2020 Impact Report by SydneyDanceCompany

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“Live performance can be paused…you can’t stop creativity.” Jane Albert, Broadsheet

2020 Impact Report

Contents

2020 at a glance 4 Chair's Report 6 Executive Director’s Report 9 Artistic Director’s Report 10 The Company The Dancers A Year of Transformation A Dark Theatre Virtual Studio

12 14 17 19 20

On Screen 22 Cuatro 23 Dance Locale 25 Training the Future Pre-Professional Year Virtual Season for Schools Advanced Training in 2020

28 29 31 33

New Breed

PPY20 Revealed

Return to the Wharf

Vale Carla Zampatti AC

Your Impact Thank You Annual Partner Program 2020 Our Performance Sydney Dance Company 2020 Our Partners

42 44 45 46 48 50

2020 Impact Report

2020 at a glance

2020 Impact Report

On Stage

2,816 total attendances

8 17

Total open class participation

122,649 (includes Holiday Workshops and short courses)

works Attendances

Number of classes

performances InStudio

InStudio

50,486

2,561

Virtual Studio 74 performances were cancelled including a national and an international tour

world premieres

choreographic and music commissions

Virtual Studio

72,163

1,903

On Screen 11 210,000+ dance films

views

Total Digital Engagement

4,140,000 Our Online Community

207,000 Website Page Views

1,172,016

38%

from 2019

520K

2,146,585

5.9K hours watched

TikTok followers

YouTube views

from 2019

In School

3,630 points of engagement

TikTok views

30,300

+13% from 2019

Work provided for

150 people

32%

administrators

68%

205 digital workshops 81 schools 42 locations

artists

2020 Impact Report

Chair’s Report

2020 started as a year with ambition and challenges as we entered what was planned to be the final year of our Capital Campaign, in preparation for our scheduled endof-year move back to the Wharf. Like everyone, Sydney Dance Company was soon engulfed by the massive impacts and challenges of COVID-19. As performances and tours were cancelled and our studios closed, it was a sobering time. The pathway through the year was unmarked and the final destination highly uncertain. What was never in doubt was that the spirit of the Company would prevail and that our enduring qualities of creativity and innovation would serve us in good stead. Sydney Dance Company was quick to respond to the challenges thrown up by COVID-19, moving rapidly into innovation mode and launching Virtual Studio in a matter of days after the shutdown. As it became clear that the impacts would extend throughout the year, it was wonderful to see Sydney Dance Company continue on our mission to create new works and to reimagine the context in which that could take place. Saying true to purpose whilst ensuring business sustainability was the compass we were guided by. Through all the changes and challenges important work proceeded on the Walsh Bay redevelopment works, with a scheduled year-end completion date. Our thanks go to the NSW Government for their visionary investment in this important precinct. Investment in cultural infrastructure on this scale is rare and impressive and Sydney Dance Company is proud to be a contributor and partner. As we settle into our home and begin to stretch into the opportunities it provides, we can already see that the investment is so very worth it. Our Capital Campaign has been led by an incredible group of donors – The Neilson Foundation, Simon and Catriona Mordant, the Wales family, Jane and Andrew Clifford, the late Carla Zampatti and Julian and Lizanne Knights. I was pleased to recently add my own name to this auspicious list. Alongside this group are many more donors who have contributed to making our home fit for an ambitious future; we thank each and every one of them and look forward to welcoming all to enjoy these incredible spaces. As we each contemplated the unknowns that the pandemic brought to our world, I was pleased to be able to converse with many of our supporters and heartened by their commitment to the Company over this incredibly difficult year. We made a pledge to them that we would be diligent in our stewardship of the Company with an eye to not just surviving the pandemic but to learn and continue to grow through it as we flexed and innovated. Our financial results speak to the careful management of the Company.

The overall surplus ($2,246,197) is buoyed by the realisation of pledges to the Capital Campaign, allowing us to meet our contribution commitments for the works on our tenancy at Walsh Bay. The underlying operating surplus of $1,063,192 is reflective of the efforts and contributions of the team at Sydney Dance Company, the nimble response to preserve some commercial revenue streams, the generous support of our audiences and donors and the safety net that JobKeeper provided. 2021 continues to present us with challenges and we continue to manage conservatively to ensure our future sustainability. The underlying support of our Government funding partners has never been more vital. Our sincere thanks to the Australia Council for the Arts and the Australian Government for their commitment to both Sydney Dance Company and the whole sector over this most challenging of years. In addition to our partnership funding, the support provided by JobKeeper kept our people employed and supported and allowed us to come through the year with an eye to brighter horizons. The ongoing support of the NSW Government has also been crucial over this period and we thank them for both their partnership and the responsive support provided during 2020. The Rescue and Restart was a farsighted package of industry support that will assist Sydney Dance Company coming back on stage into 2021. The camaraderie, diligence and professionalism of my fellow Board members has been a stabilising force. I would like to thank each and all of them for the efforts and contributions made during such a tumultuous time. An arts Board by its nature can be an eclectic group of individuals and the power from such diversity is expressed through the different perspectives and skills that sit around its table. Sydney Dance Company is blessed to enjoy the capable and committed leadership of Executive Director Anne Dunn and Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela. Together they are a remarkable team driven by shared purpose and a great love of the organisation and its art. Around them are many passionate and skilled professionals. Our leadership, staff and dancers went above and beyond the call of duty to keep the Company on track and secure. This included temporary sacrifices around some work conditions. On behalf of all who care about Sydney Dance Company, I want to give them my sincere thanks for their dedication and resilience through such a difficult and uncertain time. Sydney Dance Company has emerged from the challenges of 2020 unbowed. Our financial position remains sound and our artistic ambition undiminished.

2020 Impact Report

Brett Clegg, Chair

Sydney Dance Company Board Directors 2020 Brett Clegg (Chair) Pamela Bartlett David Baxby Jillian Broadbent AC David Friedlander Mark Hassell Sandra McCullagh Catriona Mordant AM Paris Neilson Emma-Jane Newton Chrissy Sharp The late Carla Zampatti AC

2020 Impact Report

Executive Director’s Report

2020 was a year that had a packed program planned; an extensive national tour, a significant international tour and a program of world and Australian premieres. But that was not to be. Over a year full of unexpected challenges and resulting opportunities, Sydney Dance Company worked hard to stay focused on our purpose and the future. As the consequences of the pandemic became apparent, we took the heartbreaking steps to close the studios and cancel seasons and tours. We swiftly turned our attention to how to ensure the survival of the Company, and to looking after the artists and employees. In the early weeks of uncertainty, we took decisive action to ensure the Company’s viability, cutting costs where possible, reducing overheads and asking our staff to lean-in in the face of a huge number of unknowns and ongoing impacts. A planned IT upgrade to facilitate staff working from home was fast-tracked; business continuity planning and implementation was prioritised. The initial days and weeks were challenging but the resulting swell of nervous energy was channelled into innovation. The preparation and launch of the Virtual Studio was a real turning point for Sydney Dance Company. Everyone was focused on creating a pathway, and the logistics and practicalities of creating a new product which could be delivered during lockdown and would ensure dance was still accessible in isolation. Our principal aims were simple: to continue to generate revenue, keep our audiences engaged and our staff employed. We succeeded. However, alongside those successes, we did have significant financial challenges. Performances and tours were cancelled, revenue from on-sell performance fees evaporated and Dance Noir, our signature fundraising event, was also put on hold for the year. I am incredibly grateful for the response of our audience and community over the COVID-19 period. The generosity our audiences demonstrated, donating the purchase price of tickets or keeping credit with us to use for future performances, was a clear statement of trust and faith that all would be well and we would return to the stage. Our advanced training and education team ensured that our Pre Professional Year students were able to continue their studies remotely by rearranging the curriculum schedule for the year and back-ending the studio work to terms three and four. It was a joy to see them complete their studies and dance in their graduation season PPY20 Revealed in December. The Federal Government’s JobKeeper program was an essential lifeline for the Company. It allowed us to keep our team employed, including the full-time dancer ensemble and rehearsal staff, our production teams and many of our casual dance class teachers. It allowed us to redeploy our people into the new world of Zoom delivery and associated remote customer support, and most importantly it meant the team was still in place when it came time to rebuild. We sincerely thank the Federal

Government for that support and for the package they subsequently announced for the industry, as well as the ongoing core operational support they provide via the Australia Council for the Arts. The NSW Government assisted with a number of business support initiatives including rent relief and grant repurposing to meet operational costs. The announcement of the Industry assistance package, Rescue and Restart, was welcome news and it will underpin Sydney Dance Company’s efforts to rebuild activity in 2021. We thank them for that help and for the ongoing partnership funding they provide for our core activities. Work on the refurbishment of our home at Walsh Bay did not miss a beat. As the build was finalised and we readied ourselves to move back into Wharf 4/5, it was wonderful to be able to physically come together and to see the dancers back into the studios. Our thanks go both to the NSW Government for their investment and leadership in this important cultural infrastructure project and to the many Capital Campaign donors who have invested in our future. Our thanks also go to the many donors who supported us over the course of the year. It was heartening to receive their backing during such a challenging time. We thank each and every donor of whatever scale. Each gift has made a difference. We very much appreciate the partnership of those foundations who have flexed with us through this year. Particular thanks to The Balnaves Foundation who stretched their investment to allow us to perform, even under reduced theatre capacity conditions. The Sydney Dance Company Board, led by Chair Brett Clegg, provided steadfast guidance over the course of 2020. I want to thank them for their time, dedication and leadership. It is wonderful to have a Board that is engaged and passionate about the Company and who support us in so many ways. I extend my personal thanks to Brett for chairing the Company through these challenging times and to each of the Board Directors for their incredible contributions. All organisations are the product of the teams that inhabit them and I have never been prouder of the team at Sydney Dance Company than during this year. My sincere thanks go to each and every one of them for their contribution, their unflagging energy and their willingness to flex in so many directions. Rafael did an incredible job keeping the artistic spirit of the Company alive during this challenging time. One of the silver linings of COVID-19 has been the camaraderie that flourished during a time of adversity. That spirit has carried on and will propel us forward as we settle back into the Wharf and raise our heads to look to the future and our continued evolution. Anne Dunn, Executive Director

2020 Impact Report

Artistic Director’s Report

When 2020 began, after the joy and celebration of our 50th anniversary year in 2019, we had no idea what lay ahead of us. The best of times, the worst of times and a year that we will never forget. In the studios in the first few months of the year, the dancers and I were buoyant as we created and rehearsed what was to be my newest work, Impermanence; excited to be working with the Australian String Quartet, to have the privilege of a new commissioned score from the world-renowned Bryce Dessner and to be preparing a triple-bill season for the enjoyment of audiences across Australia. By early March, as global events unfolded with rapid speed, I have never been more proud of how my colleagues and our community responded. The circumstances in which we found ourselves were unprecedented, but with flair and courage, Sydney Dance Company adapted as the world tilted on its axis. For 11 months, theatres were dark, and for many months, like everyone across the world, our artists were confined to their homes. For a performing arts company, these were the strangest situations to find ourselves in. The disappointment of cancelling Seasons One and Two, our national and international tours and our Australian schools’ engagement program was crushing. But from what could have been disaster, creativity blossomed. Since March 2020, we have all shared our lives through digital screens. These windows into our own personal experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic have, for so many, been the difference between connection and isolation. Sydney Dance Company was determined to stay connected to our community during COVID-19. Ours is a very physical art form, but social distancing did not stand in the way of participation, performance and engagement. Our Virtual Studio, born a matter of days after the physical studios were abruptly closed, saw over 68,000 attendances across the country between March and December. Dancers of all ages stretched, leapt and felt great as they took class on Zoom in loungerooms and gardens. I was heartened by the incredible feedback we received from our Virtual Studio attendees and so

pleased that we were able to make a genuine difference to peoples’ lives during such difficult times. After the first few weeks of lockdown, our creative spark was reignited and I was delighted to choreograph our first film project of 2020, Cuatro, a collaboration with musicians of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Initially planned for the lounge rooms of the musicians and dancers, when it came time to start filming, restrictions had lifted slightly, and we were able to film all eight artists, one at a time, in our Wattle Street studios. It was so inspiring to create this unique response to COVID-19 with such virtuosic talent, and to make work again. Our human reaction to confinement and yearning for the great outdoors was the impetus behind Dance Locale, a series of five films created in collaboration with the NSW Government’s Festival Of Place. Celebrating and exploring the outstanding public spaces in Greater Sydney and Wagga Wagga, Dance Locale was an exhilarating project to undertake for me and the dancers, exceptionally well received by all those who watched across the world. None of us will ever again take for granted our relationship to the beauty of our surroundings. I have always been passionate about Sydney Dance Company’s work with young dancers, schools and emerging dance talent and as COVID-19 descended, it seemed impossible to continue to make those connections. However, the inventiveness, resilience and determination of Australia’s young dancers is to be commended! Students in areas of Australia we would never previously reached with our regional tour took part in our Virtual Season For Schools. Our Pre-Professional Year students endured a year of disruption with incredible grace and as well as making numerous dance films and completing their Diploma and Advanced Diploma studies, ended the year with two live performances at Carriageworks, with PPY20 Revealed. The future of dance in Australia is in good hands! The dancers returned to non-contact rehearsal in July and as the weeks progressed the prospect of finally returning to a physical theatre space to perform for audiences seemed possible. Almost a full year since

2020 Impact Report

our last curtain call in December 2019, New Breed took to the stage in partnership with The Balnaves Foundation and Carriageworks in late November. In the early months of the pandemic, this seemed like a pipe dream; the four emerging choreographers created socially distanced, non-contact choreography for a new era, a true creative response to everything the world had been through. I am so incredibly grateful for the support of our community this year. The generosity, encouragement and passion for who we are and what we do have never been felt so strongly. I have been profoundly moved by this support. At the heart of everything that is Sydney Dance Company is the dancers and I am proud of them all. All at the top of their game, they rose to numerous challenges this year and exceeded my expectations. From social media management to video editing and online teaching, they dealt with re-deployment within the organisation with aplomb and discovered skills and confidence in roles away from the stage. I acknowledge the determination and skill of the Sydney Dance Company Board and Executive Director Anne Dunn, whose herculean efforts to keep the Company together

continue to be rewarded by the passion and loyalty of the dancers and staff. The role that the arts play in our lives became very apparent in 2020; dance, music and creativity have power and impact, bring us together and help us feel alive. This is made more poignant as we mourn the passing of our wonderful Board Director and my dear friend, Carla Zampatti AC. Carla’s generosity in hosting dinners in support of the commissioning of my work since 2013 has been incredible. I am deeply honoured to have known her: her passion for contemporary dance, her exquisite taste for truth in beauty and her personal guidance and counsel have been invaluable to me. I shall miss her enormously and she will always be a light, blazing in our Sydney Dance Company firmament. It has been a privilege to lead the artistic vision of this Company across the last 12 months and as we settle into our newly refurbished studios in 2021, I look forward to transforming lives through dance for years to come. Rafael Bonachela, Artistic Director

2020 Impact Report

The Company

2020 Impact Report

“SDC’s dancers have emerged (from COVID-19) as technically stunning and emotionally compelling as ever.” Bachtrack 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. Sydney Dance Company celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2019: 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, including being the first western contemporary dance company to perform in the People’s Republic of China.

The Company moved into The Wharf, its Walsh Bay home, in 1986 and after an extensive renovation of the iconic building and significant re-development of its facilities, the Company returned to the Wharf in November 2020. Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela celebrated his 12th year with the Company in 2020, a year like no other. Under Bonachela’s artistic direction, the Company navigated through difficult circumstances, continuing to build a rich repertoire of outstanding dance. COVID-19 did not hamper Sydney Dance Company’s ambition as dance films were made, world-class tertiary-level training for young dancers was maintained online and the Australian choreographic talent of the future was fostered with a celebratory season of new work at the end of the year. An ensemble of 16 full-time dancers and one trainee shared Studio space (both real and virtual) with 25 Pre-Professional Year student dancers, school and holiday workshop participants, and alongside tens of thousands of annual public dance class attendees. 2020 saw the launch of Sydney Dance Company’s Virtual Studio, with 68,805 online class attendances across Australia between March and December.

2020 Impact Report

The Dancers

From a Dancer’s Perspective The year started off on a perfect high, completing the creative process of Impermanence while collaborating with the Australian String Quartet and Bryce Dessner, so the cancellation of the world premiere in Sydney came as a huge blow. Very quickly I headed back to my family home in Perth, where I remained during the three-month lockdown, staying connected with the Company via daily dance classes on Zoom. It was an odd sensation dancing in whatever space I could find, often moving furniture out of the living room to create an area large enough to achieve a proper warm-up. Very quickly, I started to miss simple things like proper flooring and a stable barre. We had a few months keeping repertoire fresh in our brains, while simultaneously adjusting to dancing solo; it really was a challenge some days. The stages of lockdown and subsequent adjustment of work, although challenging, offered an opportunity to apply ourselves in situations we would not have had the chance to before. With the Virtual Studio being launched, many of the dancers were redeployed into teaching and managing those classes. I was fortunate enough to help our commercial team with the integration, growth and management of the virtual classes. I was able to utilise my commerce degree in a meaningful situation that taught me much through the process. Working with Caroline Spence, our Chief Commercial Officer, and having the ability to soak up her wisdom was invaluable. It was a privilege being able to observe the adaptivity of Anne and Rafael, continuing to create ideas and opportunities that enabled Sydney Dance Company to stay relevant and present. A strong message shared by Anne and Rafael during the period without performances was the importance of continuing to make art that was contemporary and significant, using the constraints to delve into areas we could not before. The creation of Cuatro was a milestone for the Company; a creation of four individual, prominent films that continued to spread the style and values that Sydney Dance Company represents. Dance Locale was the next series that pushed the Company’s artistic contribution.

Set in different locations around NSW, the five films allowed all of us dancers to share once again the powerful sense of ensemble through complex and intricate movement. The process to create Dance Locale, rehearsal and choreographic development, was one that we had all missed for a long time. Touch, a collaboration with Phoenix Central Park, which was released in January 2021, was the perfect conclusion to this specific run of films, as we once again were able to partner with each other and dance like we would have done earlier that year. 2020 really was the year of the dance film and each of these creations, all as relevant as the next, felt like a massive achievement by the Company and such a fulfilling process to be a part of. The year ended with our first on-stage performance. New Breed was the triumph we all needed and worked so hard towards. It was a relatively normal season with a very abnormal creation process; no contact dancing and two of the four pieces created over Zoom. Having a sea of people in front of us and hearing the applause of every excited person in that audience made all of the months online, in our living rooms doing our bit, so worthwhile. It was a euphoric end to a crazy year.

2020 Impact Report

Liam Green, Company Dancer

Dancers 2020

Juliette Barton

Ariella Casu

Isabella Crain

Davide Di Giovanni

Janessa Dufty (until March 2020)

Dean Elliot

Riley Fitzgerald

Jacopo Grabar

Liam Green

Luke Hayward

Telea Jensen (2020 Trainee)

Dimitri Kleioris

Rhys Kosakowski

Chloe Leong

Jesse Scales

Emily Seymour

Mia Thompson

Chloe Young

Victor Zarallo

2020 Impact Report

A Year of Transformation

2020 began in dynamic style, as the Company prepared a dazzlingly energetic and diverse triple-bill of two Australian premieres and a world premiere to share with audiences in Sydney, Melbourne and later in the year, a debut performance season at the Royal Opera House in London’s Covent Garden. In January the dancers began learning E2 7SD, the virtuosic duet that launched Rafael Bonachela’s choreographic career when it was awarded first place in the inaugural, prestigious Place Prize in London in 2004. Set to a score by Oswaldo Maciá in collaboration with Santiago Posada, and with lighting design by Lee Curran, this riveting duet demands extreme flexibility and strength; witnessing the dancers of Sydney Dance Company bring it to life in the studio was an infectiously thrilling sight to behold. February saw the dancers commence work on William Forsythe’s rhythmic and witty N.N.N.N with Cyril Baldy and Ayman Harper. Appointed by Forsythe, Baldy and Harper arrived from Europe to teach the work to the Company. After gaining Forsythe’s trust in 2015 as the first company in Australia to be granted the right to perform his seminal work Quintett, Sydney Dance Company was set to be one of just six dance companies in the world to be permitted to perform N.N.N.N.; a highly prestigious honour. Alongside the rehearsal of both works was the creation of Rafael Bonachela’s new work, Impermanence. Set to a newly commissioned score by Bryce Dessner (Grammy Award-winning contemporary composer and founding member of American band, The National), the work conceptually explored the ephemeral nature of life. The Australian String Quartet - who spent some days in the Wattle Street studios performing the driving, powerful music as the dancers rehearsed - was set to accompany the dancers live on stage, amidst a stunning set design by David Fleischer and an exquisite lighting design by Damien Cooper. On the home run to opening night, the Company took up residence in the Roslyn Packer Theatre to begin technical rehearsal for the stage. All three works were ready. Final preparations were put in place, but none of these works were shared with audiences. Just a few days away from the premiere, the NSW Government issued a Public Health Order banning indoor gatherings of more than 100 people and Sydney Dance Company made the devastating but necessary decision to cancel the season amidst the escalating COVID-19 Pandemic. “We had just danced our final studio run when we learned the season was cancelled. My heart broke in that moment. As we all sat in the studio in disbelief,

there was a communal understanding of the urgent poignancy of the work we had just made but would not yet get to share. Never could we have foreseen the ironic twist that the work we had so lovingly crafted was indeed impermanent all too soon.” Juliette Barton, Company dancer. Simultaneously, the public dance class program in the Ultimo Studios was cancelled. A critical source of revenue as well as a popular source of exercise for thousands of participants, public dance classes have been the backbone of Sydney Dance Company for over 30 years. In a matter of days, Sydney Dance Company’s core business was shut down: no performance, no dance classes, no public engagement, leaving a void that seemed impossible to fill. Over the next few months, the Virtual Studio kept the team occupied and customers both engaged and moving in their loungerooms across the nation. Pivot was the overused word of the year, but in the case of shifting an inherently live participatory activity and performance-based art form online, it was mostappropriate. With an eye on a return to the studio, Sydney Dance Company led the way in the dance industry in Australia in developing COVID-safe plans for class, rehearsal and ultimately performance. A hierarchy of risk identified trigger points to increase or decrease controls and with this mitigation strategy in place, classes restarted with capped attendance and the dancers returned to non-contact rehearsal in July. A rigorous program of cleaning and traffic management was implemented and a maximum of 20 attendees in each dance class were socially distanced in the marked-up studios. The middle of the year saw staff and dancers undertake a blended model of working at home and in-studio as certain aspects of operations returned to a new normal. Choreographic development of New Breed began in-studio with all four choreographers creating non-contact works, a creative reflection of the times. And work on an extension of Rafael’s Impermanence continued in the hope that it would be premiered in 2021. As the year drew to a close, with an imminent return to the Wharf and the possibilities that presented, Sydney Dance Company launched its 2021 Australian season. After the upheaval of all that COVID-19 entailed, it would have been inconceivable in April that the year would close with live performance, a roadmap for the future and the Company intact and ready to embark on the next chapter.

2020 Impact Report

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2020 Impact Report

A Dark Theatre

The idea of Impermanence came about in conversation with Bryce Dessner in July 2019 in Paris. In 2015 I had choreographed Frame of Mind to Aheym, one of his existing scores. I adored creating it, and the result was a very powerful work which audiences and critics all enjoyed. Bryce saw a run through of the work in 2018. He came to the studio to meet me and the dancers when he was in Sydney performing with his band The National. I was so nervous for him to see it, but he loved it, and in that moment, we knew there was more we could do together. The idea of Dessner composing a score for the Company was enticing and I was keen that the music was performed live on stage. Sydney Dance Company had worked with Australian String Quartet for the revival of Frame of Mind in 2018. Dessner’s driving, passionate music played live on stage was incredible and the ASQ was also keen to be part of a new project. Together we commissioned Dessner to write a new score, and Impermanence was born. The title of the work reflects on the ephemeral nature of life. I met Bryce in Paris, where he lives, shortly after the Notre Dame fire. He shared thoughts he’d been having about how easily things fall apart, even structures we imagine to be eternal, and we talked about the fragility and impermanence of human life, the planet and human relationships. In November 2019, Bryce was deep in the process of writing the music when the bush fires in Australia reached catastrophic levels. Images were beamed across the world, and he was deeply affected by what he was seeing on TV. The images of the Australian bush on fire really entered the work and his thinking. He was profoundly moved; he had been here, he had met the dancers and there was a very real personal connection for him. The philosophical concept of change made me think on the ephemeral, the fleeting, things that exist only in a moment and are then transformed. For me personally, the awareness of the impermanence of everything makes me feel that we must use every moment - that every moment counts – and that the transitory nature of life inspires a need for energy, urgency and radiance. In fact, the perfect subject for contemporary dance. Having to cancel the season days before opening was heart-breaking, but it made me believe even more deeply in the importance and relevance of the work. Over the bleak, early months of the pandemic, I began to consider how it could be extended into a fulllength performance. I approached Dessner to establish his interest and I was delighted that he accepted the

extended commission. Over the last few months of 2020, he composed the remainder of the score, an incredibly exciting outcome after such a strange and difficult time. As I write this now, the full-length work Impermanence has enjoyed its world-premiere season in Sydney, has been performed at the Adelaide Festival and is about to tour to Melbourne and regional Australia. A year ago, it seemed inconceivable that this work would ever make it to the stage. In fact the future of live performance was doubtful. As an artist, to see the response of audiences of all ages to this work has been life-affirming. To collaborate with the exceptional, virtuosic musicians of the ASQ in this work was incredible and I am so grateful for their shared vision and passion for the work. In the short days that ASQ spent in Sydney in March 2020, they were able to record a master of the score before lockdown began, and this was released under the title Impermanence/ Disintegration in April 2021. The power and value of the arts, of music, of dance, of creativity culminating in the communion of artist and audience have never been more important than they are now and I am so happy that after the incredible challenges 2020 presented all of us that Impermanence in all its permutations has been, and will be, enjoyed across the word. Rafael Bonachela, Artistic DIrector

2020 Impact Report

Virtual Studio

A combination of creative drive and entrepreneurial spirit kicked in as both Australia and the world reeled from the impact of the pandemic. For some time, Sydney Dance Company had been contemplating a digital transformation; online classes and digital performances. It had never been the intention to devise and launch this within a week, but in a pandemic, needs must, and the entire staff pulled together to create the Virtual Studio, an online platform for the delivery of dance classes. In the fraught, uncertain days of late March, as the COVID-19 pandemic escalated, Sydney Dance Company made the decision to focus all attention on creating an online platform to host virtual dance classes. With around 20% of annual revenue generated from public classes, finding a way to keep customers engaged and income flowing was critical to the Company’s financial stability and to secure the employment of both permanent and casual staff.

The production team worked hard and fast to set up the technology, while the Studios team worked tirelessly to create a timetable and schedule teachers. A new brand identity, a social media launch and we were off. Just six days after we had to close our In-Studio classes, the Virtual Studio was launched, and the whole company leaped on board to contribute to its success. Using a minimum viable product model, initially Virtual Studio classes were taught from a converted office, but after a matter of days, as restrictions increased, everything moved into the home; both teachers and students dancing in the confines of their lounge rooms. Company dancers stepped in to teach classes online, providing a unique experience for attendees to be taught by some of Australia’s best contemporary dancers. Many of the team, including Company dancers, were redeployed to new roles as Virtual Studio Technicians, behind the scenes of every online class, making sure the experience was smooth and enjoyable as we collectively learnt how to use Zoom. Rehearsal Associate and former Company dancer Charmene Yap initiated Feel Good Friday; a follow-along dance party streamed from her loungeroom, in which people could shake off the week with great music and carefree dancing. At the height of restrictions, Feel Good Friday was incredibly popular; the busiest class saw 218 people across Australia take part, testament to the welcome relief dance provided during such an unnerving time.

2020 Impact Report

“It brought positivity to my life during a period when I really needed it.” Jo, Belmont NSW

As a result of its success, we teamed up with Medibank Australia to offer a free Feel Good Friday class for Mental Health Month in October, part of an initiative to encourage people to look after themselves by keeping their minds and bodies active. In recognition of its popular appeal and success, the Virtual Studio was awarded the Time Out Sydney’s Time In Movers and Shakers Award for Favourite Way to Get Moving from Home. Over the peak of restrictions, Virtual Studio saw an average of 56 dance classes taught each week. Between March and December 2020, 4,360 customers danced 68,805 times. Virtual Studio attendees joined Zoom classes from across Australia, with participants from far North Queensland to Tasmania taking part. With such overwhelmingly positive feedback, and people dancing online with us across Australia, the decision to make the Virtual Studio a permanent addition to the public dance class offerings was an easy one. Sydney Dance Company paired up with UTS Business School’s Advanced MBA program, undertaking research into models for a sustainable product. The results of this study directed the Company towards an on-demand program, meeting the needs of online dancers in a post-COVID-19 environment. This new program will be launched in Autumn 2021 and will continue to connect Sydney Dance Company to our community, far and wide. A true silver lining in the COVID-19 cloud.

“I am so happy to be able to do several dance classes a week!! I live 100kms away from Sydney so it is a dream come true to be able to keep dancing from home. And how lucky to be taught by your Company dancers and teachers…. I’ve now re-engaged (with Sydney Dance Company), with the added experience of learning from your dancers in the Virtual Studio.” Madi, Katoomba NSW.

“I love your Virtual Studio as it’s enabled me to take your classes while in Melbourne. Even with restrictions easing, please keep running virtual classes!” Jane, Melbourne VIC 2020 Impact Report

On Screen

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2020 Impact Report

Cuatro

“The idea is simplicity itself, and speaks volumes. (The dancers in Cuatro are) using the body without reservation to express emotion for which words are inadequate.” Deborah Jones, The Australian

As the initial shock caused by the cancellation of all our performances wore off, the creative heart at the core of Sydney Dance Company began to beat again and with it came the momentum needed to carry the Company through such a deeply challenging time. In May, from the depths of the tightest restrictions, Cuatro was born. A collaboration between Sydney Dance Company and Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Cuatro was conceived and created through the lens and screens of a new world. The eight virtuosic artists - four dancers and four musicians - began the collaborative process online, working with choreographer Rafael Bonachela and creative director and film-maker Pedro Greig to conceive and realise four unique films that responded to the extraordinary moment. Online discussions and sharing of music took place over several weeks, with each element finally filmed in isolation at Sydney Dance Company’s Studios in Ultimo, Sydney. The dancers were filmed separately on one day, the musicians on another, and to this day, they have not yet met in person! A post-performance wrap party has been a long time coming! In June, all four works were unveiled in a virtual premiere, followed by the subsequent release of each film as a standalone work, over four consecutive Fridays, on social media and both Sydney Dance Company’s and Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s websites.

Rehearsal Associate Charmene Yap returned to performance to feature in the first film with Diana Doherty, who played Heinz Hollinger’s Sonata for solo oboe, I. Präludium. Davide di Giovanni danced to Niccolò Paganini’s 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op.1: No. 11 in C performed by Andrew Haveron. Juliette Barton and Umberto Clerici (cello) created an intense world with Johann Sebastian Bach’s Suite No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007: IV. Sarabande. And the suite concluded with the light and hopeful Cuatro 4, with Chloe Leong and Emma Scholl (flute), who performed Claude Debussy’s Syrinx. Cuatro was an incredible opportunity for creative expression when making work was at its most challenging and audiences responded with delight. The suite of films has since been viewed over 210,000 times and will remain a testament to the power of collaborative partnerships and the capacity for creativity in crisis. “When performing there is always this giving and receiving from the artists to the audience and the audience to artists. In this situation with no audience, the performance felt intimate and personal. It was a joy to be moving in that way again ... performing the piece was like performance for myself. It brought me back to why I wanted to be a dancer in the first place; it’s a gift that you give to yourself and others.” Chloe Leong, Sydney Dance Company dancer

2020 Impact Report

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2020 Impact Report

Dance Locale

“Over this very strange year I have been inspired by the drive of artists to keep creating, regardless of the circumstances. It’s in our DNA, and even in isolation my most rewarding experiences have come from collaboration with other artists.” Rafael Bonachela

With restrictions and limitations on live performance slow to ease, Sydney Dance Company continued in pursuit of alternative creative opportunities. In a collaboration with NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, Dance Locale was created, a suite of five films conceived by Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela and long-term collaborator, filmmaker Pedro Greig, to launch the department’s year-long Festival Of Place. Over a period of two weeks, Rafael and the dancers hit the road and shot incredible movement in Western Sydney Parklands (Darug Country), Sydney Olympic Park (Wann-gal Country), the headland at Maroubra (Dharawal Country) and various locations around Sydney Harbour including The Rocks and Darling Harbour (Gadigal Country). The final location, Wagga Wagga (Wiradjuri Country) was chosen later in the process when Rafael learned about the true meaning of Wagga; a place of dance and celebration. As a dance maker, Rafael was inspired that recognition was being awarded to a place where dance and ceremony had been integral for thousands of years. Performed by the dancers of Sydney Dance Company, and featuring the music of favourite collaborator Nick Wales, each film pays tribute to the connection between the public realm and the creative

spirit and filming them gave the dancers a space to move freely in the absence of brightly lit stages and packed auditoriums. Rafael Bonachela said “We became our own outdoor production company. Our tech team pushed a gear trolley, our programming team became film producers, and the dancers were so happy to be creating.” In November Rafael was invited to be a keynote speaker at Artstate 2020 which was held in Wagga Wagga. He recounted his special experience of filming Dance Locale #5 Wagga Wagga. “We came to Wagga and sat down with Aunty Isabel Reed and told her my ideas. Uncle Pete Ingram took us to the incredible dance grounds near the river. For two days we prepared the space and talked. It’s raining, we are pulling the weeds out and wondering if the sun will ever come out so we can film. Pete built a fire and Aunty Isabel came and welcomed us to this beautiful country. We were immersed in the smoke of this place, it was incredible. (…) then the rain stopped, and the sun broke through the clouds. We filmed the male solo in one magical shot. I get goosebumps thinking about it.”

2020 Impact Report

Training the future

2020 Impact Report

Pre-Professional Year

2020 marked the seventh year of Sydney Dance Company’s Pre-Professional Year program, albeit a very different year than any other. Over the past seven years the course has flourished and is both a critical element of the Advanced Training and Education programs at Sydney Dance Company and a unique, yet integral part of the dance training ecology in Australia. The 25 young dancers embarked on training for Diplomas and Advanced Diplomas. While the 2020 cohort was dealt some challenges, they demonstrated a maturity and resilience that allowed them to move with grace through their training in such unusual circumstances. Pivoting the course online for the entirety of term two saw the PPY ensemble undertake multiple Ballet, Contemporary, Improvisation, Yoga and Body Conditioning classes from their loungerooms via Zoom, while powering through much of the course’s written components. The students also participated in round table discussions via Zoom with Company dancers, exploring a range of topics including possible career trajectories, mental health for dancers and positive dance training methodologies. This was an invaluable and rare opportunity to converse with, and pick the brains of, professional dancers, each of whom traversed a unique road to success. Alongside this, the young dancers also got creative. During the height of restrictions, former Company dancer and Rehearsal Associate Charmene Yap collaborated with the cohort to create a film project, Habituate. The dancers responded to tasks and instructions given by Charmene and each filmed themselves on their smart phones. The result was a film in four parts, set to four new scores composed by the students of Sydney Conservatorium of Music’s Composing Women 2020 program. As restrictions began to ease, the PPY dancers embarked upon another project; a socially distanced, site-specific film at Paddington Reservoir and Bombo Quary, created by Sydney-based choreographer and film-maker Sue Healey. Study returned to socially distanced seminormality by terms three and four, and across the year, the PPY ensemble worked with an array of Australia’s leading industry specialists. Three of the 2020 cohort were supported in their studies by scholarships from the Doug Hall Foundation, the Wales Family and Mary Zuber. The Hepzibah Artist Development Program, which supports the next generation of Australian artists, helped to ensure that professional development opportunities were afforded to both emerging, visiting choreographers and creatives and the PPY dancers themselves.

In collaboration with Bangarra Dance Theatre, Sydney Dance Company welcomed Madison Paluch and Edan Porter, recipients of the Russell Page Graduate Program (RPGP) for a ten-week placement in the Pre-Professional Year. Initiated in 2015, RPGP provides the opportunity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance graduates or early career artists to develop as professional dancers through training, mentoring, performance and touring seasons. With the opportunity to engage virtually with communities that 2020 afforded everyone, the Pre-Professional Year team held two Virtual Open Days, attended by dancers, prospective PPY students and their families from across the country. Attendees were able to participate in a virtual improvisation class facilitated by PPY Course-Coordinator Omer Backley Astrachan, followed by a Q&A with PPY19 and 20 dancers and other faculty members. While it was at times uncertain as to whether the PPY 2020 cohort would make it to the stage, once able to return to the studio in term three, they commenced work on their graduation performance, PPY20 Revealed. They rehearsed three new works created by choreographers Holly Doyle, Jessica Goodfellow and Omer Backley Astrachan, and an excerpt from Rafael Bonachela’s award winning 6 Breaths. The class of 2020 finally had the opportunity to bring these works to life on stage in December at Carriageworks for their graduate performance, a fitting end to the year. Sabine Crompton-Ward, a dancer in PPY 2020, was awarded the coveted trainee position for 2021 with Sydney Dance Company. Having since performed on stage with the Company in Sydney for the world premiere of Rafael Bonachela’s Impermanence, and at the Adelaide Festival, she reflects on her experience of PPY with a wisdom we can all learn from. “During my time in the Pre-Professional Year program, I have come to understand and find comfort in the fact that everything I think I know for sure is temporary. Sometimes I feel like I know nothing at all as though I’ve only just begun. Sometimes this is scary, but this course has taught me how to learn. So perhaps this means I already have everything I’ll ever need. I am grateful to have been able to share the space with such beautiful people. They have inspired me and reminded me to place value on the things I don’t know yet.”

2020 Impact Report

Virtual Season for Schools

Darwin

NT Qld

Alice Springs

WA Perth

Townsville

Brisbane

NSW ACT Vic

Sydney

Adelaide

Melbourne

“For our kids to feel like they were important enough to be taught by the top contemporary company in Australia, is really special to the students. It’s starting to make them feel important and valued. This experience unites them to something bigger. Some of these kids have never even seen the beach before, so connecting them with a company that tours all over the world, that is special.” Dareton Public School (Dareton, NSW) In previous years, Sydney Dance Company has delivered extensive primary and secondary school workshop programs across the country, aligned with our nationwide touring and performance schedule. Taught by Company dancers and Sydney Dance Company Teaching Artists these workshops have been a fantastic way for students to directly experience contemporary dance. In 2020, with the cancellation of all touring and with border restrictions in place, the Company had to re-think how to connect with young Australia. With the generous support of the Thyne Reid Foundation, the Virtual Season for Schools was devised and launched. A free three-part digital package comprised a recorded full-length work (Cinco choreographed by Rafael Bonachela), accompanying online, interactive teaching resources and student guides, and three online dance workshops for secondary or primary students. It was an extraordinary success.

Tas Hobart

205 workshops were delivered to 64 different schools, in every state and territory across Australia. 17 teachers, a mix of teaching artists and Company dancers taught 1,820 individual students. Some students even attended more than one workshop, taking total attendance numbers to 3,630. In addition 17 schools made use of the interactive schools resource. The heart-warming feedback from teachers across the country, who know without a doubt that access to these workshops has had a positive impact on their students, is a testament to the Virtual Season for Schools’ success. Another COVID-19 silver lining, the Virtual Season for Schools allowed Sydney Dance Company to overcome geographical limitations and give students, who would otherwise never have access, the opportunity to dance and keep their minds and bodies active in a fun and creative way. “We had a year three student, who didn’t know her colours and couldn’t count to 10, participate in the sessions and she was incredible. She remembered the whole sequence of the dance; we were blown away with how she kept up. It was beautiful to watch.” Dareton Public School (Dareton, NSW.)

2020 Impact Report

Sydney Dance Company plays an instrumental role in in fostering the future of contemporary dance in Australia. Even in a year of disruption, this key part of the Company’s mission held fast.

2020 Impact Report

Advanced Training in 2020

Youth Ensemble

Youth Intensive

Sydney Dance Company’s Youth Ensemble was initiated in 2019, and following overwhelming interest, 2020 saw the expansion of this extension program into a Junior and Senior cohort. The 20 Junior and 19 Senior Youth Ensemble dancers had only had five in-studio sessions before COVID-19 restrictions forced them to stay home. Despite the challenges that this brought, the young dancers from across Sydney and surrounding areas participated in two and half hour workshops from their lounge rooms and garages, learning Sydney Dance Company repertoire with former Company dancer Holly Doyle and improvisation with Company dancer Davide Di Giovanni, amongst other sessions. In term three, dancers returned to the studio and continued to work with Company dancers and industry specialists, with the year culminating in a Zoom showcase for family and friends.

Spring saw the return of young dancers for School Holiday programs, and the revival of the Youth Intensive programs. 16 dancers participated in two-day workshops in the Wattle Street studios, learning Sydney Dance Company repertoire and developing choreographic skills.

SCDP – McDonald College In its second year in 2020, the Senior Contemporary Dance Program at McDonald College saw five dancers in years 10-12 undertake focused contemporary dance training alongside their school studies at the McDonald College. As with other programs, these students participated in their practical dance classes on Zoom for term two. They returned to the studio and created two new works with choreographers Holly Doyle (former Company dancer) and Zachary Lopez (PPY alumni), as well as rehearsing excerpts from Rafael Bonachela’s Lux Tenebris, which were performed at their High Performance season in October.

Company placements In 2020, 10 dancers participated in placements with the Company. One dancer undertook a secondment early in the year before COVID-19 restrictions prevented guests from interacting with the Company dancers. Isabella Crain, winner of the 2019 Brisbane International Contemporary Dance Prix, undertook a 10-week placement with the Company in October 2020 before being offered a contract to perform in New Breed.

Other workshops: •

5 Continents, an international workshop collaboration led by Spainish organisation, Towards Vivenica Company, saw Sydney Dance Company’s Rehearsal Associate Charmene Yap and Company dancers Riley Fitzgerald, Liam Green and Jesse Scales teach excerpts of Rafael Bonachela’s Lux Tenebris to dancers across the world. Workshops were available online for months after, as dancers learnt from some of the world’s best companies and dancers.

•

Delivered in collaboration with MCA as part of their youth engagement program NextGen, MCA Workshop was a hip-hop workshop delivered to young people over Zoom.

•

A series of five workshops were delivered to Tattersalls Members over a five-week period, attended by 55 people.

•

Company dancer Riley Fitzgerald delivered a hip-hop workshop to 29 frontline hospital workers in the Regional Victorian Western District Health Service.

•

A workshop was delivered to University of Tasmania pre-service teachers.

•

Royal Academy of Dance studio teachers in Victoria participated in a workshop during their second lockdown.

2020 Impact Report

New Breed 2020 saw Sydney Dance Company collaborate once more with Carriageworks and long-standing Principal Partner The Balnaves Foundation, to present the seventh edition of New Breed. This highly anticipated event on Sydney Dance Company’s annual calendar was further heightened by the fact this was the Company’s first, and only, stage performances in 2020. In late November, as the dancers finally took to the stage, 12 months after their last live performance, the passion and enthusiasm were palpable: everyone at Sydney Dance Company was thrilled to finally re-connect with audiences in a live setting. Each year we are incredibly grateful to The Balnaves Foundation, led by Neil Balnaves AO, for their visionary leadership and support of New Breed. In 2020 The Balnaves Foundation very generously extended their support, facilitating five additional performances, ensuring that even with restricted and limited auditorium capacity the maximum possible audience could attend.

2020 Impact Report

Carriageworks 26 November – 12 December 2020 15 Performances

Inertia

Nostalgia

Wagan

Cult of the Titans

Choreography Jesse Scales

Choreography Chloe Leong

Choreography Joel Bray

Choreography Raghav Handa

Music The Rocket Builder (Lo Pan), Jóhann Jóhannsson Let My Key Be C, Nils Frahm, Anne Müller

Composer Rob Campbell (The Nights)

Composer Brenda Gifford

Composer James Brown

Costume Designer Aleisa Jelbart

Rhythm and Tabla Maharshi Raval

Costume Designer Aleisa Jelbart

Lighting Designer Alexander Berlage

Outside Eye Vicki Van Hout

Video clips Alfred Hitchcock, The Birds Universal Pictures 1963.

Cultural Consultant Shashi Handa

Lighting Designer Alexander Berlage

Sydney Symphony Orchestra Fellowship Roger Benedict, conductor Tim Yu, violin Brian Hong, violin Dana Lee, viola Miles Mullin-Chivers, cello with Kaylie Dunstan, percussion

Lighting Designer Alexander Berlage Costume Designer Aleisa Jelbart

Sound Engineer David Kim-Boyle Arrangement and Sound Design Tristan Coelho Mastering Bob Scott

“A stimulating example of the way dance can tackle interesting and often unlikely themes.” The Sydney Morning Herald 2020 Impact Report

PPY20 Revealed

“danced with an authenticity and passion that travelled across the footlights and into the audience with ease” Dance Australia

2020 Impact Report

Carriageworks 7 – 8 December 2020 2 Performances

Processional

Fugue

Human Drama

6 Breaths

Choreography Holly Doyle

Choreography Omer Backley-Astrachan

Choreography Jessica Goodfellow

Choreography Rafael Bonachela

Composer May Lyon

Composer Jane Sheldon

Music Human Drama

Remount Charmene Yap

Artist Planningtorock

Composer The late Ezio Bosso

Sydney Symphony Music Orchestra Fellowship  Jane Sheldon, vocals  Roger Benedict, conductor   Kirsty McCahon, Brian Hong, violin   double bass  Miles Mullin-Chivers, cello   Richard Shaw, clarinet  Sound Engineer Jordy Meulenbroeks, David Kim-Boyle  bassoon   With Joshua Batty, Mixing and Mastering flute (Sydney Symphony Bob Scott  Orchestra) Lighting Design Sound Engineer Alexander Berlage David Kim-Boyle  Costume Design Mixing and Mastering Annie Robinson Evan McHugh   Opening Night Cast Lighting Design Lily Boston, Sophie Alexander Berlage Carathanassis, Sabine Crompton-Ward, Emily Costume Design Eather, Patricia Hayes Holly Doyle Cavanagh, Juliet Hoeberigs, Annie Robinson Sophie Jones, Archie McLean, Emily McMahon, Cast Jada Narkle, Hugo Poulet, Full Company Isobel Turner

Lighting Design Alexander Berlage

Costume Design Annie Robinson

Costume Design Josh Goot

Opening Night Cast Sabine Crompton-Ward, Taiga Kita-Leong, Hugo Poulet, Remy Rochester, Maycie Spry, Niki Verrall, Coco Wood

Cast Full Company

Closing Night Cast Sophie Carathanassis, Mia Corfield, Patricia Hayes Cavanagh, Sophie Jones

Closing Night Cast Jackson Biala, Mia Corfield, Claudia Debenham, Saskia Ellis, Patricia Hayes Cavanagh, Taiga Kita-Leong, Remy Rochester, Lauren Rutherford, Maycie Spry, Niki Verrall, Sebastian Vidot

2020 Impact Report

Return to the Wharf

After two and a half years in temporary studios in Ultimo’s Wattle Street, works on Sydney Dance Company’s traditional home in the Walsh Bay Arts Precinct concluded in November 2020 and the Company moved back into the Wharf. The quirky, creaky, century-old Wharf has been synonymous with Sydney Dance Company since Graeme Murphy and Janet Vernon made it home in 1986. Years of planning and a significant commitment from the NSW Government to revitalising the precinct, culminated in a capital fundraising campaign which saw Sydney Dance Company contribute $8M to the associated costs. Like any thoughtful renovation, maximising space and improving facilities while maintaining the original character of the building was important. The four original studios have been refitted with new sprung floors, better insulation and heating and the former workshop, which ran east to west across the building, completely transformed into Studio 5, a new black-box theatre and studio space with a 79 seat retractable seating bank. With improved facilities for both the public and the dancers and PPY students, a conditioning studio for pilates and a refurbished gym, and a small studio in the Boardroom, the facilities in the Wharf Studios are now second to none. Works continued apace on the Wharf redevelopment during the COVID-19 pandemic and as the end of the year approached, the moving in date beckoned. The Hon. Don Harwin MP, NSW Minister for the Arts addressed the assembled media, government representatives and colleagues from resident Walsh Bay companies from the floor of Studio 2: Joan Barrie Studio (a gift of Catriona and Simon Mordant) on Monday 14

December, before enjoying a short performance from Company dancers and undertaking a guided tour of all of the arts tenancies. The Wharf re-development would not have been possible without the generosity of the Take A Step Campaign donors. Sydney Dance Company Board and senior staff celebrated over a dinner in the new workshop space with the leadership donors, whose exceptional commitment and generosity ensure a lasting legacy for the next generation of dancers of all ages. The Neilson, Wales, Clifford and Mordant families and the late Carla Zampatti AC have named the five studios. The Boardroom/Studio 6 will bear the name of former Chair Julian Knights AO and his wife Lizanne and Chair Brett Clegg has named the Studio 5 foyer space. With public classes opening in the first week of January 2021 and the staff and dancers settling into the new space, the Wharf is now an invigorating, enlivening space. Sydney Dance Company’s promise for the future, to perform at our peak, to inspire and educate and to share dance with everyone, is made easy to execute in an exceptional, purpose built environment. We are grateful to the NSW Government for their visionary support of the Walsh Bay precinct redevelopment. They have invested not just in Sydney Dance Company but in all of the co-located performing arts companies and the thousands of people who attend classes and performances. We also want to thank each and every one of our Capital Campaign donors for their belief in our vision for a future for Sydney Dance Company and an enduring legacy for the ongoing development of contemporary dance in Australia.

2020 Impact Report

Vale Carla Zampatti AC 40

2020 Impact Report

On Carla and Sydney Dance Company

And her love of art was a powerful and You could never predict when she would arrive to a Board meeting. But there was never any doubt when she enduring force. Bonachela says, “Carla had a great love of did. There was not a room she inhabited that did not feel that singular presence. A delicate grace held itself in the artists and her support of Sydney Dance and of me as an artist came from a place of truly valuing what the arts air around her like some magical gossamer which you brings to all our lives. Around the Board table she was an could surely glimpse if you glanced sharply enough out incredible diplomat with wonderful tenacity - a powerful of the side of your eye. combination. Carla always put the art first.” Carla Zampatti AC came to Sydney Dance Each February, on an invariably balmy summer Company at a time of its greatest need. evening, Carla would throw open the doors to her Around the turn of the last decade ours was beautiful Woollahra home to host a fundraiser to support an institution near destitute and in a state of upheaval commissioning of new choreography, music, costume following calamity both on and off the stage. Over the and design. At our last in February 2020, a matter of following years, including close to nine as a Board short weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic, guests member, Sydney Dance Company was blessed with were welcomed with a garden duet by Davide di Giovani her natural élan, exceptional business acumen and, and Juliette Barton from Rafael’s then forthcoming work frankly, simply the glow of her presence which made Impermanence, a powerful reflection on the fragility every challenge – from major fundraising to pandemic of life. shutdowns – less daunting. There is so much about Impermanence, whose Hers was an almost otherworldly elegance. journey to the stage was ultimately delayed for twelve One that was manifest in a delicate poise and serene months with the onset of the pandemic, that has been countenance at our Board table. While undoubtedly resonant for all of us this in this uncertain time. innate to Carla as it is to such a rare few, clearly We will forever be grateful to the belief that hers was a wisdom forged like a diamond in tough experience. Resilience was a talent that she wore readily. Carla showed in us and the encouragement she would provide to Australian artists. One of my favourite of her Today, despite the ongoing pandemic impacts attributes, often delivered with arched eyebrow and on the performing arts, Sydney Dance Company is mischievous droll humour, was to help us understand thriving artistically with never greater recognition of the essential balance between the head and the heart its status around the globe. And financially we are that dictates most human endeavour. And undoubtedly thankfully robust. Such a situation would never have that of an arts Board. been without the contributions of many committed Carla was part of the Sydney Dance Company individuals, not the least of which was Carla. Her role in the reinvigoration of Sydney Dance family, and her family was a part of ours. In the late afternoon of April 3, as the terrible Company was immeasurable. Our Company was blessed that she immediately connected with the visceral, poetic news was still sinking in, the Company performed and urgent choreography of Rafael Bonachela soon after Rafael’s work Cinco at the Four Winds Festival at Bermagui on the NSW south coast. It was dedicated he became Artistic Director in 2008. In many respects to Carla with the five dancers adorned in ethereal she was our totem. She defined so many aspects of the Sydney Dance Company identity. The cosmopolitan. The costumes designed by her daughter, Bianca Spender. The natural backdrop provided a poignant moment to uncompromising. The daring. The exceptional. reflect on such a brilliant legacy. In her accomplishments, Carla spoke to There will be an enormous place left in our an Australia with a “grown up” identity. This was an hearts at Sydney Dance Company from Carla’s absence. easy sophistication. Not one that was earnest in a But it is not an unfulfilled place. There was nothing about need for Old World recognition. Or one built for status Carla that could be described as such in so bountiful and hierarchy around its people in the New. Rather a life. she embodied the best of our nation: achievement earned of merit, an egalitarian disposition, creative and fearless, the mindset of a global citizen, kindness Brett Clegg, Chair and compassion. Published in the Australian Financial Review, April 5 2021

2020 Impact Report

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. In 2020, the generosity and commitment of our donor and supporter community was critical to maintaining the stability and sustainability of the Company through such a financially unpredictable period. Philanthropic and sponsorship income represented 27% of Sydney Dance Company’s revenue in 2020. We welcomed the significant support of a number of grant-making trusts in 2020, including the Neilson Foundation, Thyne Reid Foundation, The Balnaves Foundation, Crown Resorts Foundation, Packer Family Foundation and Nelson Meers Foundation. As we adapted many of our programs to suit virtual connectivity in light of physical restrictions, their flexibility was transformational as it allowed us to pursue opportunities to keep our community connected. As we cancelled the first performance season of the year, we were heartened by the immediate response from our audiences, with 23% of those who held tickets donating their value, many of whom were making a gift for the first time. With additional cancellations of both our Melbourne and second Sydney seasons, this generosity continued. As with all of our activities in the first half of 2020, our donor engagement shifted online and we were delighted to be able to continue to “meet” with

our donor family in a series of virtual gatherings. From “opening nights” of Cuatro and Dance Locale, to Zoom cocktails to celebrate what would have been the start of a national tour with our Touring Circle, we were so pleased to be able to stay in touch, thanks to the power of technology. As restrictions eased and the dancers returned to the studio, we hosted a number of online rehearsal viewings, live from the studios, giving our community the opportunity to enjoy the rare treat of watching dance! Rafael and the dancers kept busy and creative, making numerous short videos and digital diaries to share. Our donors learned much about the dancers’ lives, interests and personalities that they wouldn’t have otherwise known; who knew that Victor Zarallo was a budding TV chef who makes a mean Spanish omelette! We celebrated a number of international awareness days, including Happiness, Dance and Gratitude and joined charities around the world in celebrating Giving Tuesday Now in May. The short film the dancers made to acknowledge Giving Tuesday Now was shared widely and resulted in generous support from 152 new donors to the Company. Fundraising dinners are a cornerstone of Sydney Dance Company’s philanthropic calendar and, in pre-pandemic in February 2020, supporters were delighted to attend an exquisite evening with Rafael, the dancers and the Australian String Quartet in the home of Board Member Carla Zampatti AC to raise funds for

2020 Impact Report

the creation of Impermanence. As 60 people enjoyed the elegant event, which included a live performance from the ASQ, we could never have known that this would be the last time we would gather in person with our donor family before COVID-19 hit our shores, and heartbreakingly, that this would be the last dinner the incredible Carla would host on our behalf. For a decade, Dance Noir has worn the crown as Dancing Queen of the Sydney fundraising parties and has been instrumental in raising significant funds. With gatherings of any scale impossible, Dance Noir At Home was conceived: a series of intimate dinner and small cocktail parties, simultaneously held in private homes, with online entertainment. In total, more than 200 people met together to celebrate Sydney Dance Company, dress in their best after months in active wear and fundraise to support our journey through 2020 with an online auction of luxury items and experiences and individual pledges. While everyone missed the mirror balls and dance floors of years gone by, Dance Noir At Home was an en pointe way to acknowledge the peculiarities of the year and a joyful celebration of our dance community. Our “At Home” hosts and Dance Noir Committee members were unparalleled in both their enthusiasm and generosity, adapting to ever-changing circumstances to facilitate this important fundraising event. Co-Chairs of the Dance Noir Committee, Board Director Pamela Bartlett and Creative Producer Peter Reeve were, as always, outstanding in their passion and drive.

Across the year, Sydney Dance Company activated a number of partnerships with like-minded companies striving to stay connected. Activewear brand P.E Nation worked with us to highlight the importance of physical and mental health; Medibank’s “Live Better at Home” initiative paired with the Virtual Studio and later in the year Medibank and Sydney Dance Company created “The World’s Fittest Dance Move” PR campaign, focussing on the amount of movement and dance Australia had missed out on during 2020. Family-owned Australian company, Demi & Co aligned their marquee product - The Demi Barre Duet – with our online ballet classes to great effect.

“Their warm and professional approach and our shared vision of innovation and adapting to the times allows our partnership to flourish.” Demi & Co. The commitment and generosity displayed by both philanthropic and commercial partners across the year was outstanding. 2020 was difficult for everyone and Sydney Dance Company is sincerely grateful to all of those who stood alongside us, with commitment and loyalty, as we navigated uncharted waters. Thank you.

2020 Impact Report

Thank You Our family of supporters and philanthropic donors has always been instrumental to so many elements of our work, from supporting the commissioning of new work, to keeping the Company on the road and underpinning many of our education and outreach activities. In 2020, our donor family stepped up and took on an even more significant role in keeping our dance community together and the Company moving forward through the financial challenges of the pandemic. We would like to thank all our Partners for their generous support and acknowledge those who have given anonymously. More than ever before, in 2020, we couldn’t have done it without you. Platinum Partners A special thank you to our Platinum Partners for their enduring commitment and passion for Sydney Dance Company. Robert Albert AO and Elizabeth Albert, The Balnaves Foundation, Jane and Andrew Clifford, Crown Resorts Foundation, Julian Knights AO and Lizanne Knights, Jules Maxwell, Naomi Milgrom AO, Naomi Milgrom Foundation, Andrew Messenger, The Neilson Foundation, Judith Neilson AM, Packer Family Foundation, Gretel Packer, Thyne Reid Foundation, The Wales Family Foundation, Carla Zampatti Foundation, Mary Zuber

Take a Step Campaign The next step has been taken and our home has been transformed, ready to welcome the next generation of dancers. We would like to thank the following Partners for their visionary support of our Take a Step Campaign. They have enabled the transformation of our physical space and underpinned our creativity for decades to come. NSW Government The Neilson Foundation, The Wales Family, Jane and Andrew Clifford, Catriona Mordant AM and Simon Mordant AO, the late Carla Zampatti AC, Julian Knights AO and Lizanne Knights, Brett Clegg and Annabel Hepworth Pam and Doug Bartlett, Kiera Grant and Mark Tallis, Mark Hassell, The Alexandra and Lloyd Martin Family Foundation, Karen Moses, Emma-Jane Newton and Chris Paxton, Thyne Reid Foundation, Mary Zuber, Paul Brady and Christine Yip, Jane and Richard Freudenstein, Cullman Family Fund, David Mathlin, In memory of Nola McCullagh, Ezekiel Solomon AM, Judi Wolf and Alden Toevs Rafael Bonachela and Joe Lawler, Michelle and Logan Boyle, Jillian Broadbent AC and Olev Rahn, Peter and Liz Brownie, Tony Burke and the late Janice Burke, Benjamin Cisterne, Zoë Cobden-Jewitt and Peter Jewitt, Debbie Coffey, Alexandra Considine, Jade and Richard Coppleson, Chum Darvall AM and Sonja Woodwell, Anne Dunn and Patricia Buick, Donna and Carl Jackson, Tina and Mark Johnson, Longreach Ownership Trust, Macquarie Group Foundation, Rohan Morris, Lizzi Nicoll, Nick Read, Margaret Payn, Peter Reeve and Jaycen Fletcher, Chrissy Sharp and Michael Lynch, Leslie Stern, Victoria Taylor, Susan Wynne Dancers’ Circle To celebrate our milestone 50th anniversary in 2019, we are proud to have launched the Dancers’ Circle, which directly supports the growth and development of our ensemble of dancers, enabling pathways for their time with the Company and beyond. Patron: Julian Knights AO Kyril Agnew, Paul Brady and Christine Yip, Tony Burke and the late Janice Burke, Brett Clegg and Annabel Hepworth, The Hansen Family, Julian Knights AO and Lizanne Knights, In memory of Nola McCullagh, Lorraine Tarabay and Nick Langley, Mary Zuber 2020 Pre-Professional Year Scholarships Doug Hall Foundation Scholarship, The Wales Family Scholarship, Mary Zuber Scholarship, The Hepzibah Artist Development Program

2020 Impact Report

Annual Partner Program 2020 Performance Partners $20,000+ Cullman Family Fund, Tim Fairfax AC, Andrew and Emma Gray, Susan Maple-Brown AM and the late Robert Maple-Brown AO, Emma-Jane Newton and Chris Paxton, Neil and Rachel Sinden Studio Partners $10,000+ Pam and Doug Bartlett, Paul Brady and Christine Yip, Jillian Broadbent AC and Olev Rahn, Tony Burke and the late Janice Burke, Hilary Burton and Craig Goodman, Brett Clegg and Annabel Hepworth, Manuela Darling-Gansser and Michael Darling, Susie Dickson and Martin Dickson AM, Deborah and David Friedlander, Ian Galloway and Linda Treadwell, Margaret Gibbs, John Griffiths and Beth Jackson, Belinda Hutchinson AC and Roger Massy-Greene AM, In memory of Nola McCullagh, Catriona Mordant AM and Simon Mordant AO, the late Erin Ostadal and the late Billy Ostadal, Greg Peirce, Kellie and Warryn Robertson, Turnbull Foundation, Barbara Wilby and Christopher Joyce Duet Partners $5,000+ Aidan and Aleks Allen, Ralph Ashton, Hayley and James Baillie, Aniek Baten, Berg Family Foundation, Karola Brent and Tim Reed, Nerida Caesar, Andrew Cameron AM and Cathy Cameron, Caroline and Glenn Crane, Chum Darvall AM and Sonja Woodwell, Suellen and Ron Enestrom, James and Jacqui Erskine, Kay Freedman and the late Ian Wallace, Kathryn Greiner AO, Linda Herd, Fraser Hopkins, Tina and Mark Johnson, David Jonas and Desmon Du Plessis, John Kaldor AO, Susie Manfred and Hunter McPherson, Paris Neilson and Todd Buncombe, Roslyn Packer AC, peckvonhartel architects, Rebel Penfold-Russell OAM, Peter Reeve and Jaycen Fletcher, The Rossi Foundation, Penelope Seidler AM, Peter and Victoria Shorthouse, Bianca Spender and Sam McGuiness, Leslie Stern, Victoria Taylor, Alenka Tindale, Ray Wilson OAM, Judi Wolf and Alden Toevs, Adam Worling Public Relations Dance Partners $2,000+ Janet Abernethy and Richard Willis, Paul Bedbrook, Marco Belgiorno-Zegna AM and Angela BelgiornoZegna, John and Susan Blue, Phillip and Catherine Brenner, Jane Bridge, Peter Chadwick, Janine Collins, Rochelle Collis, Mark Coppleson and Victoria Morish, Tanya Diesel, Mike Dixon and Dr Dee de Bruyn, Ari and Lisa Droga, Robyn and John Fennell, Susanne de Ferranti, Belinda Gibson, Girgensohn Foundation, Bradford Gorman and Dean Fontana, Rick Gove, John Head, Amanda Heckes, Hue-Williams Family, Allen Iu and Bernadette Walker, Gabrielle Iwanow, Tony Jones, Les Kennedy, Marina and Richard Leong, David and Jacqueline Lindberg, Dr Gary Nicholls and Niall Barlow, Tony O’Regan, Susan Perrin-Kirby, Sarah Rennie, CA Scala and DB Studdy, Cynthia Scott, Matt Shelmerdine, Ezekiel Solomon AM, Allegra Spender and Mark Capps, Cheryl M Spoor, Stuart Thomas

Rehearsal Partners $1,000+ Lenore Adamson and the late Ross Adamson, Antoinette Albert, John Barrer, Samantha Bartlett, Steve Bennett, Penny Broekhuizen, Jacqui Burton, Jenny Chang, Peter Cook and Luci Christie, Rob Coombe, Judy Crawford, Susie Davison, Bahar Etminan and Herbert Appleroth, Annalise Faifax, Helen Forrester, Steve and Emma Fouracre, David Gallagher and Cathy Poulden, Julie Godfrey and Steve Lang, Amber Gooley, Alex Greenwich, Christine Guilfoyle, Ben Harlow, Cheryl Hatch, Graham and Judy Hubbard, Elias and Jana Juanas, Virginia Judge, Vaughn and Helen Jurisich, Rebecca and Ben Keeble, Margaret Kelly, Alicia K Kemp, Elizabeth Laverty, Tanja Liedtke Endowment, Doreen and Phillip Marsh, Deborah and Michael Mills, Jane McCallum, Peter McGee, Bruce and Nicky McWilliam, Clare Munnelly, Helen Pagnin and Angie Ellis, Marion Pascoe, Dr Natalie E Pelham, Fiona Playfair Greeba Pritchard, Kate Richardson and Chris Marrable Jenny Rigg, Dominique Robinson, James Rozsa and Julie Barnes, Dr Brindha Shivalingam, Fiona Sinclair and Peter King, Jann Skinner, Catherine Smithson Stedmans, Ross Steele AM and Alan Toohey, Mike Thompson, Sylvia Tooth, Sherlock Wealth, Annie and Anthony Whealy, Kathy White, John and Gay Woods Ensemble Partners $250 - $999 Andrew Adney, Lillian and Peter Armitage, LE and TC Armstrong, Rob Armstrong, Dr Paul John Atkinson, Martin Aungle and Shelley Armsworth, Frank Barnes, Dr Cynthia a Beckett and Gordon Smith, Robina Bamforth, Larissa Behrendt AO, Bill and Marissa Best, Melinda Best, Ted Blamey, Bodycentric, Sean M Brannigan, Sarah Brasch, Judith Campbell, Shane Carroll, Michelle Casey, Stephen Chase and Colette Baini, Min Li Chong, Jacque Cook, Belinda Darvall, Margaret Davies, Lesley Dutch, Elisabeth and Grahame Elder, David Emery and Eric Hudson, Marilyn Anne Forbes, Yvette Forrester, Kerry Gardner AM, Elizabeth and Ben Gilbert, Geoff Greenwell, Rachael Haggett, Simon Haigh, Danielle Herman, Hannah Hibbert, Katrina Hilton Pilates, Kaye Hocking, Helen Hooper, Nabeel and Marian Ibrahim, John Jelbart, Josephine Key and Ian Breden, Robert Kidd, Phillip King, Skye Leckie OAM and David Leckie, Amanda L'Estrange and Richard Eskell, Andrew and Charlotte Lennox, Judi LeVine, Dale and Michael Mackie, Manuel and Joanne Makas, Jane and Martin Mallen-Cooper, Connie McKeage, Kathryn McKenzie, The Murphy Family, Aarone Neill and Michael Daley, Matina Papathanasiou, Clive Parsons and Sharon Ditmarsch, Catherine Parr and Paul Hattaway, Graham and Karen Paxton, Michael and Vivienne Pusey, Mary Read, Wouter Roesems, Diego V Rossello, Mark and Jennifer Royle, Norman R Scott, James Sharp and Karl May, Michael Silman and Gavin Sommer, Adrian Sironic, Lucy De Sousa, Caroline Spence, Janine Stewart, Guy Thompson, Christine Thomson, Anne Whitehead, Dr Rick Wilcox, Svetlana Varlamova, Di Yeldham, Alan and Flavia Young, Silke and Christian Zentner

2020 Impact Report

Our Performance

2020 began with Sydney Dance Company operating out of temporary accommodation in three locations as work continued on the renovation of the Walsh Bay head office and studios. This was completed in the last quarter of 2020 and the Company received the keys to begin fit out during November 2020, with operations commencing in early January 2021.  Sydney Dance Company was able to deliver one performance season, New Breed, at Carriageworks  in December 2020 under the restraints of limited theatre seating capacity. PPY20 Revealed, the graduation program for Sydney Dance Company’s advanced training program, was also delivered in December 2020. All other scheduled performances and tours for the year were cancelled due to COVID-19. Sydney Dance Company reacted quickly to the pandemic and within six days of the shutdown launched Virtual Studio. This ticketed, online dance class program allowed the Company to preserve some self-generated revenue flows, as well as continue to provide meaningful work for the dancers, technicians and many of the casual teachers. Once the studios opened in the second half of the year, a mixed offering of both “in person” classes in the studios (under strict COVID-19 conditions, including capped attendance numbers), and online classes delivered via the Virtual Studio was maintained. The Company turned its artistic attention to the digital world and produced and released 11 new dance works on film. Nine of these were choreographed by Rafael Bonachela and performed by the dancers of Sydney Dance Company across the Cuatro series (four films) and the Dance Locale series (five films). Two further film projects, Habituate by Charmene Yap and Sue Healy’s Circumstance 2020 were created with the PPY student cohort.

Across 2020, Sydney Dance Company employed 150 staff and contractors, with 68% of them artists or production workers. A full-time ensemble of 17 dancers was maintained and 82 staff accessed JobKeeper payments, including 36 casual teaching staff. Sydney Dance Company has recorded an operating surplus of $1,063,192 for 2020 and an overall surplus of $2,246,197. The overall result is inclusive of Capital Campaign contributions of $1,183,005: Sydney Dance Company is currently raising funds to support its commitments and expenses relating to the revitalisation of its home at Walsh Bay. These commitments include a Tenant Works Contribution payable to the NSW Government over the next 10 years.  Total income for the period was $11,268,662. This is made up of operational income of $7,912,007, infrastructure related income of $1,183,005 from donations for the Capital Campaign and JobKeeper income of $2,173,650.   Expenses for the year total $9,022,465.  This consists of operational expenses of $6,563,854, including the expenditure of JobKeeper support on wages of $2,173,650 and infrastructure project related expenses of $284,961.   The commencement of the lease at Walsh Bay had a significant effect on the Company’s Balance sheet and P&L at reporting date and will continue in future years due to the accounting required under “AASB 16 Leases”.    Comparisons with prior years are skewed by the extraordinary conditions of 2020.

2020 Impact Report

Performances 2020 Sydney 17 Canberra 0 Melbourne 0 Other State Capital Cities 0 NSW Regional 0 Australia Regional excl. NSW 0 International 0 Total Performances

2019 40 3 6 9 - 6 10 74

Paid Audiences 2020 Sydney 2,568 Melbourne 0 Darwin 0 Hobart 0 Adelaide 0 NSW Regional 0 Australia Regional excl. NSW 0 International 0 Total Paid Audience 2,568

2018 37 6 6 6 4 8 17 81

2019 2018 15,039 15, 304 3,158 2, 771 357 346 1,465 2,017 - 1,308 1,915 3,528 7,390 18,600 32,698 43,402

Unpaid Audience*

248

5,934

6,056

Total Audience

2,816

38,632

49,458

Number of seasons presented in Sydney Number of new dance commissions Number of new music commissions Number of different works in repertoire during the year Number of new dance works on film

2 7 5 8 11

4 10 7 11 -

4 9 9 13 -

Education & Outreach 2020 Number of School Matinees 0 Attendance at School Matinees 0 Number of Workshops, Masterclasses 242 and In-school Performances (face to face and online in 2020) Attendance at Workshops, Masterclasses 4,825 and In-school Performances (face to face and online in 2020) Pre-Professional Year Students 25 Attendance in Open Dance Classes 122,235 Attendance at School Holiday Workshops 415 Reach of SDC activities 130,367

2019 7 4,321 344

2018 4 3,176 275

8,110

7,072

24 78,211 1,780 127,326

26 78,918 1,371 141,242

2020

2019

2018

$11,268,662** $9,022,465 $2,246,197

$ 11,965,879 $ 11,140,740 $ 825,139

$ 12,462,133 $ 12,208,873 $ 253,260

Financial Results Income Expenses Surplus

*Includes sponsor and other complimentary tickets **Income is inclusive of $2,173,650 JobKeeper revenue and $1,183,005 Capital Campaign revenue

2020 Impact Report

Sydney Dance Company 2020

Board of Directors Brett Clegg (Chair) Pamela Bartlett David Baxby Jillian Broadbent AC David Friedlander Mark Hassell Catriona Mordant AM Sandra McCullagh Emma-Jane Newton Paris Neilson Chrissy Sharp The late Carla Zampatti AC Patron Dame Darcey Bussell DBE Founding Patron Dancers’ Circle Julian Knights AO Ambassadors Judy Crawford Bee Hopkins Jules Maxwell Dance Noir Committee 2020 Co-Chairs: Pamela Bartlett, Peter Reeve Committee: Sally Burleigh, Jane Clifford, Debbie Coffey, Georgina Fergusson, Mandy Foley, Alexa Haslingden, Tina Johnson, Jan Logan, Jane McCallum, Christina Voitenko, Michelle Walsh and Judi Wolf.

Management Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela Executive Director Anne Dunn Deputy Executive Director Lizzi Nicoll Executive Assistant Andy Grant Project Manager Nick Read Producer Dominic Chang Programming Coordinator Kerry Thampapillai Chief Financial Officer Sean Radcliffe Finance Advisor Amanda Descoeudres Accountant Melissa Sim Payroll Assistant Carina Mision Susan Bowmer (Maternity Cover) Chief Commercial Officer Caroline Spence Director of Operations & Open Programs Polly Brett Dance Class Manager Ramon Doringo Learning Manager Sam Dashwood Schools & Community Coordinator Emma Powell El Gammal (until June 2020) Learning Coordinator Alys Gwillim Education Strategic Advisor Helen Cameron Customer Service Manager & Ticketing Specialist John Calvi Customer Service Assistant Jenna Suffern

2020 Impact Report

Head of Training Linda Gamblin Pre-Professional Year Course Coordinator Omer Backley-Astrachan Head of Philanthropy Michelle Boyle Philanthropy Coordinator Elle Cahill (until June 2020) Philanthropy Coordinator Anya Platoskina Corporate Development Manager Marcus Hurley Corporate Partnerships & Events Executive Lachlan Bell Head of CRM and Business Intelligence Heath Wilder Head of Marketing Zena Morellini Digital Marketing Manager Daniel Azzopardi (until April 2020) Marketing Coordinator Adrienne Salmon Marketing & Publicity Assistant Laura Wong Publicity Manager Alexandra Barlow Kabuku PR (Maternity Cover) Resident Multimedia Artist Pedro Greig Technical Director Guy Harding Stage Manager Simon Turner Production Coordinator Tony McCoy Production Technicians James Lister Jenn Ryan Head of Wardrobe Annie Robinson Costume Makers Monika Smith Brooke Cooper-Scott Sound Operator Annika Unsen

The Company Rehearsal Director Chris Aubrey Rehearsal Associate Charmene Yap Dancers Juliette Barton Ariella Casu Isabella Crain Davide Di Giovanni Janessa Dufty (until March 2020) Dean Elliott Riley Fitzgerald Jacopo Grabar Liam Green Luke Hayward Telea Jensen Dimitri Kleioris Rhys Kosakowski Chloe Leong Jesse Scales Emily Seymour Mia Thompson Chloe Young Victor Zarallo

Education Advisory Group Helen Cameron Lesley Graham Julie Dyson Ruth Osborne Susan Rix

Company Doctor Dr. Michael Berger Sports Doctor Dr. James Lawrence Physiotherapists Ashlea-Mary Cohen April-Rose Ferris Company Teachers Emily Amisano Richard Cilli Joshua Consandine Holly Doyle Cathie Goss Lisa Griffiths Eileen Hall Lucas Jervis Phillip Klaus (Accompanist) Iohna Mercer Cass Mortimer Eipper Todd Sutherland James Taylor Sarah Thompson

2020 Impact Report

Our Partners The contribubtion of our partners and sponsors is essential to the operation of Sydney Dance Company. We are grateful for their investment in our vision in 2020.

Government Partners

Contact

Sydney Dance Company is assisted by the Australian Government through the Australian Council, its arts and funding advisory body.

Sydney Dance Company is supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW.

For more information, please contact Deputy Executive Director Lizzi Nicoll, lizzin@sydneydance company.com

New Breed Principal Partner

Major Partner

Photo Credits

Rafael Bonachela Daniel Boud Bianca De Marchi Pedro Greig Cass Mortimer Eipper Ben Symons Foundation Partners

Company Partners

Industry Partner

Government Supporters

Supporters

CAPI, Champagne Pommery, Committee for Sydney, Demi Barre, Medibank, Pearsons Florist, Stedmans, Tattersalls Club Hyde Park, UTS Business School

2020 Impact Report

sydneydancecompany.com @sydneydanceco

Phone: 61 2 9221 4811 Address: GPO Box 1598 Sydney NSW 2001 Visit: Wharf 4/5, 15 Hickson Road, DAWES POINT, NSW 2000 Email: sdc@sydneydancecompany.com ABN: 59 002 707 897

2020 Impact Report

Articles inside

Sydney Dance Company 2020

Annual Partner Program 2020

Your Impact

Return to the Wharf

Pre-Professional Year

Thank You

Vale Carla Zampatti AC

Dance Locale

Chair's Report

Cuatro

A Year of Transformation

Artistic Director’s Report

Executive Director’s Report

Virtual Studio

A Dark Theatre

The Company