Performances

PPY24 Revealed

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

“Seeing this group of accomplished dancers as they step out into the world is incredibly reassuring: the art form will surely flourish.” – The Sydney Morning Herald

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
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Info, Dates & Prices


Dates & Times
30 November, 7:30pm
1 December, 6:30pm


Location Riverside Theatres, Parramatta


Tickets $45 – $49


Duration 90 mintues + 20 minute interval


Warnings
Theatrical haze and strobe lighting may be used throughout the performance.

Sydney Dance Company’s Pre-Professional Year students of 2024 present PPY24 Revealed.

PPY24 Revealed celebrates the cohorts of 2024 at Riverside Theatres, with works by renowned Australian choreographers Frances Rings, James Batchelor, Prue Lang, Cass Mortimer Eipper, Miranda Wheen, alongside an excerpt of Sydney Dance Company’s 2 One Another, choreographed by Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela.

Tickets on sale now!

About Pre-Professional Year

The Pre-Professional Year program is a full-time dance course offered by Sydney Dance Company that provides aspiring professional dancers with a unique training experience in a professional environment. The students who make up the Pre-Professional Year ensemble join us from regional and metropolitan Australia

PPY24 Revealed

30 November, 7:30pm
1 December, 6:30pm
Riverside Theatres, Parramatta

Ticket Prices: $45 – $49

Ticket Type
Adult$49
Concession / Student / Senior / Children Under 18 $45

Program


Dates & Times
30 November, 7:30pm
1 December, 6:30pm


Location Riverside Theatres, Parramatta


Tickets $45 – $49


Duration TBC


Warnings
Theatrical haze and strobe lighting may be used throughout the performance.

Read the program in full below.

A Library of Extraordinary Things
Miranda Wheen

Reflecting on the still life painter’s meticulous study of light, colour, shape and perspective, this work is a meditation on the small pleasures found in everyday things – what they signify, who has made them, who has loved them, and how they resonate differently through time. 

In Fiona Hill’s original score – which references women’s handicraft, poetry and music –  fragments of memory and experience float in and out of our consciousness, inviting us to embrace moments of whimsy, delight and care as they arise

Choreographer: Miranda Wheen in collaboration with the performers
Composer: Fiona Hill
Music Mix: Bob Scott
Spoken word: Lucy Miller
Violin and sung vocals: Fiona McVicar
Harpsicord: Fiona Hill
Works used: Bach, Prelude in A minor from The Well Tempered Clavier Book II (1742)
Chan eil mi gun mhulad orm (I am not unsorrowful), traditional Scots ‘clapping song’ from the Isle of Barra, used at the end of the waulking process when the cloth that had been made was folded and patted down. (Traditional)
Sappho text from ‘If not, Winter’, Fragments of Sappho by Anne Carson (600BC)
Composer: Fiona Hill
Lighting Design: Karen Norris
Costume Design: Harriet Ayers
Cast: PPY2 Full Company

Pattern Pulse
Cass Mortimer Eipper

Pattern Pulse delves into the enduring allure of cyclical rhythms that thread through life. Inspired by the tinny, repetitive melody of my 3-year-old child’s toy guitar, the choreography is shaped by images of an AI-generated figure, which served as inspiration, dancing through the decades of its life. The original melody, recorded from the guitar, forms the core, gradually unfolding into a layered, evolving score that intertwines with the dancers’ interpretations of this imagined journey. This transformation mirrors the patterns that captivate us, echoing the rhythms that resonate from childhood through to old age.

Choreographer: Cass Mortimer Eipper in collaboration with the performers
Composer:
Peter McAvan
Lighting Design: Karen Norris
Costume Design: Harriet Ayers
Cast: PPY1 Full Company

The Language of Poppy
Prue Lang

This work draws inspiration from the intricate and vibrant vitality of the living, breathing natural world in the 21st century. It emerges from my octopus-inspired practice, which investigates physical intelligence through the sensory body. The piece is performed using pointe shoes, socks, and sneakers, exploring the interplay of friction and texture to generate diverse and nuanced choreographic modalities. In collaboration with my esteemed composer, Chiara Costanza, the work unfolds as a visual-musical journey that celebrates the complexities of physical intelligence and the beauty of difference.

Choreographer: Prue Lang in collaboration with the performers
Composer:
 Chiara Costanza
Lighting Design: Karen Norris
Costume Design: Harriet Ayers
Cast: PPY2 Full Company

Circulation
James Batchelor

Circulation is part of a wider project Resonance by James Batchelor and collaborators that explores lineages of contemporary dance history and embodied memory through the lens of three different generations of Australian dancers. It grew out of an invitation by the Tanja Liedtke Foundation to respond to the archive of the late choreographer Tanja Liedtke. This process with the Pre-Professional Year students explored their own relationship to the history of her work, creating an evolution of movement vocabulary passed down by Tanja’s collaborators.

Choreographer: James Batchelor in collaboration with the performers
Composer:
Morgan Hickinbotham
Lighting Design: Karen Norris
Costume Design: Harriet Ayers
Cast: Santi Barker, Vivienne Clements-Lee, Julien Cravero, Lauren Davidson, Vincent Garcia, Zoe Jewell, Arabella Kiefer, Isobella Laidlaw, Alexandra Lusty, Charlie MacArthur, Ayesha Peerbaye, Hannah Roberts, Maggie Teasdale, Georgia Vincent, Ariana Wolf.

Water sketches part 1 & 2
Frances Rings

Earlier in the year I was invited by Linda Gamblin to do a 1-week choreographic workshop with the PPY2 students. We explored the theme of water, and particularly their own memory of water. This became our base phrase for a deeper exploration how this precious resource is under threat due to the climate emergency. As an Aboriginal woman, mother and artist, the legacy we leave to our young people is a priority. I felt this opportunity to come together was meaningful and special. A sharing of experiences, knowledge, story and trust. Thank you to the PPY team, my rehearsal directors Juliette Barton, Tammy Bouman, and the wonderful PPY2 students.

Choreographer: Frances Rings in collaboration with the performers
Sound:
Лале Ли Си, Зюмбюл Ли Си, Гюл Ли Си by Philip Koutev Ensemble; Stio by SHXCXHCXSH
Lighting Design: Karen Norris
Costume Design: Harriet Ayers
Cast: PPY2 Full Company

Excerpt of 2 One Another
Rafael Bonachela

2 One Another, originally debuted in 2012, weaves a vivid, exultant and sensual study of human interaction – charting the myriad actions and reactions, gestures and relationships, connections and disconnections that make up a life. 2 One Another is set against a pulsing baroque-meets electronica soundtrack, composed by Nick Wales. Shot through with the poetry fragments of Samuel Webster, this is dance at its most engaging and multi-dimensional. Pre-Professional Year will perform an excerpt of 2 One Another restaged by Charmene Yap, Rehearsal Associate and Juliette Barton, Training Associate.

Choreographer: Rafael Bonachela
Sound:
Nick Wales
Lighting Design: Karen Norris
Costume Design Consultant: Peter Simon Phillips
Costume Maker: Fiona Holley
Costume Realisation: Harriet Ayers
Cast: PPY2 Full Company

Visiting Riverside Theatres

Attending a performance
Located on the corner of Church and Market Streets, Riverside Theatres is situated in the heart of Parramatta. It is within walking distance of car parks and all forms of public transport. You can visit their website for more information.

Your Ticket
You will receive your tickets on the day of the performance. On arrival at Riverside Theatres, download your eTicket and have it ready on your mobile phone for scanning.

+

Info, Dates & Prices


Dates & Times
30 November, 7:30pm
1 December, 6:30pm


Location Riverside Theatres, Parramatta


Tickets $45 – $49


Duration 90 mintues + 20 minute interval


Warnings
Theatrical haze and strobe lighting may be used throughout the performance.

Sydney Dance Company’s Pre-Professional Year students of 2024 present PPY24 Revealed.

PPY24 Revealed celebrates the cohorts of 2024 at Riverside Theatres, with works by renowned Australian choreographers Frances Rings, James Batchelor, Prue Lang, Cass Mortimer Eipper, Miranda Wheen, alongside an excerpt of Sydney Dance Company’s 2 One Another, choreographed by Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela.

Tickets on sale now!

About Pre-Professional Year

The Pre-Professional Year program is a full-time dance course offered by Sydney Dance Company that provides aspiring professional dancers with a unique training experience in a professional environment. The students who make up the Pre-Professional Year ensemble join us from regional and metropolitan Australia

PPY24 Revealed

30 November, 7:30pm
1 December, 6:30pm
Riverside Theatres, Parramatta

Ticket Prices: $45 – $49

Ticket Type: Adult
$49
Ticket Type: Concession / Student / Senior / Children Under 18
$45
+

Program


Dates & Times
30 November, 7:30pm
1 December, 6:30pm


Location Riverside Theatres, Parramatta


Tickets $45 – $49


Duration TBC


Warnings
Theatrical haze and strobe lighting may be used throughout the performance.

Read the program in full below.

A Library of Extraordinary Things
Miranda Wheen

Reflecting on the still life painter’s meticulous study of light, colour, shape and perspective, this work is a meditation on the small pleasures found in everyday things – what they signify, who has made them, who has loved them, and how they resonate differently through time. 

In Fiona Hill’s original score – which references women’s handicraft, poetry and music –  fragments of memory and experience float in and out of our consciousness, inviting us to embrace moments of whimsy, delight and care as they arise

Choreographer: Miranda Wheen in collaboration with the performers
Composer: Fiona Hill
Music Mix: Bob Scott
Spoken word: Lucy Miller
Violin and sung vocals: Fiona McVicar
Harpsicord: Fiona Hill
Works used: Bach, Prelude in A minor from The Well Tempered Clavier Book II (1742)
Chan eil mi gun mhulad orm (I am not unsorrowful), traditional Scots ‘clapping song’ from the Isle of Barra, used at the end of the waulking process when the cloth that had been made was folded and patted down. (Traditional)
Sappho text from ‘If not, Winter’, Fragments of Sappho by Anne Carson (600BC)
Composer: Fiona Hill
Lighting Design: Karen Norris
Costume Design: Harriet Ayers
Cast: PPY2 Full Company

Pattern Pulse
Cass Mortimer Eipper

Pattern Pulse delves into the enduring allure of cyclical rhythms that thread through life. Inspired by the tinny, repetitive melody of my 3-year-old child’s toy guitar, the choreography is shaped by images of an AI-generated figure, which served as inspiration, dancing through the decades of its life. The original melody, recorded from the guitar, forms the core, gradually unfolding into a layered, evolving score that intertwines with the dancers’ interpretations of this imagined journey. This transformation mirrors the patterns that captivate us, echoing the rhythms that resonate from childhood through to old age.

Choreographer: Cass Mortimer Eipper in collaboration with the performers
Composer:
Peter McAvan
Lighting Design: Karen Norris
Costume Design: Harriet Ayers
Cast: PPY1 Full Company

The Language of Poppy
Prue Lang

This work draws inspiration from the intricate and vibrant vitality of the living, breathing natural world in the 21st century. It emerges from my octopus-inspired practice, which investigates physical intelligence through the sensory body. The piece is performed using pointe shoes, socks, and sneakers, exploring the interplay of friction and texture to generate diverse and nuanced choreographic modalities. In collaboration with my esteemed composer, Chiara Costanza, the work unfolds as a visual-musical journey that celebrates the complexities of physical intelligence and the beauty of difference.

Choreographer: Prue Lang in collaboration with the performers
Composer:
 Chiara Costanza
Lighting Design: Karen Norris
Costume Design: Harriet Ayers
Cast: PPY2 Full Company

Circulation
James Batchelor

Circulation is part of a wider project Resonance by James Batchelor and collaborators that explores lineages of contemporary dance history and embodied memory through the lens of three different generations of Australian dancers. It grew out of an invitation by the Tanja Liedtke Foundation to respond to the archive of the late choreographer Tanja Liedtke. This process with the Pre-Professional Year students explored their own relationship to the history of her work, creating an evolution of movement vocabulary passed down by Tanja’s collaborators.

Choreographer: James Batchelor in collaboration with the performers
Composer:
Morgan Hickinbotham
Lighting Design: Karen Norris
Costume Design: Harriet Ayers
Cast: Santi Barker, Vivienne Clements-Lee, Julien Cravero, Lauren Davidson, Vincent Garcia, Zoe Jewell, Arabella Kiefer, Isobella Laidlaw, Alexandra Lusty, Charlie MacArthur, Ayesha Peerbaye, Hannah Roberts, Maggie Teasdale, Georgia Vincent, Ariana Wolf.

Water sketches part 1 & 2
Frances Rings

Earlier in the year I was invited by Linda Gamblin to do a 1-week choreographic workshop with the PPY2 students. We explored the theme of water, and particularly their own memory of water. This became our base phrase for a deeper exploration how this precious resource is under threat due to the climate emergency. As an Aboriginal woman, mother and artist, the legacy we leave to our young people is a priority. I felt this opportunity to come together was meaningful and special. A sharing of experiences, knowledge, story and trust. Thank you to the PPY team, my rehearsal directors Juliette Barton, Tammy Bouman, and the wonderful PPY2 students.

Choreographer: Frances Rings in collaboration with the performers
Sound:
Лале Ли Си, Зюмбюл Ли Си, Гюл Ли Си by Philip Koutev Ensemble; Stio by SHXCXHCXSH
Lighting Design: Karen Norris
Costume Design: Harriet Ayers
Cast: PPY2 Full Company

Excerpt of 2 One Another
Rafael Bonachela

2 One Another, originally debuted in 2012, weaves a vivid, exultant and sensual study of human interaction – charting the myriad actions and reactions, gestures and relationships, connections and disconnections that make up a life. 2 One Another is set against a pulsing baroque-meets electronica soundtrack, composed by Nick Wales. Shot through with the poetry fragments of Samuel Webster, this is dance at its most engaging and multi-dimensional. Pre-Professional Year will perform an excerpt of 2 One Another restaged by Charmene Yap, Rehearsal Associate and Juliette Barton, Training Associate.

Choreographer: Rafael Bonachela
Sound:
Nick Wales
Lighting Design: Karen Norris
Costume Design Consultant: Peter Simon Phillips
Costume Maker: Fiona Holley
Costume Realisation: Harriet Ayers
Cast: PPY2 Full Company

+

Visiting Riverside Theatres

Attending a performance
Located on the corner of Church and Market Streets, Riverside Theatres is situated in the heart of Parramatta. It is within walking distance of car parks and all forms of public transport. You can visit their website for more information.

Your Ticket
You will receive your tickets on the day of the performance. On arrival at Riverside Theatres, download your eTicket and have it ready on your mobile phone for scanning.