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
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