Our Community

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.

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.