Sydney Dance Company

Sydney Dance Company — the country’s leading contemporary dance ensemble

Sydney Dance Company is the country’s largest and most consistent contemporary dance company, founded in 1969 (originally as the Sydney Dance Group) and headquartered in Walsh Bay alongside Sydney Theatre Company and Bangarra. The artistic director since 2009 has been Rafael Bonachela — Catalan choreographer formerly of Rambert Dance Company in London — and the company’s identity has consolidated under his tenure into one of the strongest mid-scale contemporary dance ensembles working in English-speaking countries. The ensemble is around sixteen dancers, the headquarters at Pier 4/5 Walsh Bay includes performance and rehearsal studios, and the company runs a typical year of three to four mainstage productions plus pre-professional training programmes that have become the country’s main pipeline into professional contemporary dance.

What they’re known for

Bonachela’s choreographic identity is the company’s identity — a contemporary movement language that draws on European modern dance, with strong scores (often original commissions from contemporary composers including Nick Wales and Bryce Dessner of The National) and substantial commitment to design. The mainstage works that have defined the company in the last decade — 2 One Another, Cinco, Lux Tenebris, Frame of Mind, Untamed, Impermanence, ab [intra] — have toured Australia and internationally, including Sadler’s Wells, the Joyce Theater and Asia Festival circuits.

The company also commissions from international choreographers regularly — Crystal Pite, Hofesh Shechter, William Forsythe and Gabrielle Nankivell have all made work for the ensemble in recent seasons. The “Triple Bill” format — three short works by three different choreographers — is the company’s most reliable single-evening proposition for first-time contemporary dance audiences.

Home venues

• Roslyn Packer Theatre, Walsh Bay — the principal Sydney mainstage. The walk from rehearsal studio to stage is a few hundred metres.
• Sydney Opera House — Drama Theatre — used for selected larger-scale Sydney runs.
• Pier 4/5, Walsh Bay — the company’s headquarters, with a small studio space occasionally used for development showings, talks and the company’s pre-professional class observation sessions.
• Arts Centre Melbourne — Playhouse — Melbourne mainstage.
• Canberra Theatre Centre — The Playhouse — Canberra mainstage.

The season pattern — and how to book

Sydney Dance announces its annual programme in early October. Subscription packages open immediately; single tickets follow in mid-November. The Triple Bill is reliably the company’s biggest-selling proposition; the new full-length Bonachela work each year tends to be the critical highlight; and the international guest-choreographer collaborations sell well to the dance-aware audience but more slowly to general buyers.

The cheapest reliable strategy is the company’s under-30 ticket programme — $35 across the year, including the marquee productions, with same-day rush availability when subscribers don’t claim seats. The Sunday matinee is the easiest seat-availability slot for the in-demand productions.

Planning a trip

Sydney Dance is one of the easiest cultural recommendations to make to a first-time contemporary dance audience because the production values are so high — the lighting design alone (Damien Cooper and Benjamin Cisterne have been the company’s signature designers in recent seasons) carries the audience through the abstract movement. Pair the Walsh Bay performance with a meal at Theatre Bar by the Wharf or Cirrus, and stay in The Rocks if you’re flying in.

For the dance-curious traveller, we’d recommend the Sydney Dance “Pre-Pro” class observation programme, which runs three times a year and lets the public sit in on a morning class with the pre-professional year cohort. Anna’s been recommending this to anyone who’s ever wondered what professional ballet training actually looks like.

Tour reach beyond the capitals

Sydney Dance Company tours each major mainstage work to Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane, with one-off regional tour stops most years (Newcastle, Geelong, Albury). The international touring schedule is consistent — the Bonachela works have played Sadler’s Wells, the Joyce Theater, the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and Movement Beirut in recent seasons. The company also runs a substantial education touring programme to regional NSW and Victoria.

Useful links

• Official: sydneydancecompany.com
• Where we cover them: Companies, Reviews