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

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.