Performances

The Land of Yes and the Land of No

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

Beautifully wrought from the world of signs and symbols in our everyday lives, Artistic Director Rafael Bonchela’s celebrated production has toured extensively in the UK and Europe since it first premiered at the Ludwigsburg Festival, Germany in 2009. It has instantly been recognised by audiences and critics as “a giant leap… imaginatively, musically and choreographically” (The Guardian).

The performance evolves from calm beginnings, with every exquisite movement picking out the irresistible intensity of Ezio Bosso’s score, and builds in tempo to a frenetic finale. The Company’s magnificent dancers are placed against a vibrant set made of neon tubes and a rich wall of constantly changing colour. Designed by a crack British team of Alan Macdonald (production), Guy Hoare (lighting) and Theo Clinkard (costumes), this is a production which promises all the physical precision and enthralling dance that has dazzled the Company’s audiences from Shanghai to Venice.

“This was a 100% gold-plated ‘my I wasn’t expecting something as stunning as that’ hit.” – Ballet.co.uk

“Bonachela recasts the experience of direction and control in a fascinating variety of modes, each given dramatic colour by Ezio Bosso’s score.” – The Guardian

The Land of Yes and the Land of No starts with an elastic and mesmerising solo… and builds from there into strong ensemble formations of increasing weight and complexity.” – The Times

The Land of Yes and The Land of No was originally commissioned for Bonachela Dance Company, London in 2009. It had its Australian premiere for the 2011 Brisbane Festival and was followed by a strictly limited season at Sydney Theatre.

Performance History

Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Brisbane
Brisbane Festival
28 September – 1 October 2011

Sydney Theatre
18 – 29 October 2011

Theatre Royal, Hobart TAS
8 – 9 June 2012

Princess Theatre, Launceston TAS
15 – 16 June 2012

Riverside Theatre, Parramatta NSW
21 – 23 June 2012

Canberra Theatre Centre, ACT
28 – 30 June 2012

Civic Theatre, Wagga Wagga NSW 
4 July 2012

Albury Entertainment Centre, NSW 
7 July  2012

The Glasshouse, Port Macquarie NSW 
11 July 2012

Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre, Nowra NSW
14 July 2012

Casula Powerhouse, Casula NSW
18 July 2012

Civic Theatre, Newcastle NSW
20 – 21 July 2012

Gold Coast Arts Centre, QLD
25 July 2012

Creatives

Choreography & Concept
Rafael Bonachela

Music Composition & Vocals
Ezio Bosso

Production Design/Light Installation
Alan Macdonald

Stage Lighting Design
Guy Hoare

Costume Design
Theo Clinkard

Sound Design
Adam Iuston

Costumes Made by
Fiona Holley

The Land of Yes and the Land of No Campaign Photography
Jez Smith

Media

“There’s no denying Rafael Bonachela’s The Land Of Yes And The Land Of No is extraordinarily beautiful.” – Daily Telegraph

“Jaw-dropping feats of physicality” – Daily Telegraph

“The dancers are beautifully articulate… bound by a shared energy.” – The Australian

“Built in emotional intensity, providing a satisfying journey for the viewer” – The Australian 

“The dancers are wonderful: flexible, energetic, committed, precise.” – Sydney Morning Herald 

“Sparsely beautiful work of contemporary dance is a visual feast for lovers of the Sydney Dance Company…Recommended.”  The Sun-Herald 

“I loved the many moments of gorgeous choreography executed by ten sublime dancers who move beautifully through the space in white crepe-like pleated fabric” – SX News