2019 Impact Report by SydneyDanceCompany

50 YEARS OF DEFINING CONTEMPORARY DANCE

“It’s not every year that a Sydney icon celebrates its golden jubilee, which is why it’s a big deal that Sydney Dance Company is turning 50.” Time Out Sydney

2019 Impact Report

Contents

2019 at a glance

Chair’s Report

Executive Director’s Report

Artistic Director’s Report

The Company 13 The Dancers 14 On Stage New Breed

On the Road

Our Reach

A Golden Year

Wharf Renewal 37 Training the Future

PPY19 Revealed

Our Community

Your Impact

Thank You

Our Performance

Sydney Dance Company 2019

Our Partners 54

2019 at a glance

2019 Impact Report

On Stage 15 works, 73 performances, and 38,632 total attendances, 10 world premieres

National tour 6 Australian states and territories, 12 Australian towns and cities

International tour 4 countries, 12 performances

47,918 km travelled by land and air

82 days on the road

1,950 hotel and apartment nights

437 Airline tickets

24 Coaches and hire cars 227 Taxis

17 Choreographic and music commissions

Training the Future

Revenue

12,324

7 School Matinees with 4,321 attendances

Number of young people and teachers engaged across Australia

2,792 Students from NSW, including 1,510 from Western Sydney

Our online community Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Weibo, WeChat, LinkedIn

YouTube views

197,644

66.66%

559.7K

of total revenue self generated Work provided for 154 people 73% artists and 27% administrators

In 2019 we held a total of 3,669 adult classes, with a total of 78,247 dance class attendees. The total face to face engagement was 128,239 people.

2019 Impact Report

Chair’s Report

Mid way through 2019 I was humbled to take over the reins as Chair of Sydney Dance Company in our 50th anniversary year, having served on the Board since 2015 and as Deputy Chair since 2018. My sincere thanks go to my predecessor Karen Moses, for her outstanding leadership over the seven years she served on the Board and with three of those as Chair. Her clearsighted guidance and stewardship has helped position us for the challenges in front of us. Sydney Dance Company’s 50th birthday year was a milestone both on and off the stage. It gave us a moment to pause and take stock. To reflect on what has been achieved over that time and to focus on what the future looks like. We undertook that 2019 would be a year that marked not just a celebration of the past 50 years, but an establishment of the foundations of the next five decades. As the company celebrated its artistic legacy with a diverse program of new Australian work, we were also busy with ongoing activity around the renewal of our home at Walsh Bay. The revitalisation of the Walsh Bay Arts Precinct will be a landmark turning point for the Performing Arts in Sydney. As one of the original tenants in the precinct – who helped the area come alive and be synonymous with theatre, dance and music – we know that our future will be bright and expansive from our reimagined home there. A great number of people have rallied behind that vision for the future and I do want to thank them for their leadership as over the course of 2019 we continued detailed work on the development, in lock step with the NSW Government; The Neilson Foundation, Simon and Catriona Mordant, The Wales Family Foundation, Jane and Andrew Clifford, Carla Zampatti and Julian and Lizanne Knights. Each has made a significant contribution to our Capital Campaign and along with many others, their collective support means we look to a future where our artists will create their work in fit for purpose and world class facilities. Sydney Dance Company had a busy year across 2019 with an extensive performance schedule as well as the far-reaching education and access activities which traverse the nation. Our open dance class programs continue to provide a valuable participation pathway for thousands of attendees. Despite operating in temporary premises at Ultimo, the team has continued to ensure that Sydney Dance Company remains accessible for as many people as possible. It was pleasing to end the year with a surplus of $825,139 which is comprised of an annual operational surplus of $10,850 in addition to a surplus result for the Capital Campaign, noting the bulk of our outflows for that project will take place in 2020. It is sobering to note that these results are being posted during the global Covid-19

pandemic and the future of the performing arts, along with many other industries, will be significantly impacted. Sydney Dance Company is positioned to withstand the headwinds of this challenge, but it will certainly bring additional pressures throughout 2020 and into 2021. My sincere thanks go to the NSW Government for their ongoing support of Sydney Dance Company. We are enormously grateful for the investment they are making in Walsh Bay and in furnishing the Company with temporary premises in this once-in-a-generation period. The Australian Federal Government continues to support Sydney Dance Company through the Australia Council for the Arts and we thank them for that valuable assistance. Government support of the arts is vital for the cultural life of Australia to flourish and Sydney Dance Company is proud to be a flag bearer as we tour the world. I was thrilled to be able to join the company in Europe and see first-hand the extraordinary response the dancers received. Standing ovations and sold out performances at every stop! Sydney Dance Company exists as a company driven to create new work as well as increase access to dance to the broadest possible range of people. Our efforts in the areas of commissioning new work, education, outreach and training would not be possible without the support of the donor family and corporate partners who share the vision with us. Thank you. This ongoing support is essential to the sustainability of this company and is truly and warmly appreciated. To Anne and Rafael, the talented management, staff and dancers of Sydney Dance Company, we do not exist without your dedication, tenacity and creativity. Thanks to your collective contribution, truly in 2019 our art reached new heights of international acclaim and excellence. It has been a journey over many years to achieve these outcomes and Anne and Rafael are a formidable combination. This is an arts organisation of which all Australians should rightly feel proud. To my fellow Board members, I extend my sincerest gratitude. We are fortunate to have such a diverse and capable set of individuals around the table, all of whom demonstrate great commitment and passion for advancing the cause of Sydney Dance Company. As we confront the impacts from Covid-19 on our organisation, the alignment and capability among this group is a great asset. All of us are committed to seeing through the current period of disruption and protecting what is special about Sydney Dance Company – so we can come through to the other side shining, and as hungry as ever to make Australia and the world that much more vibrant, providing inspiration to our audiences at a time when it is never more needed.

2019 Impact Report

Brett Clegg, Chair

Sydney Dance Company Board Directors 2019 Brett Clegg (Chair) Pamela Bartlett David Baxby (appointed 12/8/19) Jillian Broadbent AC Peter Brownie (resigned 03/6/19) David Friedlander (appointed 14/10/19) Kiera Grant (resigned 02/12/19) Mark Hassell Sandra McCullagh (appointed 12/8/19) Catriona Mordant AM Karen Moses (Chair - resigned 12/8/19) Beau Neilson (resigned 29/4/19 Paris Neilson (appointed 12/8/19) Emma-Jane Newton Chrissy Sharp Carla Zampatti AC

2019 Impact Report

Executive Director’s Report

It was a great pleasure to lead Sydney Dance Company into its 50th Anniversary and to work so closely with Rafael and the Board to deliver a program that both reflected on the past and looked to the future. Rafael’s vision for the year focused on Australian voices on the stage and it was wonderful to see 10 incredible new choreographic commissions brought to life across the year. The company delivered 73 performances to audiences across Australia and Europe. Featuring a diverse range of choreographic and composition voices, the program absolutely shone a spotlight on the contemporary dance landscape in Australia. Over the course of the year Sydney Dance Company directly employed 154 people, and contracted many more, to create and deliver performances ranging in scale from a 250 seat theatre at Sydney’s Carriageworks through to international stages in halls of 2,000 seats. The activities for the year generated a total revenue of $11,965,879 which resulted in a total surplus result of $825,139, noting Sydney Dance Company is actively fundraising to support the Capital works of the Wharf renovation. In reflecting on what makes Sydney Dance Company special, I am very proud of the fact that the Company delivers not only exceptional performances by the exquisite dancers of the company, but also fun, educational and quality opportunities to learn and participate in dance. Sydney Dance Company’s reach in these areas is an impressive facet of our activities and really goes to the heart of our belief that dance is for everyone. Our programs reach out to students studying dance across the country and to young people with no prior dance experience, where often a Sydney Dance Company performance is the first time these kids have ever seen contemporary dance. Sydney Dance Company also serves young people with professional aspirations through our training programs including our youth ensemble, professional intensives and our accredited PreProfessional program where elite young dancers can gain valuable studio experience and either a diploma or an advanced diploma. Our open class program continued to deliver wonderful participation experiences to thousands of people across 2019. With attendances of over 80,000 across our adult short courses, open classes and our school holiday programs, Sydney Dance Company is very much a part of many people’s dance life. We thank each audience member and dance class participant who has chosen to spend time with us. Across 2019, our first full year located off the Wharf, all our rehearsals and in-studios programs took place in our temporary home in our Wattle Street studios, as work continued on the Walsh Bay Arts Precinct.

It is exciting to watch the progress of works and we are looking forward to returning to expanded premises at the end of 2020. Our sincere thanks go to our Capital Campaign donors and the NSW Government for their shared investment in Sydney Dance Company’s future. Our thanks also go to the Federal Government for its support through the Australia Council for the Arts, who in partnership with the NSW Government, provide a base of support for the company which we were able to leverage and grow to ensure we could deliver the breadth of activity the year encompassed. In the current climate of the Covid-19 pandemic, the importance of Government support for the Arts has never been more keenly felt. There are many people who work tirelessly behind the scenes at Sydney Dance Company to bring every performance to life, to greet each class attendee, to sell each ticket. I thank each and every one of them; their dedication is endlessly inspiring. Of course not all of the people who work so hard are on our staff – many are volunteers and their efforts are driven by an altruistic agenda and love of the company – a big shout out here to the Dance Noir committee, co-chaired by Peter Reeve and Pam Bartlett. They, and the whole committee, worked day and night to deliver an event which was not only fabulous fun, but the was the most successful fundraising event Sydney Dance Company has ever hosted. My sincere thanks to Karen Moses for her leadership and guidance during her time as Chair of the Board – it was always much valued. Thanks also to Brett Clegg who succeeded Karen in the role of Chair, taking up the position in August 2019 after serving as Deputy Chair. My thanks also to the Directors of the Board, past and present – each have played a part in Sydney Dance Company’s success and in our 50th Anniversary year it was a pleasure to reflect and celebrate with them. As we navigate through the challenges of 2020, and plot our recovery for the future, it is reassuring to have the skills and leadership of our current Board on hand. Last but not least a big thank you to Rafael Bonachela and the dancers of the company – together you create a world on stage for us to lose ourselves in each night in the theatre. That joy is sadly missed as we move through this strangest of times, waiting for the theatres to be full once more with audiences, together in that shared experience, and artists to be on our stages once again. Anne Dunn, Executive Director

2019 Impact Report

Artistic Director’s Report

Looking back on 2019, our 50th anniversary and a remarkable year of celebration, it was my privilege to curate a year of dance that reflected the past, celebrated the present and looked to the future. As a contemporary company it was important to me that our community could both enjoy reflection and look to what lies ahead. In celebration of this monumental year, it was important to me to commission a range of Australian voices in homage to the extraordinary investment that Sydney Dance Company has made in the cultural landscape over five decades, and as a reflection of contemporary dance in Australia today. 10 new works were commissioned this year. The first season saw Gabrielle Nankivell and Melanie Lane present Neon Aether and WOOF, respectively. Nankivell has worked with us over several years, most recently with Helpmann Award-nominated Wildebeest. Neon Aether transported audiences to an ethereal dystopian world. Lane first brought WOOF to New Breed in 2017. Leaving a lasting impression on the audience, it was magnificent to see the work return to the stage and to tour across Australia. In the second season, Gideon Obarzanek’s Us 50 brought together many elements of the essence of this Company. Obarzanek danced with the Company in the 1990s and founded Chunky Move. His creative imperative for this piece truly touched me; dance lives in the bodies of the dancers and the minds of the audience. Us 50 explored how dance is communicated: 10 incredible alumni dancers from the last five decades returned to the stage to perform with the current Company and 25 audience members each night. An incredible and emotional spectacle. 2019 saw two of my own works staged; a new creation, Cinco in Season One and 6 Breaths in Season Two. 6 Breaths, a collaboration with composer the late Ezio Bosso, was one of my first works for Sydney Dance Company when I was privileged to take up the position of Artistic Director 10 years ago, another milestone to celebrate in 2019. It was a delight to work on Cinco with regular collaborator Damien Cooper and the talented Australian fashion designer Bianca Spender. The sixth edition of New Breed in December saw outstanding new works from independent choreographers Josh Mu, Lauren Langlois and our dancers Davide Di Giovanni and Ariella Casu. The passionate support of The Balnaves Foundation and the partnership of Carriageworks continue to make this vital program possible, for which I am very grateful. Touring is part of Sydney Dance Company’s DNA. Having the opportunity to share our work with audiences across Australia and the globe is exhilarating. As well as an extensive Australian tour this year, a European tour to Austria, Poland, Finland and Spain concluded with

performances in my home town, Barcelona. As any artist will attest, presenting work to family is a thrill and a true privilege! I was also honoured that a duet from my work, ab[intra] was featured in the 350th anniversary gala of the Paris Opera Ballet in the Palais Garnier in September. Dancers Davide Di Giovanni and Charmene Yap accompanied me to Paris to teach the work to two Étoiles of the Opera Ballet; an incredible experience. I was delighted that in July, 2018 guest choreographer, Antony Hamilton was awarded the Helpmann Award for Best Choreography in a Ballet, Dance or Physical Theatre Production for his work Forever & Ever for Sydney Dance Company, a fitting honour for such a striking piece from our 2018 season. At the heart of everything that is Sydney Dance Company is the dancers and I am proud of them all. All at the top of their game, they rose to numerous creative challenges and exceeded my expectations. I particularly want to acknowledge the multi award-winning Charmene Yap, who stepped down from full-time performance in 2019 after 10 years, taking up the newly created role of Rehearsal Associate, where her expertise is now directed to support the dancers. I also want to pay tribute to Juliette Barton who returned to the stage this year after the birth of her first child. I concur with The Australian, which noted “Longstanding company member Juliette Barton has returned from maternity leave looking even more striking than before, if that were possible.” I want to sincerely thank to all those whose creativity, passion and talent have brought Sydney Dance Company to where it is now. To former Artistic Directors Suzanne Musitz, Jaap Flier, Tanja Liedtke, Graeme Murphy AO and Janet Vernon AM for their vision and stewardship of the Company across the years; to the donors and supporters of the Company whose investment in my creative vision is so greatly appreciated; to the generations of dancers and audiences; to both outgoing Chair Karen Moses, Chair Brett Clegg and the Board of Sydney Dance Company, whose support, counsel and guidance I value enormously; and to Anne Dunn, Executive Director, and the staff of Sydney Dance Company, whose collective drive and passion for the success of this organisation is unparalleled. It is an honour to work with you all. As I write this in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis, in what is a changed world, our Studios are closed, our performances postponed and our future is still uncertain. However, after five decades of exemplifying contemporary dance in Australia, I am confident that whatever the future holds for us all, Sydney Dance Company will continue to play an essential role in the cultural life and creative expression of the nation for decades to come.

2019 Impact Report

Rafael Bonachela, Artistic DIrector

2019 Impact Report

The Company

Australia’s leading contemporary dance company, Sydney Dance Company presents new works in Sydney, around Australia and internationally, under the Artistic Direction of Rafael Bonachela and the Executive leadership of Anne Dunn. Over the last five decades, Sydney Dance Company has forged a unique path in Australian dance. Hundreds of thousands of people across the country and around the world have experienced the joy of watching exceptional dancers perform. 2019 was Sydney Dance Company’s 50th anniversary: five decades of defining contemporary dance in Australia. Rising from a schools touring ensemble Ballet in a Nutshell, The Dance Company (NSW) was founded in 1969 by dancer Suzanne Musitz. From 1975-76 the Company was directed by Dutch choreographer Jaap Flier, before the appointment of Australian choreographer Graeme Murphy AO in 1976. In 1979 Murphy and his partner Janet Vernon AM instituted the defining name change to Sydney Dance Company and proceeded

to lead it for a remarkable 30 years. Murphy and his collaborators created work that enthralled audiences in Australia and in extensive international touring. The Company moved into The Wharf, its Walsh Bay home, in 1986 and will return to this iconic building in 2021, on the completion of extensive re-development and renovation. After the tragic death of incumbent Artistic Director Tanja Liedtke in 2007, Rafael Bonachela took on the Artistic Directorship in 2009 and this year celebrated his 10th year with the Company. Under Bonachela’s direction, the Company continues to build a rich repertoire of outstanding dance, foster the Australian choreographic talent of the future, and offer world-class tertiary-level training to young dancers. An ensemble of 16 full-time dancers and one trainee share studio space in Sydney’s Ultimo with 25 Pre-Professional Year student dancers, school and holiday workshop participants, and almost 80,000 annual public dance class attendees.

2019 Impact Report

The Dancers

From a Dancer’s Perspective I have been a dancer with Sydney Dance Company for almost twelve years now, and that is a statement I make with a genuine sense of pride. In 2019, Sydney Dance Company celebrated its 50th Anniversary and for me personally it was a moment to reflect on all that Sydney Dance Company has meant to me. In early 2018 I fell pregnant and was redeployed to the administrative team in order to ensure my safety during that time. One of my jobs was researching and gathering information about the last 50 years of Sydney Dance Company in preparation for the 50th Anniversary year. As I set about this task, I saw myself within the broader context of all that Sydney Dance Company has been and I was overwhelmed with gratitude to be a part of this community. A community of artists, dancers, choreographers, composers and leaders who have across the decades, given the best parts of themselves to this company, fuelled by ambition, dedication, loyalty and a hunger for excellence; a community that has inspired future artists and ignited the imagination of their audience for 50 years. This sense of gratitude really stuck with me, so when I was given the opportunity to return from maternity leave to a season in which I would share the stage with 10 Sydney Dance Company alumni, 16 current company dancers and 25 audience members, I jumped at the chance. In September 2019, the returning alumni and current company dancers convened in the studio with choreographer and fellow Sydney Dance Company alum Gideon Obarzanek to commence rehearsals for Us 50. The camaraderie and mutual respect between old and new was instant. Some of the alumni I had crossed paths with already, such as Bradley Chatfield, who was in his last of 18 years with the company the first year that I joined, and some of them I had never met, however I felt a sense of awe at being given the opportunity to create and perform with these dancers. Together we were only a small representation of the hundreds of dancers that have graced stages with Sydney Dance Company over the decades, but nevertheless it was a nod to the rich history of artistry and experience and an acknowledgement of the value in it all. In one of the early days of rehearsal we were set a task to pair up two current company with one Sydney Dance Company alumni, then instructed to create a dance sequence that was a ‘feel good groove’. Current company then extrapolated that into a bigger dance phrase, to be danced alongside the alumni performing their ‘groove’. For me this was a highlight of the whole experience, as we watched each group perform their little creation. The room was alive with artistry, and I felt like I was granted special passage into

the past whilst fully aware it was happening right there in the present. It prompted me to think that although the body might change with time, become less agile or mobile, the artistry within every performer, within every dancer who has shared their gift with Sydney Dance Company’s audiences, lives on with vigour and vitality; and that is something to be remembered and celebrated. As I look back on my career with Sydney Dance Company, which spans just one fifth of its glorious life-time, I feel humbled, grateful and proud to belong here. Juliette Barton, Company Dancer

Dancers 2019, from top left

Juliette Barton

Luke Hayward

Alex Borg (Trainee)

Dimitri Kleioris

Ariella Casu

Chloe Leong

Davide Di Giovanni

Jesse Scales

Holly Doyle

Emily Seymour

Janessa Dufty

Mia Thompson

Dean Elliot

Charmene Yap

Riley Fitzgerald

Chloe Young

Jacopo Grabar

Victor Zarallo

Liam Green

2019 Impact Report

On Stage

2019 Impact Report

Cinco Choreography

Rafael Bonachela

Music

Alberto Ginastera, String Quartet No.2 Op.26

Recording by

EnsŌ String Quartet

Costume Designer

Bianca Spender

Lighting Designer

Damien Cooper

String Quartet No.2 Op.26 by Alberto Ginastera is used by permission of Hal Leonard Australia, exclusive agents for Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd of London. Cinco was supported by Sydney Dance Company’s Commissioning Fund.

Much of Bonachela’s oeuvre in his 10 years as Artistic Director of Sydney Dance Company has explored and played with numbers. Ginastera’s String Quartet No.2 Op.26, composed in five parts, presented a ready name and approach for this new work in the Company’s 50th year. Using five dancers, Bonachela explored the duality and opposition in the texture of the music. At times melancholic and pensive and at others insistent and urgent, the movement was paced to the emotive states he encountered in listening to the work. Cinco featured the design of long-term Bonachela collaborator Damien Cooper and costume by renowned Australian fashion designer Bianca Spender, who brought her defined sensibility to the stage, clothing the dancers in twists and falls to match their own physical grace. “Unflinchingly speedy choreography…a dazzling technical display of flexibility.” The Sydney Morning Herald “Showcases the inimitable, mature, magisterial BonachelaGod-given gift to ignite spine-tingling lyricism with brazen strength.” Sydney Arts Guide

40 Performances

2019 Impact Report

Neon Aether Choreographer

Gabrielle Nankivell

Composer

Luke Smiles

Costume Designer

Harriet Oxley

Lighting Designer

Damien Cooper

Choreographed by Gabrielle Nankivell, an Australian performer and director with formative ties to Europe, Neon Aether was an ode to the burning intangibles that fuel imagination. Informed by a somewhat nomadic existence, Nankivell’s work is concerned with notions of impermanence; the territory of sensations that seem to be in and of the air, the ethereal, the un-pin-downable, the just beyond our grasp. Neon Aether nodded to the material of madness, of stars and magnetism, of space exploration and love, of desire and the infinite unknown. Nankivell explained “This seemed to me a kind of future nostalgia — like heartbeats in glass jars or fireworks in outer space — like being compelled to move inextricably into the future with a Polaroid from 1974 strapped to your chest. Just like science fiction and space time, this felt like a projection of possibility – like a rocket ascending while humanity holds its breath." “Breathtaking contemporary dance…an almost hypnotic experience… the sensation of peering into different alchemy chambers, each illuminated by a differentcoloured light, and catching brief glimpses of scientific explorations into the mysteries of the universe.” Bachtrack

40 Performances

“Compelling, fascinating and full of frontiering spirit.” The Daily Telegraph

2019 Impact Report

WOOF Choreographer

Melanie Lane

Music

Chris Clark

Costume Designer

Aleisa Jelbart

Lighting Designer

Verity Hampson

WOOF was originally commissioned for Sydney Dance Company’s New Breed season in 2017, which was made possible by The Balnaves Foundation.

“A stunning, wildly inventive work” (Limelight), WOOF was created in 2017 for New Breed, Sydney Dance Company’s annual showcase of the work of emerging and independent choreographers. A crowd pleaser from its first performance, the 2019 iteration of WOOF generated variations of collective actions performed by a group. Lane’s imagined future stole from renaissance imagery, pop culture and science fiction, and re-invented community. With the contagion of crowd mentality, the dancers were possessed by spontaneity, ferocity, absurdity and also the ecstasy, romance and heroism of primitive beings. In dialogue with Clark’s bold musical score, WOOF relentlessly forged a duality of instability and empowerment, and harnessed the fantasy of a posthuman collective spirit. “Like watching a haute couture calendar shoot in slow motion…intelligent, stimulating choreography – both very artistic and hugely enjoyable, and showcases the discipline and professionalism of the SDC ensemble.” Bachtrack “Witty and fresh.” The Sydney Morning Herald “The WOOF choreography was inventive and often tinglingly exciting.” The Daily Telegraph

40 Performances

2019 Impact Report

6 Breaths Choreographer

Rafael Bonachela

Composer

Ezio Bosso

Concept

Rafael Bonachela & Ezio Bosso

Video Artist

Tim Richardson

Costume Designer

Josh Goot

Lighting Designer

Benjamin Cisterne

Sydney Dance Company thanks Rafael Bonachela for his generous support of the re-staging of 6 Breaths

Premiered in Sydney in 2010, 6 Breaths was Bonachela’s second collaboration with Italian composer Ezio Bosso. Inspired by the act of breath, the essential action for life, 6 Breaths explores life, vitality and spirit translated to dance, accompanied by Bosso’s six movements, composed for six cellos and piano. Since 6 Breaths was last seen in Sydney, the work has travelled to New York, London, Barcelona and Germany. 6 Breaths was performed as part of the Venice Biennale Danza in Italy in 2010, the first international invitation for the Company under Bonachela’s artistic directorship. The 2019 iteration was presented in Sydney in November as a double-bill celebration of the Company’s 50th anniversary. “6 Breaths …was danced thrillingly…particularly Riley Fitzgerald and Dimitri Kleioris in the work’s central duet.” The Australian “Spellbinding combination of heart-stopping athleticism and riveting emotion.” Bachtrack

10 Performances

2019 Impact Report

Us 50 Choreographer

Gideon Obarzanek

Assistant Choreographer

Charmene Yap

Composer

Chris Clark

Costume Designer

Harriet Oxley

Lighting Designer

Benjamin Cisterne

Artistic Director’s Commissioning Partner: The Naomi Milgrom Foundation We also thank the Naomi Milgrom Foundation for its support of our Us 50 Education Program, enabling young people to access outstanding contemporary dance through performances and workshops with Sydney Dance Company. We would also like to thank Robert Albert AO and Elizabeth Albert, Ian Galloway and Linda Treadwell, and Tony Jones for their support of the alumni dancers featured in this work.

Choreographed by Sydney Dance Company alumni and founding Artistic Director of Melbourne’s Chunky Move, Gideon Obarzanek’s Us 50 was a glorious and heartfelt celebration of the power of movement. Inspired by the many hundreds of dancers who have graced the Company’s stage over the last five decades, Us 50 explored how making and performing dance is passed on from one dancer to the other, and how the accumulation of all the dancers’ individual styles have helped to shape the Company’s identity. Us 50 featured the return to the stage of 10 alumni dancers whose own personal histories represented five generations of significant contribution to the Company’s body of work. Obarzanek brought 25 audience members to the stage every night, directed live via earphones, embodying how the history of an ephemeral art form is passed on through the bodies of the dancers and accumulated in the minds of the audience. “An exhilarating, heart-warming piece that explores the relationship between the dancers and the audience, and the joy that forms when a community gathers to share a piece of movement.” Limelight

10 Performances

2019 Impact Report

ab[intra] Choreographer

Rafael Bonachela

Original Music

Nick Wales*

Lighting Design

Damien Cooper

Costume & Set Design

David Fleischer

*Original compositions for ab [intra] by Nick Wales.

Additional Music from Klatbune by Peteris Vasks, with permission of Hal Leonard Australia Pty Ltd, exclusive agents for Schott Music Ltd of Mainz.

Bonachela’s ab [intra], premiered in 2018 in Sydney and toured Australia that year. An exploration of our primal instincts, impulses and visceral responses, it takes audiences on a journey of intense emotion from tenderness to turmoil. With music fusing a lush cello concerto with ambient electronica, the dancers occupy a visually arresting ethereal world. ab [intra] enjoyed huge critical and audience acclaim on its premier and has become a touring favourite for Sydney Dance Company. In 2019, it was performed in St Pölten (Austria), Koupio Dance Festival (Finland), Łódź Ballet Festival (Poland) and at the Grec Festival in Barcelona.  “ab [intra] ‘has to be seen to be believed’. Don’t miss this electrifying journey showcasing Australia’s best contemporary dancers.” The Sydney Morning Herald  “A beautiful display of interconnected athleticism…it’s a captivating journey” Daily Review

10 Performances

2019 Impact Report

New Breed

2019 Impact Report

New Breed The sixth edition of New Breed in December saw Sydney “The program ends on a buzzing high; the world is on fire, Dance Company conclude its 50th Anniversary program, but we still make art, and maybe that makes the art even celebrating the best contemporary dance talent in more urgent, even more beautiful.” Time Out Australia. New Breed is an important incubator for the next generation of creative artists, and Sydney Dance “The showcase is creative, quirky, bold and, best of all, Company takes great pride in fostering their development. experimental…the unique works are a testament to Not only does New Breed provide an opportunity for the mentoring of the next generation of contemporary dancers at Sydney Dance Company to explore their brilliance. It’s in good hands.” Bachtrack choreographic ambition, it also gives two independent Australian choreographers the stage to create and present new work each year. This is only possible with the visionary and long-standing support of The Balnaves Foundation and the collaborative partnership of Carriageworks. The 2019 edition saw the four choreographers New Breed Principal Partner explore a vastness of meaning from the joy of jazz music, to the negotiation of our bodies in society, rehumanising in a dehumanised world and the contemplation of dystopian futures.

10 Performances

In Walked Bud

Creeper

Choreographer

Davide Di Giovanni

Choreographer

Lauren Langlois

Music

In Walked Bud by Thelonius Monk

Sound Designer

Jason Wright

Lighting Designer

Alexander Berlage

Lighting Designer

Alexander Berlage

Costume Designer

Guy Hastie

Costume Designer

Aleisa Jelbart

Arise

Zero

Choreographer

Ariella Casu

Choreographer

Josh Mu in collaboration with dancers

Music

Bab’ Azîz and Faces, Armand Amar

Composer

Huey Benjamin

Composer

Marco Cher-Gibard

Lighting Designer

Alexander Berlage

Dramaturg

Bem Le Hunte

Costume Designer

Aleisa Jelbart

Lighting Designer

Alexander Berlage

Costume Designer

Aleisa Jelbart

2019 Impact Report

“Ensemble performance that opened a window on the infinite dynamic possibilities of the human body… the range and vibrancy of movement by the dancers was awe inspiring.” The Daily Telegraph

2019 Impact Report

On the Road

Touring continues to play an integral role in the life of Sydney Dance Company and 2019 was no exception. In addition to our three Sydney seasons, we shared our work extensively across Australia and around the world, reaching 31,302 people in Australia and 7,390 internationally. In 2019 the Bonachela / Nankivell / Lane program which premiered in Sydney hit the road and was performed in 11 Australian towns and cities, with 24 performances across five states and territories: Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide, Darwin, Hobart, regional Nothern Territory, regional Victoria and regional South Australia. Executive Director Anne Dunn said of touring, ”As the country’s leading contemporary dance company, we make it our mission to inspire and engage as many people as possible through dance. We do this by bringing our work to the smallest communities, regional centres and all seven capital cities. We engage people of all ages with our work through performances, education and outreach activities and professional development opportunities while on tour. It is also our responsibility to continuously evolve the artform, while extending our reach and enabling more people to benefit from watching and participating in it.” She continued, “We make a significant contribution to the Australian arts landscape through the range of artists we commission and the new Australian works produced each year, by Rafael and the next generation of dance makers. Our audiences are always our most important collaborators. We want them to come on the journey with us and we do this by conveying our message about dance while inspiring and challenging them.”

For the fifth year, the national touring program was enhanced by an extensive workshop program for young people, supported by the Thyne Reid Foundation. This program sees teaching artists visit communities across Australia to deliver workshops to primary and secondary school students, in the run up to the Company’s visit to the local theatre. In 2019, 119 workshops were delivered to 2712 young people in regional Australia.

2019 Impact Report

“We are a regional school with a high level of disadvantage through unemployment, single parent families, distance, drought affected, financial, refugee and indigenous. This opportunity was such an amazing experience. We are still so amazed that you came all the way to Shepparton!!” Teacher, Shepparton For new Company dancer, Luke Hayward, 2019’s Australian tour was a very special personal experience. “2019 was my first time touring with Sydney Dance Company and my favourite memory was performing for family and friends in Alice Springs. Many of them hadn’t seen me dance in 8 years! The opening piece was Neon Aether by Gabrielle Nankivell, which started with my solo. As soon as the lights came on, dramatically revealing me onstage, everyone in the audience gasped and started whispering, “Oh it’s Luke!”, “Is that Luke?”, “Is that the guy”, “Oh that’s the boy”, and “shhhhhh”! I went from feeling nervous, to sweaty feet and hands, and shaking. Thankfully, I shook the nerves

off pretty fast and when it came to bows, the noise emanating from the audience was amazing.” Sydney Dance Company is held in high esteem as an international cultural leader and, as an international representative of Australian arts, we are delighted to be supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). 2019 saw an extensive European summer festival tour, taking in St Pölten, Austria; the Kuopio Dance Festival, Finland; Łódź Ballet Festival, Poland; and the Grec Festival Barcelona, Spain. It was an honour to be hosted by the Australian Ambassadors in each location. In Finland, where the sun barely set, the Company was cohosted by the Australian Ambassador and the Finnish Australian Society, and guided through a sing-along of Bound for Botany Bay and I Am, You Are, We Are Australian. Dancers of the Company and the Ambassador sang together in good voice! The Ambassadors and delegates from the Embassies in Warsaw and in Vienna travelled to Łódź and St Pölten respectively for the performances and each hosted a post-show reception. Barcelona was another family affair for Sydney Dance Company; as the home town of Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela, and dancer Victor Zarallo, friends and family of both turned out in force. Victor said “My parents told everyone they knew to come and watch the show. I left home when I was 16 years old, so having the opportunity to dance with my professional company in my hometown, even if it was only once... it was so worth it.”

Barcelona also saw the Company joined by a number of donors and supporters from Australia and across Europe, many of whom had made the journey especially to see the performance. The Sydney Dance Company family was honoured to be hosted by the Australian Ambassador to Spain, who threw a postshow reception on the opening night to celebrate all of the Australian companies and artists performing in the Grec Festival.

2019 Impact Report

Our Reach

2019 Impact Report

International ab [intra] Festspielehaus, Kuopio City Theatre Łodź Grand Theatre Mercat de les Flors, Grec Festival

St Pölten, Austria Kuopio, Finland Łodź, Poland Barcelona, Spain

7 June 12–13 June 18–19 June 2–4 July

Lux Tenebris Kuopio Music Centre

Kuopio, Finland

14–15 June

Season One: Bonachela / Nankivell / Lane Roslyn Packer Theatre Walsh Bay Canberra Theatre Centre Arts Centre Melbourne West Gippsland Arts Centre Frankston Arts Centre The Capital Mildura Arts Centre Darwin Entertainment Centre Araluen Arts Centre, Middleback Arts Centre Adelaide Festival Centre Theatre Royal

Sydney, NSW Canberra, ACT Melbourne, VIC Warragul, VIC Frankston, VIC BendigoVIC Mildura, VIC Darwin, NT Alice Springs, NT Whyalla, SA Adelaide, SA Hobart, TAS

26 March–13 April 2–4 May 8–11 May 16 May 18 May 22 May 25 May 27 July 31 July 3 August 8–10 August 15–17 August

Season Two: Bonachela / Obarzanek Roslyn Packer Theatre Walsh Bay

Sydney, NSW

1–9 November

Season Three: New Breed Carriageworks

Sydney, NSW

28 Nov–7 Dec

PPY19 Revealed Carriageworks

Sydney, NSW

11–13 Dec

Finland 4 performances, 2 works

Sydney 39 performances, 13 works Canberra 3 performances, 3 works Melbourne 6 performances, 3 works Victoria 4 performances, 3 works Northern Territory 2 performances, 3 works South Australia 5 performances, 3 works Tasmania 4 performances, 3 works

National

Poland 2 performances, 1 work Austria 1 Performance, 1 Work

Spain 3 performances 1 work

2019 Impact Report

A Golden Year

“A reminder of how audiences and arts companies are in a constant dialogue, but also the cultural phenomenon of dance extending beyond what we see on stage. It’s central to our culture in ways we can’t fully understand.” Time Out Sydney For a contemporary dance company to reach the milestone of 50 years is a major achievement; Sydney Dance Company has existed almost as long as the artform itself, and has defined contemporary dance in Australia since its inception. Turning the big 5-Oh saw a series of special events in celebration. In February, the Company was deeply honoured to be hosted by the Governor-General, His Excellency General Sir Peter Cosgrove and Lady Cosgrove at Admiralty House at a reception for 90 guests. On a late-summer evening, Sydney Dance Company founder Suzanne Davidson (nee Musitz), former Artistic Director Graeme Murphy AO and his creative associate Janet Vernon AM, members of government, current and former Board Directors, and Sydney Dance Company staff gathered with the Governor-General and Lady Cosgrove to enjoy a cocktail reception and an elegant evening of celebration, a fitting tribute to the esteem in which the Company has been held over its illustrious history. In recognition of the Company’s long-held commitment to inclusion and diversity, a float bedecked in gold glitter was built for the Company’s first ever appearance in the annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade. Company dancers, staff, donors, board members and studio class participants donned gold lame shorts, picked up their pom-poms and marched down Oxford Street. A sight to treasure, with one truck, one drag-queen, two go-go dancers, and 80 dancers, Sydney Dance Company won the award for Best Choreography, curated by the incomparable Ramon Doringo, Dance Class Manager of Sydney Dance Company studios for the past three decades! Ramon’s inspiration for the 2019 Mardi Gras Parade choreography was a celebration of diversity through

dance. Ramon was one of the first people to be granted a residency visa on compassionate grounds through the Gay Immigration Task Force when he moved to Australia from the Philippines in the 1980s.

“My inspiration is the people – all the students who come to our classes, the Company dancers, the creative team, the administrative team and the people who support us. They are all included in the float. It’s been so rewarding to see them all dancing together and of course, to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Company by wearing gold! My idea of fun is dancing, inclusion, diversity and team work.” Ramon Doringo A specially commissioned project, 50 Years, 50 Memories was posted weekly on the Sydney Dance Company website across the year, and widely shared on social media. A series of moments and milestones across the years was captured and the posts jogged many memories for alumni, our community and audience members alike. It was delightful to hear personal stories from so many people. The choreographic year, celebrating the future of dance in Australia, culminated with the second season in Sydney. A double bill featured Rafael Bonachela’s early work for Sydney Dance Company, 6 Breaths and Us 50, an unique, once-in-a-lifetime work, choreographed by former Company dancer Gideon Obarzanek and paying tribute to the ephemeral way in which we experience and pass down contemporary dance.

“The history of Sydney Dance Company is embedded in the dancers’ bodies and the memories of audiences...the real detail and nuance of dance works – the movement, the style – has always been passed from one dancer to another.” Gideon Obarzanek

2019 Impact Report

Obarzanek explored this concept through a grand scale work which featured 10 alumni dancers who returned to the stage, some after many decades. From the cohorts of the 1970s, 80s, 90s, and 2000s, and ranging in age from 44–64, Bradley Chatfield, Kathryn Dunn, Lea Francis, Kip Gamblin, Stefan Karlson, Wakako Asano, Bill Pengelly, Linda Ridgeway Gamblin, Nina Veretennikova and Sheree Zellner returned to the rigours of the rehearsal studio and nightly performance. The current and alumni dancers were joined on stage each night by 25 members of the audience, who were instructed in the choreography by Rehearsal Associate Charmene Yap, whose dulcet tones and clear instructions came through hidden ear-pieces. With almost 250 participants across the season, the youngest in their early teens and the oldest in their 80s, this was a unique production and a glorious celebration of the dance community.

was the first time see contemporary dance live and it was wonderful to see the growth in their understanding of dance.” And as a student said “Loved it! Can we go again next year?” Sydney Dance Company commissioned a celebratory film, documenting the Company’s onstage history, which was screened at the top of each performance during Season Two. Created from footage shot over the decades by Pedro Greig, who has filmed all of the Bonachela-era performances, and Graeme Murphy’s long-term collaborator, filmmaker Philippe Charluet, the 8-minute film, 50 Years of Defining Contemporary Dance featured many of Murphy and Bonachela’s most renowned and critically acclaimed works. This film drew gasps of delight each night as audiences remembered favourite works and dancers and appreciated the depth of the creative legacy that Sydney Dance Company has had on Australian culture over the last five decades.

“I can’t even begin to describe to you the impact this had on those who participated. The energy of cultural exchange, history, memory and physical presence was so strong... It felt GREAT.” Us 50 audience participant The Naomi Milgrom Foundation generously supported the creation of Us 50 as the inaugural Artistic Director’s Commissioning Partner and gave additional support for a complementary education project which saw 440 school students participate in workshops and attend school matinees. In an unforgettable experience, 50 students took on the roles of audience participants in both school matinees, and performed on stage with the alumni and Company dancers. The feedback from teachers and students was heartening. A teacher reported that “Students that I teach are in an Intensive English Centre and most are from refugee backgrounds. As such these students have often had trauma in their lives and not much opportunity to visit the theatre and see live performance. For many this

2019 Impact Report

Wharf Renewal

2019 Impact Report

Nestled under the Harbour Bridge, Pier 4 has been our home since 1985. A unique space hewn from Sydney’s industrial heritage, our studios have been home to generations of renowned dancers and the foundation of performances that have brought worldwide acclaim for Australian culture. Over that time we have taught hundreds of thousands of people to dance in our studios. The quirky, creaky, historic Wharf has become synonymous with Sydney Dance Company. Our vision for the future sees Sydney Dance Company cement its position as one of the world’s leading contemporary dance companies, expanding our reach and inspiring Australians’ love of dance. We will commission and create more new work. We will enhance our development program for young choreographers. We will deepen our engagement in the communities of Australia. We will reach more young people and nurture the talent of the future. We will train more extraordinary dancers and we will be a national and global home for contemporary dance. We have made a promise for the future to perform at our peak, to inspire and educate and to share dance with everyone. In 2019, we continued on our pathway to achieving our vision, with work well and truly underway at the Wharf. Our harbour-side home is being transformed as part of a unique cultural district, an iconic waterfront destination for both the city and the nation, cementing Sydney’s reputation as an innovative, dynamic and creative city and drawing in local, national and global audiences. As one of the longest tenured residents, we are playing a pivotal role in this incredibly exciting project. The rejuvenation of our home at the Wharf will provide significant upgrades to our four rehearsal studios with new sprung floors, new acoustic treatments, new heating and cooling systems and improved customer amenities. A brand new fifth Studio will be unique, purpose-built and overlooking Sydney Harbour Bridge; a multi-purpose space for artistic endeavour and community outreach with a retractable seating bank for intimate showings and small-scale performances, complete with its own entrance and foyer space. A new sixth Studio will be a flexible space suitable for

corporate meetings, small dance classes and rehearsals and streaming virtual classes to the world. The new wellness Studio will allow dancers and the public alike to undertake specialist Pilates and yoga training and a new recovery and treatment room will ensure our dancers receive the best care available. The reconfigured café space will be opened up to the magnificent location and provide a buzzing meeting spot for the neighbourhood. Sydney Dance Company spent 2019 operating from temporary studios at Ultimo as work continues on the Wharf and whilst we love our temporary home, we are very much looking forward to getting back to Walsh Bay where our hearts lie, being able to spread our wings and stretch ourselves with new initiatives. Our sincere thanks go to the NSW Government for their visionary support of the Walsh Bay precinct redevelopment. They are investing not just in Sydney Dance Company, but in all of the co-located performing arts companies and the thousands of people who attend their classes and performances. We also want to thank each and every one of our Capital Campaign donors for their belief in our vision for a future for Sydney Dance Company.

2019 Impact Report

Training the Future “It’s an edgy picture … invigorating to watch because of the vitality, commitment and skill of the dancers.” The Sydney Morning Herald

Orfeo ed Euridice, Leah Marojevic’s Homage, The Consumerist Spectacle by Vicki Van Hout and an excerpt from Rafael Bonachela’s Lux Tenebris. PPY19 Revealed was generously supported by Hermès Australia.

2019 marked the sixth year of Sydney Dance Company’s Pre-Professional Year program and the “It has been a delight to be involved in the strength, skill and maturity of the graduating ensemble creative growth of these amazing dancers was a testament to the way the course has developed over the past year and I am overjoyed to see and flourished since its inception. It has become a them performing an excerpt from my own critical element of the advanced training and education work, Lux Tenebris; they really have brought it programs at Sydney Dance Company and a unique, yet integral part of the dance training ecology in Australia. to life!” Rafael Bonachela. The 2019 PPY ensemble consisted of 26 dancers, who worked with 29 Australian-based Earlier in the year PPY participated in the guest teachers and choreographers, as well as seven creation of Sydney Dance Company commissioned international guest choreographers from across the globe: dance-film project On The Edge, directed by Greece, Israel, U.K, Canada, Spain and Belgium. Four choreographer and film-maker Sue Healey. The weekof the 2019 cohort were supported in their studies by long dance film project concluded with a shoot day scholarships from Stephen and Julie Fitzgerald, the Doug at Leura, in the Blue Mountains, where the dancers Hall Foundation, the Wales Family Foundation and Mary interacted with the breath-taking landscapes. Zuber. The Hepzibah Artist Development Program, which The well-established relationship with supports the next generation of Australian artists, helped NAISDA Dance College continued in 2019, with two to ensure that professional development opportunities days of workshops and a mock audition experience for were afforded to both emerging, visiting choreographers the students. Force Majeure Artistic Director Danielle and creatives and the PPY dancers themselves. Micich and independent choreographer Victoria Hunt PPY19 dancers studied for Advanced led the workshops. The collaboration concluded with Diplomas and Diplomas of Dance. Key body practices PPY students traveling to NAISDA in Wyong where they exercised by the young dancers included Yoga and learned dances unique to indigenous culture with the mindfulness with Jolie Brook; Pilates with Ingrid Shaw; NAISDA cohort. Ballet mechanics and functionally efficient movement In a step away from the physical, the dancers with Head of Training Linda Gamblin and Company were taught by former Company Dancer and renowned Exercise Physiologist Annie Jefferies; injury prevention educator Shane Carroll in the skills required for project and safe practice with Company Physiotherapist proposals for fundraising and grant applications. The Ashley-Mary Cohen; resilience and self-care lectures dancers created their own mock funding project which and workshops with ‘Balance’ EAP psychologist Sallie they presented and discussed in the studio in front of Grey; and conscious and safe movement with Course industry guests in order to simulate the experience. Coordinator Omer Backley-Astrachan. Overall, the calibre of dancers emerging Through the course ethos of collaborating in from PPY continues to rise and their post-training career a co-creative environment, the dancers navigated their trajectories continue to impress. Telea Jensen graduated way through 2019 with curiosity and intrigue, culminating from PPY 2019 in the knowledge that she would be in a successful PPY19 Revealed season; a quadruple-bill joining the Sydney Dance Company ensemble as the performed over three performances at Carriageworks in company trainee for 2020. December. The season included Idan Cohen’s

2019 Impact Report

“The transformation I’ve experienced this year has been incredible.” Telea Jensen (PPY 2019) 2019 Impact Report

PPY19 Revealed

2019 Impact Report

Orfeo ed Euridice Choreographer

Idan Cohen

Music

Orfeo ed Eurydice Overture Orfeo and Eurydice Coro Act 1 and Scene 1 C.W Gluck

Lighting Designer

Alexander Berlage

Costume Designer

Fiona Holley

A Prequel Journey

Me-Lee Hay

Homage Concept and Direction Leah MarojeviÄ&#x2021; Sound Designer

Samir John Kennedy

Lighting Designer

Alexander Berlage

Costume Designer

Fiona Holley and dancer

The Consumerist Spectacle Choreographer

Vicki Van Hout in collaboration with the performers

Concept and Direction

Vicki Van Hout

Sound Designer

Phil Downing

Music

Siobhan Lynch, Soleil Harvey and Vicki Van Hout

Text

Vicki Van Hout Opal Russell

Wiradjuri Language Translation

Henrietta Baird and Vicki van Hout

Recorded Narrative Narration

Imogen Chen

Lighting Designer

Alexander Berlage

Costume Designer

Fiona Holley

Lux Tenebris Choreographer

Rafael Bonachela

Composer

Nick Wales

Costume Designer

Alesia Jelbart

Lighting Designer

Alexander Berlage

2019 Impact Report

Our Community

2019 Impact Report

As Australia’s pre-eminent contemporary dance company, Sydney Dance Company’s role in fostering excellence and the next generation of talent is imperative. 2019 was no exception. The Wattle Street studios were busy across the year with a number of youth and education programs including two exciting firsts; the inaugural Sydney Dance Company Youth Ensemble and the launch of the Sydney Dance Company affiliated McDonald College Senior Contemporary Dance Program. 2019 also saw two professional intensives for emerging and professional dancers, in April and December. Across the year, 17 tertiary students from across Australia took part in secondments at Sydney Dance Company. The popular program of school matinees ran across both main seasons, and a busy program of school holiday workshops saw the studios filled with excited young dancers. The Make Your Move Program provided access to dance for those with limited mobility, and the ever-popular public dance classes saw almost 80,000 attendances. Over the last thirty-plus years, these public dance classes have been embedded in the hearts of Sydney’s dance enthusiasts and avid exercisers alike. McDonald College Working in partnership is integral to the success of Sydney Dance Company’s community outreach and the Senior Contemporary Dance Programme affiliated with McDonald College, enabled students in Years 10-12 to engage in all aspects of Contemporary Dance training, combined with academic studies for the NSW Higher School Certificate. Throughout the year the students worked on development of their technical skills and artistry, taught by an array of teachers, choreographers and educators from Sydney Dance Company’s teaching faculty. The training was geared towards preparing students for multiple career trajectories including employment in a full-time dance company, working as an independent dancer, choreographer, director, dance educator, or as an integral collaborator in any creative environment. The students came from various states, locations and dance backgrounds but throughout the course of the year learned to operate as a cohesive collective of sharp minds and dancing bodies. The Senior Contemporary Dance Program dancers concluded their year with a High Performance Season at NIDA’s Parade Theatre on 20 October. Cass Mortimer Eipper (ex-Company dancer) and Lucas Jervies both choreographed a work, and the dancers performed an excerpt of Rafael Bonachela’s Lux Tenebris. Of the eight dancers in the Senior Contemporary Dance Program in 2019, five were in year 12 and successfully completed their HSC; one of those students went on to join the cohort of Sydney Dance Company’s PPY 2020.

Youth Ensemble The launch of the inaugural Youth Ensemble was a huge success. Working in conjunction with regular studio training, this three-term program provided 24 young dancers creative expression, technical development and a unique opportunity to learn contemporary repertoire from industry specialists from Sydney Dance Company’s teaching faculty. Successful course applicants travelled from all over regional NSW to participate with a handful travelling considerable distances from Coolamon, Glenbrook, Mt Rankin, Glen Alpine and Thiroul. With a focus on technique, conditioning, improvisation, choreography and artistry, the Youth Ensemble dancers were afforded the opportunity to further develop their contemporary and allied dance techniques, create and explore their own movement, and learn and rehearse contemporary dance choreography in a professional context. Informed by Sydney Dance Company’s innovative approach to dance education, this program offered the dancers an insight into their identity as artists, what the world of professional contemporary dance is like and gave them a chance to further hone their skills. The Youth Ensemble also supported those studying HSC Dance in school. School Matinees, Workshops and Holiday Workshops A highlight of our education program is always the ever-popular school matinee program. This year we performed for 4,321 upper primary and secondary school students in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and for the first time, Hobart. The Season Two matinees in Sydney were extra special as students were able to actively participate in the performance of Us 50. Alongside our matinee program we also worked with students in almost 300 workshops, delivered across the country. We worked with Hiphopportunities for Youth in Bendigo, and travelled to schools from inner Sydney to Whyalla in South Australia and Dance Studios in Alice Springs.

2019 Impact Report

More than 12,000 children enjoyed the transformative power of dance in 2019. In addition to these activities, 1,780 budding young dancers who wanted to extend their skills, experience life in our studios and work with a whole range of teachers across disciplines, participated in school holiday intensives.

“I’ve been coming for four years, since I was in Year Three. I really like how I can be challenged here in these workshops. I think it’s the atmosphere and how all the teachers are amazing choreographers. I just love the feeling of the whole thing.” Workshop participant Samantha. Youth Intensive Another first for 2019 was the Winter Youth Intensive which ran for the first time during the holidays with 10 dancers participating in the week-long program. Participants learned from current Company dancer Juliette Barton as well as Lucas Jervies and PPY graduate Eliza Cooper. The week culminated in an informal showing and feedback from the participants was overwhelmingly positive. One dancer from this week went on to successfully audition for PPY 2020. Professional Intensive Providing pathways for emerging and professional dancers into the industry is a critical part of our continuum of dance training. 2019 was the first year we ran two Professional Intensives. The first was held in April and was attended by 23 dancers from across the globe including the UK, USA, New Zealand and Japan, as well as from all over Australia and included two NAISDA scholarship recipients. One of the participants, Coco Wood, was in her final year at Rambert Dance School in London at the time and her personal experience over the week was really positive, commenting that she felt “comfortable trying new things. There’s no judgement, and that has been very apparent throughout the whole week with all the teachers, students, staff, dancers. It’s been a really good learning environment.” When asked about her future aspirations Coco revealed that she “would love to do a pre-professional program [at SDC] or get a trainee position in the company.” She has since returned home to Australia from London to join the 2020 PPY cohort. December’s Summer Professional Intensive saw 18 dancers take part, hailing from New York, Singapore, New Zealand and the UK, as well as Australia. The timing of this program allowed New Breed choreographer Josh Mu to teach, further extending the professional development opportunities offered by

the New Breed program. Cass Mortimer Eipper (former Company dancer) and Charmene Yap (Rehearsal Associate) also led workshops with the young dancers. Public Dance Classes. Like the Wharf Studios, our temporary home in Wattle Street buzzes seven days a week as dancers of all ages and capabilities attend class. In 2019, 78,247 classes were taken in a range of styles including Contemporary, Ballet, Jazz, Theatre Jazz, Tap, Yoga, Pilates, Stretch, Lyrical, Latin Funk, Hip Hop, JFH; and at a range of levels from introductory course to advanced.

“I enjoy the family culture the most. Teachers, administration staff and students are all extremely friendly. Some of them have been with Sydney Dance Company for a few decades, and many people recognise Sydney Dance Company as their “special place”. I also love the strong focus on dance technique training. The teachers are knowledgeable and willing to continually invest in the students." Classes Member, 2019 Make Your Move The Make Your Move program was first established in 2017, designed as a series of creative workshops for people with mobility restrictions to participate in contemporary dance. Created to enhance skills and confidence in movement, and build strength, the program also gives participants the chance to creatively explore some of the ideas that inspire Sydney Dance Company’s productions. Led by an experienced dance teacher, these classes start with a gentle warm up and stretch, usually from a seated position. Make Your Move, designed to allow those with mobility issues and their carers to dance together, was delivered in 2019 by Sydney Dance Company teacher Shane Carroll, across six sessions to participants at the Seniors Social Hub at Wesley Mission Fairfield.

2019 Impact Report

Your Impact

Our family of philanthropic donors and supporters is instrumental to so many elements of our work, from supporting the commissioning of new work, to taking the Company on the road and underpinning many of our education and outreach activities. With philanthropic and sponsorship income representing 37.5% of Sydney Dance Company’s revenue in 2019, the role of our donor and supporter community is critical to our success. We welcomed the significant support of a number of grant-making trusts in 2019, including the Neilson Foundation, Naomi Milgrom Foundation, Thyne Reid Foundation, The Balnaves Foundation, Crown Resorts Foundation, Packer Family Foundation and Nelson Meers Foundation. Their collective commitment to the growth and development of Sydney Dance Company, through their support of a range of major programs, is transformational. In 2019, in celebration of the 50th Anniversary, we welcomed two new cohorts of supporters to our donor family, the Dancers’ Circle and Contemporary Women Supporting Dance, with launch events hosted by Board Member Catriona Mordant AM (Dancers’ Circle) and supporter Sue Cato (CWSD).

Dancers’ Circle Our dancers are the heart of our Company. Without their extraordinary talent, drive and artistry, there is no Sydney Dance Company. We are proud of the care and support we provide for all our dancers to maintain peak physical and mental condition and to ensure they can work at the highest level of performance. The Dancers’ Circle directly supports the growth and development of the ensemble, enabling pathways for their time with the Company and beyond as they look to a career beyond the stage. Contemporary Women Supporting Dance Sydney Dance Company has a proud history of supporting and providing career opportunities for female artists at all levels, including choreographers, dancers in the ensemble, creatives and women in leadership roles. We have also nurtured, fostered and launched the careers of many female dancers over the last five decades. In 2019, we launched the Contemporary Women Supporting Dance group, giving more than 20 women the opportunity to contribute to the success of the remarkable women of Sydney Dance Company whilst networking with colleagues. Dance Noir - Decadance

“With a theme of Pop Couture, the evening’s celebrations, dubbed ‘10 Years of Decadance’, gathered a 500-person strong guest list with the promise of a dance-filled evening they wouldn’t soon forget” VOGUE Australia

2019 Impact Report

Celebrating a decade of Dance Noir and five decades of Sydney Dance Company, Decadance was always going to be the party of the (half) century. With a fittingly glamorous dress code of Pop Couture, a record 540 guests danced the night away at the Hordern Pavilion. Our Dance Noir guests never fail to impress with their fashion, with red-carpet arrivals from Ab Fab’s Patsy, to a gold-coned Madonna and a resurrected JFK and Jacki Onassis! A stunning pair of Jan Logan earrings were up for grabs as the annual raffle prize, whilst major live auction prizes included trips to the Mediterranean, Mexico, LA and Bordeaux, alongside a luxury cocktail cruise and Marchetti S211 Jet flights. This was the Company’s most successful annual fundraiser to date raising a record amount over $700,000, through over 100 auction prizes and live pledging. The Dance Noir Committee, chaired by Board Director Pam Bartlett and Creative Producer Peter Reeve excelled this year. Their incredible dedication, commitment and sheer hard work made sure Dance Noir was a blistering success, and that fundraising to support Sydney Dance Company’s work in creating and sharing contemporary dance across Australia was the talk of the town. Onstage, our dancers surpassed themselves. Always the highlight of the evening, this year’s performances included a spectacular homage to Marilyn Monroe, the stunning duet from ab [intra], a footstomping and floor-shaking excerpt from WOOF and a neon-lit finale, to Rozalla’s iconic anthem Everybody’s Free, featuring the legendary drag artiste Adelaide Travellodge (a spectacular return to the Dance Noir stage by

former Company dancer Kevin Chen). The dance floor opened to all with guests flooding the stage to party into the early hours, with dancers, guests and Committee Members celebrating what was an incredibly successful and enjoyable night. Fundraising Dinners Fundraising dinners are a cornerstone of Sydney Dance Company’s philanthropic calendar and in 2019, Board Member Carla Zampatti AC once again hosted a sumptuous evening in her home to raise funds for the commissioning of Season One’s program. More than 60 guests were joined by Sydney Dance Company’s creative team, choreographer Melanie Lane, lighting designer Damien Cooper and costume designer Bianca Spender. The evening raised $170,000 in support of the creation of new work. 2019 also saw the tenth anniversary of the annual Touring Fund dinner, held in one of Sydney’s favourite restaurants, Buon Ricordo. Founders Armando Percuoco and Gemma Cunningham joined 50 guests and host, former Executive Director Noel Staunton to raise over $100,000 in support of 2019’s extensive touring schedule. Rehearsal Events The intimacy of joining Rafael and the dancers in the studio to share in the creative process is a favourite activity amongst Sydney Dance Company’s donor family and in 2019, the Philanthropy team hosted 229 guests at 8 events, all of whom enjoyed a behind-the-scenes view of the making of new work, with insights from both Rafael and the dancers.

2019 Impact Report

Thank You!

Sydney Dance Company would like to thank all our 2019 Partners for their generous support and acknowledge those who have given anonymously. Our Partners make it possible for us to create and present new work, inspire future generations of dancers and audiences, extend our reach and plan for the future. We couldn’t do it without you! Platinum Partners A special thank you to our Platinum Partners for their enduring commitment and passion for Sydney Dance Company. Robert Albert AO and Elizabeth Albert, The Balnaves Foundation, Crown Resorts Foundation, Julian Knights AO and Lizanne Knights, Jules Maxwell, Naomi Milgrom Foundation, Naomi Milgrom AO, Andrew Messenger, The Neilson Foundation, Judith Neilson AM, Packer Family Foundation, Gretel Packer, Thyne Reid Foundation, The Wales Family Foundation, Carla Zampatti Foundation, Mary Zuber Take a Step Campaign We would like to thank the following Partners for their visionary support of our Take a Step Campaign to secure the next 50 years of Sydney Dance Company, transforming our physical space and underpinning our creativity. NSW Government, The Neilson Foundation, The Wales Family Foundation, Jane and Andrew Clifford, Catriona Mordant AM and Simon Mordant AM, Carla Zampatti AC, Julian Knights AO and Lizanne Knights Pam and Doug Bartlett, Kiera Grant and Mark Tallis, Mark Hassell, The Alexandra and Lloyd Martin Family Foundation, Karen Moses, Emma-Jane Newton and Chris Paxton, Thyne Reid Foundation, Mary Zuber Peter and Liz Brownie, Paul Brady and Christine Yip, Brett Clegg and Annabel Hepworth, Cullman Family Fund, Jane and Richard Freudenstein, David Mathlin, In memory of Nola McCullagh, Ezekiel Solomon AM, Judi Wolf and Alden Toevs Rafael Bonachela and Joe Lawler, Michelle and Logan Boyle, Jillian Broadbent AC and Olev Rahn, Janice and Tony Burke, Zoë Cobden-Jewitt and Peter Jewitt , Debbie Coffey, Alexandra Considine, Jade and Richard Coppleson, Anne Dunn and Patricia Buick, Donna and Carl Jackson, Tina and Mark Johnson, Longreach Ownership Trust, Macquarie Group Foundation, Rohan Morris, Lizzi Nicoll, Nick Read, Margaret Payn,

Peter Reeve and Jaycen Fletcher, Chrissy Sharp and Michael Lynch, Leslie Stern, Victoria Taylor, Susan Wynne Dancers’ Circle To celebrate our 50th anniversary, we are proud to have launched the Dancers’ Circle, which directly supports the growth and development of our ensemble of dancers, enabling pathways for their time with the Company and beyond. Patron: Julian Knights AO Kyril Agnew, Paul Brady and Christine Yip, Janice and Tony Burke, Brett Clegg and Annabel Hepworth, The Hansen Family, Julian Knights AO and Lizanne Knights, In memory of Nola McCullagh, Lorraine Tarabay and Nick Langley, Mary Zuber 2019 Pre-Professional Year Stephen and Julie Fitzgerald Scholarship, Doug Hall Foundation Scholarship, The Wales Family Foundation Scholarship, Mary Zuber Scholarship, The Hephzibah Artist Development Program Contemporary Women Supporting Dance Established in 2019, our Contemporary Women Supporting Dance initiative supports opportunities for female artists, both dancers and creative collaborators, whose incredible talent is integral to the realisation of our artistic vision. Hayley Baillie, Larissa Behrendt, Angela BelgiornoZegna, Sue Cato, Rochelle Collis, Tanya Diesel, Belinda Gibson, Emma Gray, Louise Herron AM, Belinda Hutchinson AM, Virginia Judge, Katie Lahey AM, Carol Lewis, In memory of Nola McCullagh, Annabelle Mooney, Emma-Jane Newton, Matina Papathanasiou, Sarah Rennie, Julia Ritchie, Alenka Tindale, Karin Upton-Baker Bequests The Estate of C.R. Adamson The Estate of Patricia Cameron-Stewart The Estate of Janet Fischer The Estate of Patricia Leehy The Estate of Peggy Watson (Raczkowska)

2019 Impact Report

Annual Partner Program 2019

Performance Partners $20,000+ Manuela Darling-Gansser and Michael Darling, Tim Fairfax AC, Andrew and Emma Gray, David and Fiona Hancock, Susan Maple-Brown AM and the late Robert, Maple-Brown AO, Beau Neilson, Emma-Jane Newton and Chris Paxton Studio Partners $10,000+ Kyril Agnew, Pam and Doug Bartlett, Paul Brady and Christine Yip, Jillian Broadbent AC and Olev Rahn, Janice and Tony Burke, Sue Cato and Vaughan Busby, Brett Clegg and Annabel Hepworth, Jane and Andrew Clifford, Cullman Family Fund, Ian Galloway and Linda Treadwell, Kiera Grant, John Griffiths and Beth Jackson, The John and Frances Ingham Foundation, Sarah and Robby Ingham, Memocorp Australia Pty Ltd, Karen Moses, Erin Ostadal and the late Billy Ostadal, John Prescott AC and Jennifer Prescott, Ruth Ritchie Family Fund, Warryn and Kellie Robertson, Dick and Pip Smith, Bianca Spender and Sam McGuiness, Turner, Barbara Wilby and Christopher Joyce, Yang Yang Duet Partners $5,000+ Aidan and Aleks Allen, Aniek Baten, Karola Brent and Tim Reed, Burquest Family, Hilary Burton and Craig Goodmnan, Andrew Cameron AM and Cathy Cameron, Dr Michelle Deaker, Susie Dickson and Martin Dickson AM, Mike Dixon and Dr Dee de Bruyn, Suellen and Ron Enestrom, James and Jacqui Erskine, Kay Freedman and the late Ian Wallace, Margaret Gibbs, Kathryn Greiner AO, Mark Hassell, Linda Herd, Fraser Hopkins, Tina and Mark Johnson, John Kaldor AO, Jarrod and Kate Key, Susie Manfred and Hunter McPherson, Alexandra Martin in memory of Lloyd Martin AM, Carina Martin, David Mathlin and Camilla Drover, Mr and Mrs McCullagh, In memory of Nola McCullagh, Catriona Mordant AM and Simon Mordant AM, Paris Neilson and Todd Buncombe, Roslyn Packer AC, peckvonhartel architects, Rebel Penfold-Russell OAM, Peter Reeve and Jaycen Fletcher, The Rossi Foundation, Penelope Seidler AM, Peter and Victoria Shorthouse, Leslie Stern, Victoria Taylor, Alenka Tindale, Cynthia Whelan, Ray Wilson OAM, Judi Wolf and Alden Toevs, Adam Worling Public Relations

Head, Amanda Heckes, Hue-Williams Family, Allen Iu and Bernadette Walker, Gabrielle Iwanow, David Jonas and Desmon Du Plessis, Tony Jones, Elias and Jana Juanas, Les Kennedy, David and Jacqueline Lindberg, Andrew and Del McGuiness, Dr Gary Nicholls and Niall Barlow, Susan Perrin-Kirby, CA Scala and DB Studdy, Ezekiel Solomon AM, Allegra Spender and Mark Capps, Vanepe Pty Ltd, David and Katrina Williams Rehearsal Partners $1,000+ Janet Abernethy and Richard Willis, Lenore Adamson and The late Ross Adamson, Antoinette Albert, Catherine and Nigel Allfrey, Ian Belgiorno-Zegna, Steve Bennett, Maxine Brenner, Sally Burleigh, Jacqui Burton, Grant Chamberlain and Jacqueline Scott, John and Libby Clayton, Rob Coombe, Judy Crawford, Susanne de Ferranti, Helen Forrester, Julie Godfrey and Steve Lang, Amber Gooley, Ben Harlow, Michael Harvey and Jacqui Galbraith, Cheryl Hatch, Terry Kaljo, Josephine Key and Ian Breden, Margaret Kelly, Joanne Killen, Marina and Richard Leong, Tanja Liedtke Endowment, Christina Ludwigson, Jane McCallum, Carol Mills, Clare Munnelly, Dr Lisa O'Brien, Gordon Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Neill and Davina Withers, Tony O'Regan, K Palghat, Greeba Pritchard, Kate Richardson and Chris Marrable, Stuart Thomas, Mike Thompson, Sylvia Tooth, Sherlock Wealth, Chris and Sonya Wirasinha, John and Gay Woods, Di Yeldham Ensemble Partners $250 - $999 Dr Cynthia a Beckett and Gordon Smith, Pamela Bailey John Barrer, Bill and Marissa Best, Ted Blamey, Matthew Blampey, Bodycentric, Sarah Brasch, Kerrie Cai, Judith Campbell, Min Li Chong, Bruce Cutler AO and Margaret Cutler, Tanya Diesel, Marilyn Anne Forbes, James Gribble, Josie Gurney, Rachael Haggett, Jane-Maree Hurley, Nabeel and Marian Ibrahim, Robert Kidd, Skye Leckie OAM, Andrew and Charlotte Lennox, Doreen and Phillip Marsh, Connie Mckeage, Ruth, McLelland, Dr Clinton Ng, Simon Oaten, Stephen O'Rourke, Graham and Karen Paxton, Dr Natalie Pelham, Mark and Jennifer Royle, Norman R Scott, Natasha Shah, James Sharp and Karl May, Jann Skinner, Jan Sundell OAM, Guy Thompson, Christine Thomson, Monica Zhao

Dance Partners $2,000+ ADFAS Sydney, Ralph Ashton, Hayley and James Baillie, Paul Bedbrook, Berg Family Foundation, John and Susan Blue, Cheryl M Brennan, Phillip and Catherine Brenner, Jane Bridge, Peter Chadwick, Janine Collins, Natalie Devlin, Paul R. Espie, Annalise Fairfax, Steve and Emma Fouracre, Belinda Gibson, Girgensohn Foundation, Bradford Gorman and Dean Fontana, John

2019 Impact Report

Our Performance

Across 2019 Sydney Dance Company operated out of temporary studios in Ultimo as work continued on the redevelopment of its permanent home in Walsh Bay. Despite this disruption, Sydney Dance Company delivered 73 performances reaching an audience of over 38,600 people and a further 78,200 attendees to its open class program and over 12,000 young people engaged through the school performance and workshops programs. The Pre-Professional Year (PPY) delivered its 6th cohort of graduating students and the program continues to go from strength to strength. 2019 was Sydney Dance Company’s 50th anniversary year and the Company delivered a diverse program of activities both on stage and off. Across the year Sydney Dance Company commissioned 10 new works, accompanied by 7 new music commissions. The Company produced a short film celebrating the history of the company and commissioned a web series called 50 Years, 50 Memories recalling anecdotes and moments from across the Company’s history. In addition to performances in Sydney, the company delivered an International tour taking in Poland, Austria, Finland and Spain and a national tour taking in Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart, Adelaide and Darwin as well as regional centers in Victoria, South Australia and the Northern Territory. Across the year Sydney Dance Company employed 154 staff and contractors, with 73% of them being artists or production workers. We maintained a full-time ensemble of 17 dancers and employed an additional 10 alumni dancers from across the company’s five decades. The financial accounts for 2019 show a surplus result of $825,139 and total revenue of $11,965,879. This healthy surplus is a result of the increase in development income for the Capital Campaign. As Sydney Dance Company moves forward with detailed plans for the building works, the challenges of working in temporary locations spread across three sites are being effectively managed and the company is looking forward to returning to Walsh Bay in late 2020. The annual surplus consists of an operating surplus of $10,850, calculated after funding the $744,139 impact-of-disruption costs on the base operating deficit result of -$733,289. The aforementioned impact-of-disruption costs are funded from the Infrastructure Project gross surplus of $1,558,428, leaving an Infrastructure Project net surplus of $814,289. Total income for the period is $11,965,879. This amount is made up of operational income of $10,227,488 and Infrastructure related income of $1,738,391 from donations. Expenses for the year total

$11,140,740. This consists of $10,960,777 of operational expenses and $179,963 of Infrastructure Project related expenses. The surplus for the year ended 31 December 2019 was $825,139 (2018: $253, 261). There were no significant changes in the state of affairs of the Company during the year. Since the reporting period close of December 31 2019, the global pandemic Covid-19 has triggered Government directives to close theatres and studios, and this has had a material impact in the operations of the company since March 2020. It is currently too soon to accurately predict the full impact of this global pandemic on the Company’s finances or operations. The Company has taken steps to mitigate this impact by pivoting to digital delivery of its open classes and education activity as well as increase its online presence. The Australian and NSW Governments have also each introduced measures to mitigate impacts and these measures have assisted the Company’s going concern position in 2020.

2019 Impact Report

Performances Sydney Canberra Melbourne Other State Capital Cities NSW Regional Australia Regional excl. NSW International

2019 2018 39 37 3 6 6 6 9 6 - 4 9 8 10 17

Total Performances

Paid Audiences Sydney Melbourne Darwin Hobart Adelaide NSW Regional Australia Regional excl. NSW International Total Paid Audience

2019 2018 15,039 15, 304 3,158 2, 771 357 346 1,465 2,017 - 1,308 1,915 3,528 7,390 18,600 32,698 43,402

Unpaid Audience*

5,934

6,056

38,632

49,458

4 10 7 11

4 9 9 13

7 4,321 257 6,203 24 78,247 1.050 128,239

4 3,176 275 7,072 26 78,918 1,371 141,242

$ 11,965,879 $ 11,140,740 $ 825,139

$ 12,462,133 $ 12,208,872 $ 253, 261

Total Audience Number of seasons presented in Sydney Number of new dances commissions Number of new music commissions Number of different works in repertoire during the year Education & Outreach Number of School Matinees Attendance at School Matinees Number of Workshops, Masterclasses and In-school Performances Attendance at Workshops, Masterclasses and In-school Performances Graduation Pre-Professional Year Students Attendance in Open Dance Classes and courses Attendance at School Holiday Workshops Reach of SDC related live activities Financial Results Income Expenses Surplus *Includes sponsor and other complimentary tickets

2019 Impact Report

Sydney Dance Company 2019

Board of Directors Brett Clegg (Chair) Pamela Bartlett David Baxby (appointed 12/8/19) Jillian Broadbent AC Peter Brownie (resigned 03/06/19) David Friedlander (appointed 14/10/19) Kiera Grant (resigned 02/12/19) Mark Hassell Sandra McCullagh (appointed 12/8/19) Catriona Mordant AM Karen Moses (Chair - resigned 12/8/19) Beau Neilson (resigned 29/4/19) Paris Neilson (appointed 12/8/19) Emma-Jane Newton Chrissy Sharp Carla Zampatti AC International Patron Dame Darcey Bussell DBE Founding Patron Dancersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Circle Julian Knights AO Ambassadors Judy Crawford Bee Hopkins Jules Maxwell Dance Noir Committee Co-Chairs: Pam Bartlett and Peter Reeve Committee: Sally Burleigh, Jane Clifford, Debbie Coffey, Vitek Czernuszyn, Georgina Fergusson, Alexa Haslingden, Donna Jackson, Tina Johnson, Terry Kaljo, Jan Logan, Jane McCallum, Christina Voitenko, Michelle Walsh and Judi Wolf.

Management Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela Executive Director Anne Dunn Deputy Executive Director Lizzi Nicoll (from August 2019) Chief Financial Officer Sean Radcliffe Chief Commercial Officer Caroline Spence Executive Assistant Andy Grant Producer Dominic Chang Programming Coordinator Kerry Thampapillai Accountant Melissa Sim Payroll Assistant Carina Mision Susan Bowmer (Maternity Cover) Finance Advisor Amanda Descoeudres Project Manager Nick Read Development Director ZoĂŤ Cobden-Jewitt (until August 2019) Head of Philanthropy Michelle Boyle Annual Giving Manager Sonia Grebenshikoff (until July 2019) Philanthropy Coordinator Heloise Cahill Philanthropy Assistant Anya Platoskina Corporate Development Manager Alex Bellemore Corporate Partnerships and Events Executive Lachlan Bell Philanthropy Associate Carina Martin

2019 Impact Report

Head of CRM & Ticketing Heath Wilder Ticketing Specialist John Calvi Head of Marketing Zena Morellini Digital Marketing Coordinator Anne Brito (until August 2019) Daniel Azzopardi (from October 2019) Marketing Coordinator Adrienne Salmon Marketing & Publicity Assistant Amelia Zhou (until September 2019) Laura Wong (from October 2019) Publicity Manager Alexandra Barlow Resident Multimedia Artist Pedro Greig Head of Open Programs Polly Brett Dance Class Manager Ramon Doringo Schools and Community Coordinator Emma Powell-El Gammal Jacob Williams (Maternity Cover) Head of Training Linda Gamblin Pre-Professional Year Course Coordinator Omer Backley-Astrachan Learning Manager Sam Dashwood Customer Service Assistant Alys Gwillim Education Strategic Advisor Helen Cameron Technical Director Guy Harding Stage Manager Simon Turner Production Technicians Tony McCoy James Lister Head Mechanist John Shedden (until May 2019) Head of Wardrobe Annie Robinson

The Company Rehearsal Director Chris Aubrey Rehearsal Associate Charmene Yap (from August 2019) Dancers Juliette Barton (Maternity Leave until August 2019)) Alex Borg (Trainee) Ariella Casu Davide Di Giovanni Holly Doyle Janessa Dufty Dean Elliott Riley Fitzgerald Jacopo Grabar Liam Green Luke Hayward Dimitri Kleioris Chloe Leong Jesse Scales Emily Seymour Mia Thompson Charmene Yap (until July 2019) Chloe Young Victor Zarallo

Teacher Reference Group Carley Bugeja Katrina Cluff Adelaide Eastley Joanne Gilmour Allie Gunton Rebecca James Ebony Keys Carly Olander Jacqueline Saunders David Sheridan Jennifer Turner Education Advisory Group Helen Cameron Lesley Graham Julie Dyson Ruth Osborne Susan Rix

Company Doctor Dr. Michael Berger Sports Doctor Dr. James Lawrence Physiotherapists Ashlea-Mary Cohen April-Rose Ferris Company Teachers Simonne Smiles Cathie Goss Emily Amisano Eileen Hall Shane Carroll Fiona Jopp Richard Cilli Saul Smith (Accompanist)

2019 Impact Report

The contribubtion of our partners and sponsors is essential to the operation of Sydney Dance Company. We are grateful for their investment in our vision

Our Partners

Government Partners

Sydney Dance Company is assisted by the Australian Government through the Australian Council, its arts and funding advisory body.

Sydney Dance Company is supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW.

New Breed Principal Partner

Artistic Director's Commissioning Partner (Us 50)

Major Partner

We thank the Naomi Milgrom Foundaion for its support of our Us 50 Education Program, enabling young people to access outstanding contemporary dance through performances and workshops wih Sydney Dance Company

Foundation Partners

Company Partners

Associate Partners

Industry Partner

Government Supporters

Supporters

Contact

Photo Credits

CAPI, Champagne Pommery, Committee for Sydney, Contemporary Hotels, GPO Grand Restaurants and Bars, Pages, Pearsons Florist, Stedmans, Tattersalls Club Hyde Park, Young Henrys

For more information, please contact Deputy Executive DIrector Lizzi Nicoll, lizzin@sydneydancecompany.com

Hellene Algie, Daniel Boud, Samantha Dashwood, Holly Doyle, Chloe Young, Pedro Greig, Winkipop Media, Yaya Stempler, Ben Symons

2019 Impact Report

Phone: 61 2 9221 4811 Address: GPO Box 1598, Sydney NSW 2001 Visit: 385 Wattle St, Ultimo, NSW 2007 Email: sdc@sydneydancecompany.com ABN: 59 002 707 897

@sydneydanceco sydneydancecompany.com 56

2019 Impact Report

2019 Impact Report

Articles inside

Thank You

Your Impact

Sydney Dance Company 2019

Our Community

Training the Future

Wharf Renewal

Executive Director’s Report

A Golden Year

The Company

Chair’s Report

The Dancers

On the Road