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Bright and Bold
The U.S. premiere of Sydney Dance Company: 2 One Another written by Philip Szporer
Australia is an extraordinarily beautiful land. The expanse across the vast island continent is immense: Sydney to Perth is like going from Irvine, California to Portland, Maine. But in the country popularly known as Oz, the road to success for companies like the Sydney Dance Company (SDC) seems to be paved with golden opportunity. Although this is the land of the desert Outback, of beer and footy and endless days on the beach, there is optimism about the state of the arts. It’s no longer, ‘It’s very good – for Australians” but rather, ‘We’re on the move.’ Last month, the country’s preeminent contemporary dance company, SDC, kicked off an extensive six-nation, seven-week tour, taking the production of Artistic Director and choreographer Rafael Bonachela’s award-winning 2 One Another (2012) across three continents. Described as “dynamic and highly physical”, the explosive and poetic piece is performed by the company’s sixteen dancers and explores the complexities of relationships and the intensities of human interaction. The performance, for 16 dancers, is set against a stunning digital backdrop of motion design and pixilated animation, and features a driving soundscore by composer Nick Wales – seamlessly
Rafael Bonochella
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House’s Spring Dance Festival Curator. As Time Out Sydney reports, he is happy to let each guest choreographer he commissions to create work for the company and “do their own thing,” giving them more-or-less free reign. “For me it’s about variety, it’s not about a ‘theme,’” he says. At this year’s Australian Dance Awards, 2 One Another was cited as Outstanding Performance by a Company, noting its “breathtakingly fluid solos, duets and group work that showcase the dazzling virtuosity, technical mastery, lyricism and expression of the dancers,” as well as scoring a nod for dancer Charmene Yap for Outstanding Performance by a Female Dancer for her role in the piece.
2 One Another by Rafael Bonachella
embracing Baroque to electronica – as well as poetry fragments (by the Sydney-based poet, musician, filmmaker and photographer, Samuel Webster) exploring love and emotion. “The work has required deep contemplation and intimate revelation and, as such, the result is very personal for all. We hope this will resonate with audiences in a real way,’’ Bonachela told the Canberra Times. The Sydney Morning Herald commented, “SDC at the peak of their power... A thrillingly fluent piece that maintains its vibrancy over its hourlong journey.” The Spanish-born Bonachela, an acclaimed former dancer and choreographer with London’s Rambert Dance Company, is in his fifth year with the company. He combines his role at SDC with his position as Sydney Opera
The history of the company, which has produced 140 new works since 1976, is legend Down Under. Dancer Suzanne Musitz founded a group in 1969, which eventually became known as The Dance Company (N.S.W.) in the early 1970’s. Her pioneering achievement was fostering a large and varied repertoire of classical and contemporary works for the company. Dutch choreographer Jaap Flier followed Musitz in the 1975-76 season, and imbued the troupe with a modern style. Following Flier’s decision to return to Europe the following year, Graeme Murphy took
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IRVINEBARCLAYPRESENTS the 2013-14 International Contemporary Dance Series • www.thebarclay.org
over the reins of the company. Murphy’s plan was ground-breaking: he would commission the finest Australian talent – choreographers, composers, designer and dancers – and evolve what became known as the SDC into a vital centre of Australian contemporary dance, not an easy sell at the time. He brought in renowned soloist Janet Vernon as Associate Director of the company, as well as one of its star dancers, and she bolstered the repertoire with her rigorous approach to technique and performance. (Both Murphy and Vernon began their careers at the Australian Ballet School in Melbourne.) Other excellent dancers entered its ranks, and the troupe’s combined efforts sparked a renewed interest from a cross section of the public interested in its innovation and vibrancy. Within three years of his appointment, Murphy choreographed and commissioned a large number of original new works. It was at that moment he and Vernon thought the time was right to launch the company onto the international stage. An overseas tour was planned and a retrospective gala at the Sydney Opera House was the occasion to effect the name change of The Dance Company to SDC. The duo led the company from 1976– 2007. In 2007, the SDC appointed 29-year-old choreographer Tanja Liedtke as their first new artistic direcDance Series support provided by
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tor in 30 years. However before she could take up the position, she was struck and killed by a truck in a tragic accident. Following her death, the search for a new director took time. Bonachela was appointed Artistic Director in 2009, beckoning a new era in Australian contemporary dance. Many of the company’s current dancers are classically trained, and Bonachela looks for strong and energetic performers to articulate his emotionally charged choreography. He encourages them to think beyond their training and be open to new dance forms. “SDC dancers can’t be put in a box. They really have to embrace everything,” he told Melbourne’s Herald Sun newspaper. “You don’t need to be perfect to work with me. As long as you want to learn, we have a starting point.”
dents. The company, whose headquarters are located in Sydney’s busy arts quarter at Walsh Bay, is today a leader in the field, running over 70 classes a week at its studios. It can be safely said that Rafael Bonachela is creating his own style for the company. He is concerned with movement, but also with a broader view of the arts. And he’s placing himself and the SDC at the forefront of Australian arts. Philip Szporer is a Montreal-based lecturer, writer and filmmaker.
SDC has a great reputation for working with live music on stage, and Bonachela actively commissions works that, he says, sound rich and symphonic because of the nature of the instrumentation and the people he brings on board. “That makes it really exciting for the dancers who have become better musicians, because often their services are enlisted as musicians. They are learning new skills all the time,” he told the on-line publication Critical Dance. Australia is a country with a huge focus on sport, where dance is not a part of the school curriculum, and some people still consider contemporary dance an elitist art form. Yet Bonachela, soon after he arrived at the company, introduced a successful education program for primary and secondary school stu-
Credit for all photos:
2 One Another by Rafael Bonachella
IRVINEBARCLAYPRESENTS the 2013-14 International Contemporary Dance Series • www.thebarclay.org