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.

“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.