung-lung's Full Moon harnesses the power of the moon and the mythology and poetry of mankind to thrilling effect.
Duration: 38 minutes
WOOF
Choreography / Melanie Lane
WOOF​ generates variations of collective actions that speak from matters of the heart. In an imagined physical future, stealing from classical dances, romantic paintings and pop culture, a re-invention of community takes place. In dialogue with Clark’s bold musical score, ​WOOF​ relentlessly forges a duality of instability and empowerment, harnessing the fantasy of a post-human collective spirit.
Duration: 20 minutes

2016

Lux Tenebris
Choreography / Rafael Bonachela
Lux Tenebris​ explores light and darkness with fiercely physical movement and deep, electronic beats by composer Nick Wales.
Duration: 40 minutes

2015

Frame of Mind
Choreography / Rafael Bonachela
Frame of Mind features a dramatic contemporary-classical soundtrack by Bryce Dessner (from American hit rock band The National), recorded by San Francisco’s virtuosic Kronos Quartet. ​Frame of Mind w​on four Helpmann Awards in 2015 – Best Choreography, Best Dance Work, Best Male Dancer and Best Female Dancer – in its critically acclaimed premiere season.
Duration: 35 minutes

2014

Wildebeest
Choreography / Gabrielle Nankivell
Gabrielle Nankivell’s eloquent creation, Wildebeest, showcases the power of dancers as individuals and strength en masse. Moody and animalistic, it’s backed by a stormy and industrial score by Luke Smiles.
Duration: 30 minutes

2010

6 Breaths
Choreography / Rafael Bonachela
Since the 2010 premiere of Rafael Bonachela’s award-winning 6 Breaths the work has toured to New York, London, Barcelona, the Venice Biennale in Italy and the prestigious Movimentos Festival in Germany. A symphony of dance, music by Italian composer Ezio Bosso and costume design by Josh Goot, this emotive work will take your breath away.
Duration: 40 minutes

Overview

“★★★★…a potent blend of technique, daring and playfulness.” – Sydney Morning Herald

Sydney Dance Company’s 2015 season bursts into life with a powerful double bill – a showcase of deeply personal pieces from two acclaimed choreographic talents: living legend William Forsythe and Sydney Dance Company’s own Artistic Director, Rafael Bonachela.

Appearing for its Australian premiere, Quintett is Forsythe’s poignant masterpiece set to Gavin Bryars’ iconic track Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet. A beautiful tribute and glorious celebration of movement, light and life, Quintett showcases Forsythe’s arched and intricate choreography at its most athletic and arresting.

Bonachela’s world premiere Frame of Mind features a dramatic contemporary-classical soundtrack by Bryce Dessner (from American hit rock band The National), recorded by internationally renowned Kronos Quartet.

Don’t miss this gripping evening of dance – a hymn to the joy and pain of life and a salute to the redemptive power of motion.

“★★★★…danced crisply and flawlessly…it is passionate yet highly precise, demanding and often breath-stealing.” – The Guardian

“★★★★…Bonachela’s Frame of Mind delivers an emotionally engaging and overarching choreographic mastery…electric” – Daily Review

Follow #SDCFrame @SydneyDanceCo on FacebookInstagram and Twitter.

Performance History

Sydney Theatre, Sydney
6 – 21 March 2015

Canberra Theatre Centre, Canberra
30 April – 2 May 2015

Southbank Theatre, Melbourne
6 – 16 May 2015

Duration: 1hr 20 minutes (includes a 20 minute interval)
Warnings: Theatrical smoke

Creatives

Quintett
Premiere: 
9 October, 1993, Ballett Frankfurt, Städtische Bühnen Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
Choreography: William Forsythe, Dana Caspersen, Stephen Galloway, Jacopo Godani, Thomas McManus and Jone San Martin
Costume Design: Stephen Galloway
Costume Design Realisation: Fiona Holley
Music: Gavin Bryars Jesus’ Blood never failed me yet
Stage and Lighting Design: William Forsythe
Assistant Stagers: Ana Catalina Roman Horcajo and Thomas McManus
Technical Staging: Tanja Rühl

Frame of Mind
Choreography: Rafael Bonachela
Designer: Ralph Myers
Costume Design Realisation: Aleisa Jelbart
Lighting Designer: Benjamin Cisterne
Music: Original compositions by Bryce Dessner in a recording by the Kronos Quartet
Dramaturgical Consultant: Samuel Webster

Media Reviews

“★★★★…Bonachela’s Frame of Mind delivers an emotionally engaging and overarching choreographic mastery…electric” – Daily Review

“★★★★…an ensemble of technically blessed young dynamos.” – Herald Sun

“★★★★ 1/2” – The Age

“★★★★…a potent blend of technique, daring and playfulness.” – Sydney Morning Herald

“★★★★…danced crisply and flawlessly…it is passionate yet highly precise, demanding and often breath-stealing.” – The Guardian

“★★★★ 1/2…Quintett radiates the sheer joy of movement but is also tender, angry and sad. It’s sublime.” – Sunday Telegraph

Quintett could be seen again and again without exhausting its possibilities… And to see it danced as it was on Monday night, well, Sydney is blessed.” – The Australian

“Frame of Mind delivers captivating scores, wonderful choreography and dance fuelled with emotion.” – ABC Arts

“…contemporary dance at its purest” – Daily Telegraph

An astonishing double bill of powerful, personal and poetic dance.” – Limelight Magazine

Thrilling viewing…moments of truly monumental impact…quite simply, breathtaking” – Limelight Magazine

An exhilarating evening of highly physical dance” – The Conversation

Sydney Dance Company is a versatile and beautifully-schooled group of performers. Its opening program for 2015 was emotionally driven and passionately and powerfully danced. An outstanding evening of dance.” – DanceTabs

“Frame of Mind drills a hole into your heart and brain and makes you leak emotion in that sneaky, visceral way only dance can do.” – Concrete Playground Sydney