Performances

The Overture Series

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
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

2013

Emergence
Choreography / Rafael Bonachela
From an inspired collaboration with composer Nick Wales  and internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Sarah Blasko comes Emergence, a dance work by Rafael Bonachela featuring the alluring costume creations of Australian fashion designer Dion Lee.
Duration: 37 minutes

2012

2 One Another
Choreography / Rafael Bonachela
Crackling with exultant power and intricate physical conversation, a pulsing pixelated backdrop, baroque-meets-electronica soundtrack and fragments of poetry, 2 One Another is a bright hour of irrefutable sensuality, delivering a visceral charge that has rocked audiences the world over.
Duration: 65 minutes

2011

The Land of Yes and the Land of No
Choreography / Rafael Bonachela
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, Europe and Australia since it first premiered at the Ludwigsburg Festival, Germany in 2009.
Duration: 70 minutes
LANDforms
Choreography / Rafael Bonachela
Born out of a creative concept devised by Rafael Bonachela and Ezio Bosso, LANDforms takes its inspiration from the landscape and the elements and their impact on the earth and the industrial landscape of cities.
Duration: minutes
Raw Models
Choreography / Jacopo Godani
Daring and sexy, Italy’s Jacopo Godani makes work that pushes the dancers to their limits. His first Australia work, Raw Models is set to a composition by German electronica duo 48 Nord.
Duration: 15 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

The Overture Series was devised as a showcase for a new and emerging generation of independent choreographers. The Company’s vision provides a platform for young artists to develop, refine and stage new work before Sydney Dance Company’s established audience.

The Overture Series sets out to provide the infrastructure and support that is often out of reach for emerging artists. Each choreographer selected for the series was given the opportunity to work with the Company’s dancers, with access to premium studio space for rehearsals as well as mentoring, technical production and marketing support.

Shaun Parker’s Love Instalment was an installation performance. The outcome of thirty-one hours of investigation dealing with the topic of love and desire. Inspired by the thematic elements of Euripedes’ Greek mouth Medea, Love Instalment draws surprising connections to the idea of romantic love in the 21st century. Featuring an arresting, live original score by Nick Wales and Bree van Reyk.

On his piece GO! Reed Luplau says: ‘There was this point in my life where something that I hold dear to my heart departed from me. It wasn’t life threatening, but it was the first time that I had felt this way and it was the first time this had happened to me. The emotions and feelings were so overpowering, I will find them hard to forget.  GO! is an expressive piece inspired by this event. It is my dedication to the past, and open for your personal interpretation. GO! is dedicated to the one who changed my life.’

Performance History

Love Instalment

Carriageworks
29 July – 16 August, 2008
Preview Performances 25 & 26 July, 2008

GO!

Carriageworks
8 – 25 October, 2008
Preview Performances 4 & 7 October, 2008

Creatives

Love Instalment
Direction and Concept: Shaun Parker Choreography: Shaun Parker in collaboration with the dancers
Musical Direction: Nick Wales
Original Music Composition: Nick Wales and Bree Van Reyk
Costume and Stage Design: Tony Assness
Dancers: Simon Turner, Connor Dowling, Reed Luplau, Annabel Knight, Emee Dillon, Rani Luther, Teagan Lowe, Johanna Lee
Live Musicians: Nick Wales, Bree Van Reyk

GO!
Choreography and Direction: Reed Luplau
Music: Yann Tiersen, Mimetic, Nine Inch Nails
Set Design: Gerard Manion
Costume Design: Teresa Negroponte and Gemma-Lark Johnson
Lighting Design: Trudy Dalgleish
Cast: Chylie Cooper, Annabel Knight, Simon Turner, Chen Wen

Media

“Shaun Parker created a mesmerising piece on relationships which was accompanied by a beautiful, ethereal sound scape that was played live, with both musicians and dancers up on scaffolding as the audience watched from below… The piece was a really beautiful and moving start to the night.” – Dance Informa 

“Another side to Luplau’s prodigious talent is seen in his short work Go!…It’s a punchy, strongly constructed piece with interesting and intricate partnering. All the dancers were wonderful.” – The Australian

+

Overview

The Overture Series was devised as a showcase for a new and emerging generation of independent choreographers. The Company’s vision provides a platform for young artists to develop, refine and stage new work before Sydney Dance Company’s established audience.

The Overture Series sets out to provide the infrastructure and support that is often out of reach for emerging artists. Each choreographer selected for the series was given the opportunity to work with the Company’s dancers, with access to premium studio space for rehearsals as well as mentoring, technical production and marketing support.

Shaun Parker’s Love Instalment was an installation performance. The outcome of thirty-one hours of investigation dealing with the topic of love and desire. Inspired by the thematic elements of Euripedes’ Greek mouth Medea, Love Instalment draws surprising connections to the idea of romantic love in the 21st century. Featuring an arresting, live original score by Nick Wales and Bree van Reyk.

On his piece GO! Reed Luplau says: ‘There was this point in my life where something that I hold dear to my heart departed from me. It wasn’t life threatening, but it was the first time that I had felt this way and it was the first time this had happened to me. The emotions and feelings were so overpowering, I will find them hard to forget.  GO! is an expressive piece inspired by this event. It is my dedication to the past, and open for your personal interpretation. GO! is dedicated to the one who changed my life.’

+

Performance History

Love Instalment

Carriageworks
29 July – 16 August, 2008
Preview Performances 25 & 26 July, 2008

GO!

Carriageworks
8 – 25 October, 2008
Preview Performances 4 & 7 October, 2008

+

Creatives

Love Instalment
Direction and Concept: Shaun Parker Choreography: Shaun Parker in collaboration with the dancers
Musical Direction: Nick Wales
Original Music Composition: Nick Wales and Bree Van Reyk
Costume and Stage Design: Tony Assness
Dancers: Simon Turner, Connor Dowling, Reed Luplau, Annabel Knight, Emee Dillon, Rani Luther, Teagan Lowe, Johanna Lee
Live Musicians: Nick Wales, Bree Van Reyk

GO!
Choreography and Direction: Reed Luplau
Music: Yann Tiersen, Mimetic, Nine Inch Nails
Set Design: Gerard Manion
Costume Design: Teresa Negroponte and Gemma-Lark Johnson
Lighting Design: Trudy Dalgleish
Cast: Chylie Cooper, Annabel Knight, Simon Turner, Chen Wen

+

Media

“Shaun Parker created a mesmerising piece on relationships which was accompanied by a beautiful, ethereal sound scape that was played live, with both musicians and dancers up on scaffolding as the audience watched from below… The piece was a really beautiful and moving start to the night.” – Dance Informa 

“Another side to Luplau’s prodigious talent is seen in his short work Go!…It’s a punchy, strongly constructed piece with interesting and intricate partnering. All the dancers were wonderful.” – The Australian