Information
The Mass Ornament by Berlin-based Spanish choreographer Fran Diaz makes its Australian premiere in Sydney with this hypnotic work, set to the music of Henryk Górecki.
Reimagining Siegfried Kracauer’s 1927 essay, Diaz transforms the idea of mass movement into a choreographic exploration of unity and presence. Instead of dancers disappearing into a mechanical whole, the work reveals a system built on connection, where precision depends on awareness, and individuality and collectivity exist in constant dialogue.
Choreography, Set Design & Costumes: Fran Díaz
Choreographic Assistant: Keren Leiman
Music: Henryk Górecki
Additional Composition / Sound Design: Tom Foskett-Barnes
Set Design Advisor: Manuel Cornelius
Costume Assistant: Janine Schwind
Light Design: Tanja Rühl
Fran Diaz’s The Mass Ornament is generously supported by Sydney Dance Company’s Visionary Patron, the Clegg Foundation. The Mass Ornament was commissioned by Hessisches Staatsballett and performed in Australia with its kind permission.
Sydney Season supporter, The Mass Ornament, Instituto Cervantes
A Note from the Choreographer
The Mass Ornament was inspired by Siegfried Kracauer’s essay of the same name (1927), in which he analyses popular entertainment, such as the Tiller Girls’ synchronised dance routines, as a reflection of the capitalist, rationalised structures of modern society.
I was fascinated by the idea of recreating a human “mass ornament” that would reference the qualities of the Tiller Girls—precision, repetition, and geometric order—while placing them within a contemporary neoliberal context, in which people are sold the idea that they are radically free, yet their actions are shaped by economic and technological systems that dictate how individuality is performed.
What interested me most was not simply referencing the Tiller Girls, but questioning what might exist beneath the intricate choreographic structures they embodied. Can emotional depth still shine through? Can we, as spectators, be aware of both the whole and the part?
What emerged was not a loss of personality but an intricate system of care, awareness, and collaboration. I realised that collective precision does not erase the individual; it depends on connection, trust, and interdependence. In that sense, the piece challenges The Mass Ornament, revealing a deeply human network instead of an impersonal machine.
The Mass Ornament was the first work I created for a large ensemble and marked an important turning point in my career, opening doors internationally and allowing me to create in places I could only have dreamed of. I am incredibly grateful to Keren Leiman, my friend and choreographic assistant, for accompanying me through both the creation and restaging processes, and for always being a source of inspiration, not only to me but also to the dancers. To Tom Foskett-Barnes, for creating a sound design that stretched the Górecki composition into our contemporary fabric, and to Tanja Rühl, for beautifully balancing clinical restraint and theatrical atmosphere with her lighting design.
Thank you to Rafael Bonachela for giving me the chance to restage the piece with the incredible dancers of Sydney Dance Company. They have been an absolute joy to work with, and I’m thrilled for everyone to experience the energy, precision, and emotional nuance they bring to the work.
Media Review
★★★★½ “all the things that audiences have come to love about SDC’s exhilarating style of dance.” – Sydney Morning Herald
★★★★½ “This triple bill lives up to its name with driving force and exceptional performance.” – Limelight
★★★★★ “Sydney Dance Company’s latest triple bill celebrates contemporary dance at its most adventurous and diverse.” – Bachtrack
★★★★½ “Engine is powerful and rhythmic, driven by dancers whose strength, precision and energy propel each contemporary work forward.” – Bacchus at the Theatre
“Sydney Dance Company’s Engine Makes the Invisible Visible.” – Time and Tide
“What ultimately distinguishes Engine is not the quality of its individual works, impressive though they are. It is the conversation that develops between them. Bonachela explores transition. Díaz explores coexistence. Lane explores inheritance. Together they map a surprisingly complete picture of contemporary life.” – Time and Tide
“full-on, engine-like physicality” – Canberra City News
“Engine demonstrates Sydney Dance Company performing at an exceptional artistic level.” – Dance Informa
“Perhaps most striking is the maturity of Sydney Dance Company’s current ensemble. These dancers are not merely exceptional technicians; they have developed a collective confidence that allows each work to breathe with authenticity.” Dance Informa
“Together, they suggest that the greatest engine driving human life is neither ambition nor achievement, but connection.” – Dance Informa
“…the dancers are asked for stamina, detail and stylistic agility, and they deliver with the kind of confidence that has become a company signature.” – Dance Australia
“a visual feast” – Sydney Travel Guide
“one of the most visually mesmerising performances I have seen in a long time” – Sydney Travel Guide
“Whether you’re new to Sydney Dance Company or a longtime fan, this is a production that will have you completely hooked.” – Sydney Travel Guide
“…a powerful display of artistry and emotional intensity.” – Dance Australia Young Dancer Scholar Review
★★★★½ “heart-thumping kinesthetic energy.” – Sydney Morning Herald
★★★★½ “Your pulse is guaranteed to race along with it.” – Sydney Morning Herald
★★★★½ “By the end of this incredibly powerful work you wonder how its 13 dancers manage to stay upright.” – Limelight
★★★★½ …surreal, but incredibly affecting – Limelight
★★★★½ “incredibly powerful work” – Limelight
★★★★½ “Diaz delivers a punch to the gut” – Limelight
★★★★★”… The Mass Ornament’s uncompromising intensity…” – Bachtrack
“…astonishing intellectual and physical rigour.” – Dance Informa
“… an uncompromising thirteen -minute work of relentless momentum.” – Dance Informa
“… the audience experiences its physical intensity almost viscerally.” – Dance Informa
“… a quietly radical proposition.” – Dance Informa
“… emotional resonance gives the work extraordinary depth beyond its conceptual framework.” – Dance Informa
“… the work examines the patterns that emerge when bodies move together. Yet unlike many works dealing with collectivity, it avoids treating the group as either utopian or oppressive.” – Time and Tide
“How do we move together without becoming the same? It is an old question. Díaz gives it contemporary form.” – Time and Tide
“…hard-core expression” – Canberra City News
“…sensually stimulating” – Eastside Radio
Performance History
The Mass Ornament was originally commissioned by Hessisches Staatsballett and premiered in Wiesbaden, Germany, on 17 February 2025.
Premiere
The Art House
Wyong, NSW
19 June 2026
Bill: Engine
Works: Love Lock, The Mass Ornament and The Journey Itself Is Home
2026 Performances
The Art House
Wyong, NSW
19 June
Bill: Engine
Works: Love Lock, The Mass Ornament and The Journey Itself Is Home
Roslyn Packer Theatre
Walsh Bay Arts Precinct, Sydney
24 June – 12 July
Bill: Engine
Works: Love Lock, The Mass Ornament and The Journey Itself Is Home
Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre
Shoalhaven, NSW
24 July
Bill: Engine
Works: Love Lock, The Mass Ornament and The Journey Itself Is Home
Albany Entertainment Centre
Albany, WA
29 July
Bill: Engine
Works: Love Lock, The Mass Ornament and The Journey Itself Is Home
Mandurah Performing Arts Centre
Mandurah, WA
1 August
Bill: Engine
Works: Love Lock, The Mass Ornament and The Journey Itself Is Home
State Theatre Centre of WA
Perth, WA
5 – 8 August
Bill: Engine
Works: Love Lock, The Mass Ornament and The Journey Itself Is Home
AANT Centre
Darwin, NT
12 August
Bill: Engine
Works: Love Lock, The Mass Ornament and The Journey Itself Is Home
Araluen Arts Centre
Alice Springs, NT
15 August
Bill: Engine
Works: Love Lock, The Mass Ornament and The Journey Itself Is Home
Information
The Mass Ornament by Berlin-based Spanish choreographer Fran Diaz makes its Australian premiere in Sydney with this hypnotic work, set to the music of Henryk Górecki.
Reimagining Siegfried Kracauer’s 1927 essay, Diaz transforms the idea of mass movement into a choreographic exploration of unity and presence. Instead of dancers disappearing into a mechanical whole, the work reveals a system built on connection, where precision depends on awareness, and individuality and collectivity exist in constant dialogue.
Choreography, Set Design & Costumes: Fran Díaz
Choreographic Assistant: Keren Leiman
Music: Henryk Górecki
Additional Composition / Sound Design: Tom Foskett-Barnes
Set Design Advisor: Manuel Cornelius
Costume Assistant: Janine Schwind
Light Design: Tanja Rühl
Fran Diaz’s The Mass Ornament is generously supported by Sydney Dance Company’s Visionary Patron, the Clegg Foundation. The Mass Ornament was commissioned by Hessisches Staatsballett and performed in Australia with its kind permission.
Sydney Season supporter, The Mass Ornament, Instituto Cervantes
A Note from the Choreographer
The Mass Ornament was inspired by Siegfried Kracauer’s essay of the same name (1927), in which he analyses popular entertainment, such as the Tiller Girls’ synchronised dance routines, as a reflection of the capitalist, rationalised structures of modern society.
I was fascinated by the idea of recreating a human “mass ornament” that would reference the qualities of the Tiller Girls—precision, repetition, and geometric order—while placing them within a contemporary neoliberal context, in which people are sold the idea that they are radically free, yet their actions are shaped by economic and technological systems that dictate how individuality is performed.
What interested me most was not simply referencing the Tiller Girls, but questioning what might exist beneath the intricate choreographic structures they embodied. Can emotional depth still shine through? Can we, as spectators, be aware of both the whole and the part?
What emerged was not a loss of personality but an intricate system of care, awareness, and collaboration. I realised that collective precision does not erase the individual; it depends on connection, trust, and interdependence. In that sense, the piece challenges The Mass Ornament, revealing a deeply human network instead of an impersonal machine.
The Mass Ornament was the first work I created for a large ensemble and marked an important turning point in my career, opening doors internationally and allowing me to create in places I could only have dreamed of. I am incredibly grateful to Keren Leiman, my friend and choreographic assistant, for accompanying me through both the creation and restaging processes, and for always being a source of inspiration, not only to me but also to the dancers. To Tom Foskett-Barnes, for creating a sound design that stretched the Górecki composition into our contemporary fabric, and to Tanja Rühl, for beautifully balancing clinical restraint and theatrical atmosphere with her lighting design.
Thank you to Rafael Bonachela for giving me the chance to restage the piece with the incredible dancers of Sydney Dance Company. They have been an absolute joy to work with, and I’m thrilled for everyone to experience the energy, precision, and emotional nuance they bring to the work.
Media Review
★★★★½ “all the things that audiences have come to love about SDC’s exhilarating style of dance.” – Sydney Morning Herald
★★★★½ “This triple bill lives up to its name with driving force and exceptional performance.” – Limelight
★★★★★ “Sydney Dance Company’s latest triple bill celebrates contemporary dance at its most adventurous and diverse.” – Bachtrack
★★★★½ “Engine is powerful and rhythmic, driven by dancers whose strength, precision and energy propel each contemporary work forward.” – Bacchus at the Theatre
“Sydney Dance Company’s Engine Makes the Invisible Visible.” – Time and Tide
“What ultimately distinguishes Engine is not the quality of its individual works, impressive though they are. It is the conversation that develops between them. Bonachela explores transition. Díaz explores coexistence. Lane explores inheritance. Together they map a surprisingly complete picture of contemporary life.” – Time and Tide
“full-on, engine-like physicality” – Canberra City News
“Engine demonstrates Sydney Dance Company performing at an exceptional artistic level.” – Dance Informa
“Perhaps most striking is the maturity of Sydney Dance Company’s current ensemble. These dancers are not merely exceptional technicians; they have developed a collective confidence that allows each work to breathe with authenticity.” Dance Informa
“Together, they suggest that the greatest engine driving human life is neither ambition nor achievement, but connection.” – Dance Informa
“…the dancers are asked for stamina, detail and stylistic agility, and they deliver with the kind of confidence that has become a company signature.” – Dance Australia
“a visual feast” – Sydney Travel Guide
“one of the most visually mesmerising performances I have seen in a long time” – Sydney Travel Guide
“Whether you’re new to Sydney Dance Company or a longtime fan, this is a production that will have you completely hooked.” – Sydney Travel Guide
“…a powerful display of artistry and emotional intensity.” – Dance Australia Young Dancer Scholar Review
★★★★½ “heart-thumping kinesthetic energy.” – Sydney Morning Herald
★★★★½ “Your pulse is guaranteed to race along with it.” – Sydney Morning Herald
★★★★½ “By the end of this incredibly powerful work you wonder how its 13 dancers manage to stay upright.” – Limelight
★★★★½ …surreal, but incredibly affecting – Limelight
★★★★½ “incredibly powerful work” – Limelight
★★★★½ “Diaz delivers a punch to the gut” – Limelight
★★★★★”… The Mass Ornament’s uncompromising intensity…” – Bachtrack
“…astonishing intellectual and physical rigour.” – Dance Informa
“… an uncompromising thirteen -minute work of relentless momentum.” – Dance Informa
“… the audience experiences its physical intensity almost viscerally.” – Dance Informa
“… a quietly radical proposition.” – Dance Informa
“… emotional resonance gives the work extraordinary depth beyond its conceptual framework.” – Dance Informa
“… the work examines the patterns that emerge when bodies move together. Yet unlike many works dealing with collectivity, it avoids treating the group as either utopian or oppressive.” – Time and Tide
“How do we move together without becoming the same? It is an old question. Díaz gives it contemporary form.” – Time and Tide
“…hard-core expression” – Canberra City News
“…sensually stimulating” – Eastside Radio
Performance History
The Mass Ornament was originally commissioned by Hessisches Staatsballett and premiered in Wiesbaden, Germany, on 17 February 2025.
Premiere
The Art House
Wyong, NSW
19 June 2026
Bill: Engine
Works: Love Lock, The Mass Ornament and The Journey Itself Is Home
2026 Performances
The Art House
Wyong, NSW
19 June
Bill: Engine
Works: Love Lock, The Mass Ornament and The Journey Itself Is Home
Roslyn Packer Theatre
Walsh Bay Arts Precinct, Sydney
24 June – 12 July
Bill: Engine
Works: Love Lock, The Mass Ornament and The Journey Itself Is Home
Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre
Shoalhaven, NSW
24 July
Bill: Engine
Works: Love Lock, The Mass Ornament and The Journey Itself Is Home
Albany Entertainment Centre
Albany, WA
29 July
Bill: Engine
Works: Love Lock, The Mass Ornament and The Journey Itself Is Home
Mandurah Performing Arts Centre
Mandurah, WA
1 August
Bill: Engine
Works: Love Lock, The Mass Ornament and The Journey Itself Is Home
State Theatre Centre of WA
Perth, WA
5 – 8 August
Bill: Engine
Works: Love Lock, The Mass Ornament and The Journey Itself Is Home
AANT Centre
Darwin, NT
12 August
Bill: Engine
Works: Love Lock, The Mass Ornament and The Journey Itself Is Home
Araluen Arts Centre
Alice Springs, NT
15 August
Bill: Engine
Works: Love Lock, The Mass Ornament and The Journey Itself Is Home
Gallery
