Impermanence - Melbourne Season

“arguably the single best piece created by and for an Australian dance company for many years” Adelaide Advertiser.

After two years of disruptions and cancellations, we are so thrilled that Rafael Bonachela’s Impermanence is, at last, coming to the Arts Centre Melbourne from 6 – 10 September!

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 is joined live on stage by the Australian String Quartet. This is epic, driven performance that packs an emotional punch.

★★★★ “Dance moves for the end of the world… Choreographer Rafael Bonachela sets his excellent dancers on a whirling, bounding trajectory…” The Sydney Morning Herald.

Experience the power of dance and music performed live together, laden with meaning, fleeting and vulnerable and from devastation, find energy, urgency, radiance and hope.

Performances

Tuesday 6 September, 7:30pm
Wednesday 7 September 7:30pm
Thursday 8 September 7:30pm
Friday 9 September 7:30pm
Saturday 10 September 2:00pm & 7:30pm

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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).

Sydney Dance Company is exciting to be hosting a free school matinee for eligible* high schools students at the Arts Centre Melbourne on Thursday 8 September, 12-2pm.

The matinee will include pre-show talks and demonstrations and the full performance of Impermanence, and this is followed by a panel discussion and Q&A with our Company dancers and artistic and production team members..

*The matinee is free for eligible students as part of the MEGAMIX Social. Visit the Arts Centre Melbourne website for more details on eligibility and to book.

For any schools who are not eligible/able to attend or are located outside of Melbourne, we are excited to share that the school matinee will also be streamed FREE!

The live stream will take place at 12pm AEST on Thursday 8 September, and will be available to view for 48 hours after the stream concludes.

Make sure to register to receive the link.

If you have any questions, please contact Sydney Dance Company at [email protected].

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 Anohni
Lighting Designer: 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).

★★★★ “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