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

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.

“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 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.