School Matinees

Our tailored school matinees connect students with cutting-edge contemporary dance performances.

With pre-show talks and demonstrations, students will be offered insights into our artists’ creative processes. Students will engage in a post-show panel discussion and Q&A with Company dancers, creatives and arts professionals, developing a deeper understanding of the process of bringing a performance to life and the career pathways available within the performing arts industry.

This relaxed school matinee has been planned with considerations for an inclusive audience with a range of potential audience members including, but not limited to, students with sensory or communication conditions, learning disabilities and students on the autism spectrum.

Need more information about our school matinees? Fill out our Expressions of Interest Form and the Education Team will be in touch.

Watch this video for further insights into a Sydney Dance Company school matinee:

Meaning “we are” in Spanish, Somos features a cascade of intimate solos, duets and trios with a distinct Spanish flavour. Set to music by powerhouse Hispanic artists and performed in the Neilson Studio, this intimate setting will provide you with unparalleled connection to our Company dancers as you witness their formidable artistry and breathtaking physicality closer than ever before. 

*Schools receive one complimentary teacher ticket for every 20 student tickets purchased.

The performance of Somos and accompanying resource pack encourage students to dissect choreographic devices, performance quality, production elements and creative processes. This can be used to enhance delivery of dance curriculum in appreciation and composition components, with the resource pack providing comprehensive behind-the-scenes insight and in-depth tasks to allow for continual analysis of the live performance experience.

This relaxed school matinee has been planned with considerations for an inclusive audience with a range of potential audience members including, but not limited to, students with sensory or communication conditions, learning disabilities and students on the autism spectrum.

We will have a dedicated breakout / quiet space for the students should they require it. The auditorium doors will remain open so that students, teachers and carers are free to come and go during the performance should they wish to and the house lights will remain on at a light level.

In addition, a social story board will be provided to help prepare students with what to expect in the lead up to the performance.

*Carers, companions and school support staff receive complimentary tickets. 

Need more information about our school matinees? Fill out our Expressions of Interest Form and the Education Team will be in touch.

Continuum sweeps across a spectrum of lived experience, from the fleeting beauty of twilight to the elemental force of breath. It is a journey through time and place, where movement echoes with the ebb and flow of life’s narratives. A celebration of the continuous journey of transformation and the subtle forces of nature that connect us all.

An enchanting world premiere from Rafael Bonachela will draw upon his signature choreographic style, to explore the limits of emotional and physical expression. To conjure a dynamic sorcery between the quiet and the monumental, the intimate to the expansive.

For the first time, Unungkati Yantatja – one with the other, brings together the powerful creative forces of Stephen Page with esteemed composer and leading Yidaki player William Barton. Page’s choreography embodies Barton’s song line, calling out to land, sea, sky, and creature, whilst carefully connecting us all to the spirit of our creation breath. Barton will be joined live in performance by the award-wining Omega Ensemble, who commissioned the underlying powerful score. Blown gently across the stage, Unungkati Yantatja is a dedication to the force of our earthly breaths, intrinsically connecting us to country, to each other, and the continual rhythm of life.

*Schools receive one complimentary teacher ticket for every 20 student tickets purchased.

The duration for the Primary School Matinee performance is approximately 60 minutes and features Stephen Page’s work Unungkati Yantatja. 

*Schools receive one complimentary teacher ticket for every 20 student tickets purchased.

The performance of Continuum and accompanying resource pack encourage students to dissect choreographic devices, performance quality, production elements and creative processes. This can be used to enhance delivery of dance curriculum in appreciation and composition components, with the resource pack providing comprehensive behind-the-scenes insight and in-depth tasks to allow for continual analysis of the live performance experience.

Need more information about our school matinees? Fill out our Expressions of Interest Form and the Education Team will be in touch.

Contemporary Creative and Contemporary Technique Workshops can be booked to accompany and support the matinee experience. Workshops provide an opportunity for students to develop contemporary dance technique, learn Sydney Dance Company repertoire and explore choreographic and creative ideas through an industry-based lens.

Workshops are delivered to complement curriculum outcomes for performance and composition elements. Workshops can be delivered as a school incursion to your school or on the same day as a matinee, subject to studio availability.

If you would like to order Sydney Dance Company merchandise for your school or studio group please contact sdc@sydneydancecompany.com
with your order request at least 48 hours before the matinee or workshop.

We will prepare your order for you to collect at the School Matinee Performance or your In-Studio Workshop.

Sydney Dance Company is committed to providing a safe, nurturing, stable and secure environment for children. We believe that the welfare of children participating in our programs is of the highest priority and we foster practices to support children’s health, developmental needs, self-respect and confidence.You can download our Child Protection Policy and our Values and Expectations for children participating in activities with Sydney Dance Company below.

All teaching staff employed by Sydney Dance Company to work with children and young people hold a current NSW Working With Children Check and agree to abide by our policies and guidelines in relation to working with children.

Should you have any questions or need guidance on how to raise a concern, please don’t hesitate to contact our Child Safe Environment Officer on 02 9258 4800 or education@sydneydancecompany.com.