PPY21 Revealed Program by SydneyDanceCompany

SYDNEY DANCE COMPANY AND CARRIAGEWORKS PRESENT

PPY21 Revealed 15–17 Dec

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Government Partners

Rafael Bonachela Artistic Director

Welcome to PPY21 Revealed! It’s absolutely marvellous that we are able to gather here this evening to celebrate the achievements of the Pre-Professional Year 2021 cohort and enjoy their graduation performance. This year’s young dancers have navigated another Covid-disrupted year with grace and aplomb and I congratulate them on their resilience and tenacity. 2021 has been a very special year, the first of our extended PPY Program. When PPY began in 2014, it was always our hope that we could offer a formal second year of training and this year we celebrate the achievements of a cohort of more than 40 dancers across PPY1 and PPY2. To have opportunity to further extend the professional skills of each of these young dancers has been a pleasure for us all. Now more than ever, the future of the cultural sector in Australia is so very important and this exceptional and talented group is leading the charge. Covid restrictions have once again seen the teaching year split – the dancers have worked both in the Studio and online - and this cohort has responded magnificently to what has been a challenging year. I am so very proud of all that they’ve achieved. Their creativity and artistry have flourished and the dedication and passion that I see in each of the dancers – each time they step into the studio to take class, to do a workshop, attend a rehearsal or perform together on Zoom – is such a joy.

It has been a delight to be involved in the creative growth of these amazing dancers over the past year and I am very pleased to see them performing an excerpt from my own work, Frame of Mind, as well as brand new works from Training Associate Gabrielle Nankivell, Pre-Professional Year Course Coordinator Omer Backley-Astrachan and guest choreographers James Batchelor and James Vu Anh Pham. Gabrielle’s work also includes a digital component and I invite you to explore the Modern Analogue Archive website for the full experience of this work. I wish the graduates of 2021 the very best for what I’m sure will be an exceptionally promising future! Thanks must go to our artistic staff for their inexhaustible expertise, dedication and care: Head of Training Linda Gamblin, Course Coordinator Omer Backley-Astrachan, Training Associate Gabrielle Nankivell, Company Rehearsal Director Richard Cilli and Rehearsal Associates Charmene Yap and Juliette Barton. Without them, this course would not be possible. I also acknowledge and express gratitude to our donors for their ongoing support which enables us to nurture this next generation of young artists. I hope you enjoy PPY21 Revealed! Rafael Bonachela Artistic Director

Front cover photo by Daniel Boud Photo on left page by Pedro Greig

Linda Gamblin Head of Training

2021 marks the biggest year yet for our Pre-Professional dancers with the introduction of a second-year program, and we are blessed to have more than 40 young dancers emerge through this year’s season of PPY21 Revealed. It has always been intended for the Pre-Professional Year to be a roadmap for interpersonal discovery and development through dance, dialogue and debate. In addition to this, 2021 was nothing short of a challenge which our cohort has masterfully navigated, creating a vibrant year of excellence. I extend my heartfelt appreciation to our Pre-Professional Year Team: Course Coordinator Omer Backley-Astrachan and Training Associate Gabrielle Nankivell. Together they have brought an invaluable presence of mentorship, guidance and compassion to our younger generation of dancers, supporting individuals to carry themselves with creativity and confidence. Many thanks and gratitude are extended to Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela for his ongoing vision and passion for the Pre-Professional Year program and the future of dance itself. This evening, our first-year dancers will present excerpts of Rafael Bonachela’s work Frame of Mind. The study of this intricate choreography has fostered innovative growth and movement amongst our dancers. I’d like to extend this gratitude to our Rehearsal Associates Charmene Yap and Juliette Barton who share the vision of this work, offering coaching and insight to draw out newfound artistry.

Tonight, we are honoured to present five newly commissioned choreographic works. From our in-house team of choreographers Omer Backley-Astrachan presents Folk, a journey to his background in Israeli dance and folklore; and Gabrielle Nankivell creates Modern Analogue Archive, a poetic work spanning live performance and digital multimedia. Additionally, we welcome the works of guest choreographers: James Vu Anh Pham presents his new work Eden, taking us into a mythical world with music by Claude Debussy; and Occasions by James Batchelor, a transformative and touchingly beautiful dance soiree. We are immensely grateful to all the phenomenal choreographers, collaborators, designers and affiliates who contributed to every single work that is presented tonight. Thank you for bringing this graduation performance season to life. Finally, dear dancers of the Pre-Professional Year. Thank you for your focus, openness and passion this year. For informing our program with your infectious effervescence. Your unique vision for the future is instilled in your dedication and bravery in the present moment. Stay curious and adaptive. Your adventures are only just beginning. Linda Gamblin Head of Training

Program PPY21 Revealed

Eden James Vu Anh Pham Occasions James Batchelor Folk Omer Backley-Astrachan

20 mins 17 mins 6 mins

Interval

20 mins

Modern Analogue Archive Gabrielle Nankivell

23 mins

Frame of Mind Rafael Bonachela

22 mins

We thank and acknowledge Hermès Australia for its generous support as the PPY21 Revealed Production Partner.

Photo by Wendell Teodoro

Eden James Vu Anh Pham

Inspired by the myth of the Shahmaran, a half woman half snake, peaceful creature. The textures and idiosyncrasies in the work slowly reveal pockets of narrative, themes of family, power, deities and creatures. An ambiguous, dark, atmospheric-warped reality hinting at a fantastical and romanticised existence in a utopic Garden of Eden. Themes of euphoria and intoxication arise from the dancers as they venture into the rich and entangled world of Eden.

Choreography

James Vu Anh Pham

Μusic

Prélude a l’apres-midi d’un faune – Claude Debussy Shahmaran – Sevdaliza

Additional Sound Design

Jack Jenkins

Lighting Design

Alexander Berlage

Costume Design

Annie Robinson

Opening and Second Night Cast

PPY2 Dancers: Josie Cullen, Taiga Kita-Leong, Siobhan Lynch, Texas Nixon-Kain, Hugo Poulet, Isobel Turner

Closing Night Cast

PPY2 Dancers: Lily Boston, Josie Cullen, Lachlan Doherty, Juliet Hoeberigs, Sophie Roberts, Isobel Turner

Occasions James Batchelor

Occasions is a collectively constructed, celebratory dance experience. Using a shared vocabulary, moments of synchronicity emerge as the dancers make themselves available to connection. A dreamscape of swelling energies and drifting winds is formed by their snaking pathways through the seemingly limitless space. Amidst the repetition and continuity of dancers coming and going, Occasions highlights the subtle ingredients that combine to form a heightened, ecstatic moment through a communal sense of presence and attention.

Choreography

James Batchelor

Composer

Morgan Hickinbotham

Lighting Design

Alexander Berlage

Costume Design

Annie Robinson

Associate Designer

Eliza Cooper

Cast

PPY1 Dancers: Lucy Angel, Ronan Armstrong, Ruby Brazzalotto, Carmelita Buay, Sofia Chavez Hyde, Isabella Ciappara, Lillian Fearn, Sophia Fell, Amy Gallery, Phillipa Keogh, Stefani Lois, Summer McGee, Koko Mukai, Mia Polinelli, Erin Shackcloth, Katie Shawsmith, Shontaya Smedley, April Stubbs, Charisse Timermanis, Lucy Tobin, Jessica Vongphachan, Rory Warne, Luci Young

Folk Omer Backley-Astrachan

Folk pays homage to dance in the way it was practiced before it became a career choice, or something to pursue. The creation process of Folk reminded me of the celebration, play and kinship that are formed when dancing truly together. Sharing space, holding hands and moving as one all contributed to this feeling of belonging. Especially now, amidst restrictions and social distancing, to the people around us, and in a more profound way to who we are as human beings outside contexts of selffulfillment, influence and capital.

Choreography

Omer Backley-Astrachan

Music

Silouan’s Song – Arvo Pärt

Lighting Design

Alexander Berlage

Costume Design

Annie Robinson

Cast

PPY2 Dancers: Jackson Biala, Lily Boston, Amy Clisby, Josie Cullen, Lachlan Doherty, Saskia Ellis, Jules Hoeberigs, Taiga Kita-Leong, Amber Lynch, Siobhan Lynch, Jada Narkle, Texas Nixon-Kain, Avalon Ormiston, Sophie Roberts, Isobel Turner, Niki Verrall, Zoe White

Modern Analogue Archive Gabrielle Nankivell

We’ve spent all this time dreaming of something else. Not our usual utopias, just something that makes us feel real. Our view framed by something larger than a screen. Touch that is skin to skin not skin to toughened glass. A connected sky and roads that don’t end at controlled borders. A distant horizon now closer. The time to come. Modern Analogue Archive – live is a collaborative venture exploring personal narrative, collective hope and the delight and heartache of creative labour. We offer the work as an ecstatic collection – an embodied site of being and a celebration of us. This live performance is accompanied by a digital repository of artistic material that reflects the project’s creative process. You can access the individual work of each performer by following the icon on their artist statements, or enter the chaos and choose your own adventure via the website link on page 14.

Direction and Choreography

Gabrielle Nankivell

Composer

Luke Smiles / motion laboratories

Lighting Design

Alexander Berlage

Costume Design

Annie Robinson

Choreography and Performance

PPY2 Dancers: Jackson Biala, Lily Boston, Amy Clisby, Josie Cullen, Lachlan Doherty, Saskia Ellis, Jules Hoeberigs, Taiga Kita-Leong, Amber Lynch, Siobhan Lynch, Jada Narkle, Texas Nixon-Kain, Avalon Ormiston, Hugo Poulet, Sophie Roberts, Isobel Turner, Niki Verrall, Zoe White 11

Excerpts from Frame of Mind Rafael Bonachela

I am delighted that this year, the PreProfessional Year dancers studied excepts from my work Frame of Mind. Frame of Mind was choreographed in 2015 on the dancers of Sydney Dance Company. Since then, it has toured across Australia and the world and has played to a wide range of audiences. Frame of Mind was conceptually born from my own experience of wanting to be in two places at once, both places equally important to me. Whatever decision I made would not be able to satisfy the complexity of my desires, nor the needs of those around me.

In many ways, Frame of Mind is a work which engages with the aspirations we all have, to engage and be understood without the need for words: to be held, supported, confronted, lifted and guided by those we hold dear. Frame of Mind is an acknowledgement of our emotional lives, our vulnerability, our empathy, our fragility and our strength. In 2021 the Pre-Professional Year ensemble worked closely with Sydney Dance Company’s Rehearsal Associates Juliette Barton and Charmene Yap to embody the dynamism and subtlety that is required for this work. I am excited that they are sharing this work with you tonight.

Choreography

Rafael Bonachela

Music

Aheym – Bryce Dessner Tenebre – Bryce Dessner Published by Chester Music by kind permission of the Wise Music Group Performed by Kronos Quartet

Lighting Design

Alexander Berlage

Costume Design

Ralph Myers

Costume Realisation

Annie Robinson

Cast

Sydney Dance Company dancers Jesse Scales and Richard Cilli in Frame of Mind (2015) Photo by Pedro Greig

2021 Projects

Modern Analogue Archive – Digital Modern Analogue Archive – Digital is a collection of diverse artistic material exploring the role of lived experience in the way we work and the art we make. Collated during lockdown, this digital repository reflects the Modern Analogue Archive project’s creative process and offers insight to the individual creative labour embedded in the work. Take a deep dive and explore…

Concept, Direction & Website

Gabrielle Nankivell

Creative Content

Lucy Angel, Ronan Armstrong, Ruby Barazzalotto, Jackson Biala, Lily Boston, Amy Clisby, Josie Cullen, Lachlan Doherty, Saskia Ellis, Sophia Fell, Amy Gallery, Jules Hoeberigs, Morgan Hurrell, Pip Keogh, Taiga Kita-Leong, Stefani Lois, Amber Lynch, Siobhan Lynch, Koko Mukai, Jada Narkle, Texas Nixon-Kain, Avalon Ormiston, Hugo E Poulet, Sophie Roberts, Katie Shawsmith, Isobel Turner, Niki Verrall, Rory Warne, Zoe White, Coco Wood, Luci Young

Website Sound Design, Composition & Programming

Luke Smiles / motion laboratories

2021 Projects

MCA

Faerie by Jesse Scales

In 2021 the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA) invited dancers of Sydney Dance Company’s Pre-Professional Year to perform a live work responding to the Connected: MCA Collection. In this experimental movement performed installation the dancers echoed these powerful artworks through motion.

Fairies are a thing of folklore, mythology and enchantment. A metaphysical motif for the magical. A common feature in our childhoods, fairies are also dotted throughout history: Renaissance art, beliefs, several cultural heritages and multiple sightings. Delving into childlike memories and fantasies, the Pre-Professional Year 2021 Dancers and I collaborated during lockdown to uncover the vast spectrum of fairies. Many often see the fairy purely as Disney’s Tinkerbell, or May Gibbs’ Snugglepot and Cuddlepie. But they aren’t just that. Many writings describe fairies stealing children in the night, as bringers of illness, spirits of fallen angles, and beings who display a penchant for trickery and mischievousness. These multifaceted traits are not limited to the fairy image. They are also in their being, their abilities, their morals, and their presence. With the dancers developing their own fairy personas, Faerie is an exploration of whole body character improvisation. A creation of sensations, emotions and realistic imaginings to produce an experienced sense of escapism. Be wary, for these fairies may lead you down the garden path. “I do believe in fairies! I do! I do!” – J.M. Barrie 15

2021 Projects

Elastic Stasis by Cass Mortimer Eipper Original music by Me-Lee Hay Elastic Stasis had its origins in 2021 Pre-Professional Year dancers discussing their thoughts and feelings about physical confinement at home during lockdowns imposed by COVID-19. We explored the way quarantined isolation alters how we inhabit space, and how the relationship between the voluntary and the involuntary inevitably shifts — sometimes in disturbing ways. As things become static and restricted, we yearn for them to be fluid and elastic. We imagine possibilities that we wouldn’t ordinarily entertain. The dancers illustrate this in the way they engage with domestic spaces, devices and artworks. Their movement dramatises how their relationship to the domestic environment alters, decomposing and re-composing their sense of the everyday and the real. The music score sought to reflect how we seek refuge in the digital world to cope with the confines of space and how this reality merged with real life. A fusion of digital sounds meeting classical instrumentation was chosen to represent this juxtaposition and the struggle between them. Uneasy timing choices with distinct synchronisation to the visual glitches were purposefully designed to create a sense of discordant realities. Photo by Wendell Teodoro

Photo by Wendell Teodoro

Pre-Professional Year Class of 2021

Photo by Pedro Greig

Pre-Professional Year 2021

Lucy Angel (PPY1)

Ronan Armstrong (PPY1)

The Pre-Professional Year has made me fall in love with dance again. This experience is something I’ll cherish and bring into my future practice. I am forever grateful and thankful for all the genuine support, love and inspiration I am surrounded by through my tutors, peers and role models. The course itself has brought awareness to the biomechanical ways of moving and incorporating mindfulness practices that are needed to maintain a healthy and happy dance career.

The Pre-Professional Year has been a melting pot of experiences and exposure that has shifted my outlook on dance as an art form. The course reflects the wide range of diversity and authenticity that is present in the dance industry. It is a perfect hybrid of exploration, creativity, technique, and agency.

Modern Analogue Archive

Pre-Professional Year 2021

Jackson Biala (PPY2)

Lily Boston (PPY2)

I had the space to discover that dance is not about technical or aesthetic movement but a vessel for my personality, thoughts and expression. My epiphany of the year is that dance is about feeling and it’s my personality that brings it to life. My sense of self, comfortability and professional development was amplified by the mindful and personal teachings of the program.

The Pre-Professional Year has provided a warm supportive environment through difficult periods of isolation and lockdowns. The course has given me valuable tools to enhance my training and develop a deeper awareness of who I am and where my passion resonates in this art form. The course has helped me to grow in all aspects of life and I am so grateful for the support, guidance and opportunities I have received.

Modern Analogue Archive

Pre-Professional Year 2021

Ruby Barazzalotto (PPY1)

Carmelita Buay (PPY1)

One of the things that I found enriching throughout my year in the Pre-Professional Year has been working with various national and international choreographers and professionals from within the contemporary dance industry. Learning their repertoire, techniques and experiencing their practice firsthand has been highly rewarding. The staff have been greatly supportive of all the dancers and have proven to be wonderful mentors as well as instructors. The beautiful studios at Sydney Dance Company have been a pleasure to work in and the views from studio windows have made my overall experience there magical and awe-inspiring.

Pre-Professional Year has been an experiential year of self-discovery, leading me to embrace a more holistic dance practice. The eclectic approaches to training have opened my eyes to the multifaceted contemporary dance realm, in which I have accrued invaluable skills and experience collaborating with industry renowned artists and creative practitioners. Whilst I have been pushed to transcend the boundaries of physical exploration, I too have established harmonious relationships within a cohesive cohort, creating a safe space for me to find comfort and pride in my individuality as an artist.

Modern Analogue Archive

Pre-Professional Year 2021

Sofia Chavez-Hyde (PPY1)

Isabella Ciappara (PPY1)

This year was a whirlwind of opportunity and growth. I was faced with the challenge of training within a constantly changing world and I am excited to use the tools that I have been equipped with in the Pre-Professional Year to enhance my future dance career.

The Pre-Professional Year was such a wholesome experience that I am incredibly grateful for. The physical and mental training delivered by many renowned artists led me on a journey to finding a deeper sense of self.

Pre-Professional Year 2021

Amy Clisby (PPY2)

Josie Cullen (PPY2)

Throughout the Pre-Professional Year I have been given opportunities to work with a range of guests and spend a week with the professional ensemble of Sydney Dance Company. This course not only allows you to be open to new ideas but also teaches you how to articulate your thoughts and beliefs through conversation. I have learnt to understand more of what I believe in and want to achieve as an individual. Pre-Professional Year had a huge impact on my life both within and outside of the studio allowing for selfdevelopment and independence. Leaving the course, I am now more at peace and accepting what the future may hold.

This year has been a whirlwind of exploration, revelation, and physicality. Seeking to find clarity often brought more questions than it did answers which had me questioning the role of art in society as a whole. My sense of being, although ever evolving, became more clear and not as scary to dive into. Pre-Professional Year has been an outlet for creativity, cultivation and re-evaluation of all aspects of life.

Modern Analogue Archive

Pre-Professional Year 2021

Lachlan Doherty (PPY2)

Saskia Ellis (PPY2)

I didn’t expect an entire term of the PreProfessional Year to be taught online due to lockdown. During this time, I had a big discovery in what I enjoy in my dance practice and how I want to develop that outside of a studio environment. Being from Brisbane, this course has been an excellent way to meet many different artists based in the Sydney area and to discover the different styles between cities.

time spiralled in coiling descends, the beginnings merged with the endlessness of ends, and my dance was caught in the archaeology of gentle listeners, and sweet friends i found the dance in the spaces between, and became suspended in endless inquiry the body encased the residue of time, in eternal ephemerality. the moon held our torque and the earth absorbed our forever abandoning dance amongst each slow dance with myself, i allowed humanness to unfurl and we caught the extremities of each other’s energies in our hearts and skeleton scaffold homes.

Modern Analogue Archive

Pre-Professional Year 2021

Lillian Fearn (PPY1)

Sophia Fell (PPY1)

During my first year in the Pre-Professional Year not only did I discover the subject of dance but through dance the curation of life. I came to understand the comfort of true choice. To feel the fear of knowing control. I learnt not only how to direct my body but also to be directed by it. I was entranced by the art of true movement, the force of change, and from change – balance. From that place came a true gift, the gift of knowing others. I have never felt more grateful for my encounters. This course has not only taught me dance but the power of humanity.

My experience of Pre-Professional Year impacted my dance technique tremendously and my overall wellbeing has improved as well. I used to fabricate my movement which led to injuries, this course aided me in accepting my body for the way it moves naturally and using that to my advantage. My lovely fellow classmates have been the kindest people I have met in the dance industry and the teachers have described concepts and information in truly clear and insightful ways.

Modern Analogue Archive

Pre-Professional Year 2021

Amy Gallery (PPY1)

Juliet Hoeberigs (PPY2)

Pre-Professional Year has taught me that dancing is so much more than technique, choreography and performance. The course showed me so many different parts of the industry, through the many choreographers and teachers we were lucky enough to work with. This opened my eyes to the numerous pathways that we can take within the dance world, and it taught me that every dancer’s journey is different. I find that so exciting.

The most important thing I can credit to the course this year is how I’ve learned to be comfortable in who I am. Pre-Professional Year has taught me that I genuinely don’t mind if the audience love or hate what I present. I care if it’s what I want them to see and experience. The opinions of others are their own but the greatest satisfaction isn’t the reaction I receive, it’s the knowledge that I have shown something I am proud of.  The nurturing yet realistic nature of the course is everything I never knew I needed.

Modern Analogue Archive

Pre-Professional Year 2021

Morgan Hurrell (PPY2)

Maci-Grace Johnson (PPY1)

Pre-Professional Year has opened my eyes to many new experiences allowing me to delve into a deeper thinking of movement. I’ve been challenged in engaging ways that have provoked my senses. The support network and relationships I’ve built this year are ones I will cherish forever. Pre-Professional Year provided an enriching environment that aided me in fulfilling my ambitions. I feel excited and grateful as I look to my future as a Sydney Dance Company trainee in 2022.

My experience being a part of Sydney Dance Company’s Pre-Professional Year program this year has been positive and one filled with growth. During each term, I was immersed in learning new things in both the technique classes and choreographic workshops. I had the opportunity to work with amazing established choreographers, which was a huge learning opportunity for me. I’m very happy with my experience in the Pre-Professional Year, especially during the COVID-19 lockdown when all training and classes were via Zoom.

Modern Analogue Archive

Pre-Professional Year 2021

Jonah Johnston (PPY1)

Sophie Jones (PPY2)

Sydney Dance Company has provided me with a safe space to come and express myself through voice and movement without judgment. As dancers, having a safe and comfortable atmosphere and environment in which we learn in is critical. The staff at Sydney Dance Company do a great job at prioritizing our health and safety and are always providing unconditional support. There were challenges along the way, however, I believe all of these challenges are shaping and molding me for my career outside of the Pre-Professional Year. This is a part of my journey. After graduation I plan to pursue a career in sharing my knowledge of dance and its importance to my culture with the younger generation.

My second year at Sydney Dance Company has allowed me to explore and expand on lessons of last year. I have formed a greater understanding of the path I want to take in my dance career. It has led me to a short contract with Sydney Dance Company and I owe it to the last two years with the support of my teachers and peers.

Pre-Professional Year 2021

Phillipa Keogh (PPY1)

Taiga Kita-Leong (PPY2)

This year my mentors and peers have introduced me to a diverse range of movement styles and to unique ways of thinking about dance practice. Through this exposure, the PreProfessional Year has allowed me to become more in touch with my interests within dance and how I want to present myself as an artist. I cherish the conversations we’ve had and am thankful for all the special intimate, thoughtful and funny moments that we’ve shared in the studios and hallways.

Pre-Professional Year has not only opened my perspectives on life but also my approach to creating and performing movement. I feel comfortable in my own body, having clarity between my mind and physical being. I have realised that within any art form whether that is dance or literature, life experiences, environmental elements, the people and things we interact with, the way we live our lives all have influences in the process of the making. We are always in the constant change of adaptation and evolution.

Modern Analogue Archive

Pre-Professional Year 2021

Stefani Lois (PPY1)

Amber Lynch (PPY2)

The unconditional support offered by the teachers and dancers in the Pre-Professional Year gave me the freedom to express myself wholeheartedly, in a way I never have before. The positive environment encouraged me to thrive in every way possible, denying all fear of vulnerability or judgment. It was an eye-opening experience into the world of contemporary dance, and the arts industry in its entirety. The lessons learned and opportunities provided from the course undoubtedly fueled my growth as a dancer and as a person, and I’m confident will continue to do so.

The Pre-Professional Year has given me a new perspective not only on dance but on life as well. I wasn’t expecting this year to be so eye opening and to learn so much about myself. The knowledge and guidance provided to us was amazing in preparing us to go out and into the dance world. The chats we had as groups with teachers in the studio were amazing, and I love how safe and open it was for people to talk and share their opinions and perspectives. The outlook on life and new ways of thinking and moving our bodies has amazed me through the experience with each new teacher.

Modern Analogue Archive

Pre-Professional Year 2021

Siobhan Lynch (PPY2)

Summer McGee (PPY1)

Through this uniquely strange year on a global scale, I was given the opportunity of time. Time with myself and my practice. To arrive at a deep appreciation and gratitude for this body, this art form and medium of expression. With an accumulation of experiences, I now understand the artist I am. I am not confined or limited to any medium. There are no constraints to living a creative existence.

The Pre-Professional Year has reignited my love of contemporary dance. Every day is something completely different from the last with new opportunities being provided to learn and grow as both dancer and artist. You quickly learn to expect the unexpected and I’m extremely grateful for all that I have learnt while here.

Modern Analogue Archive

Pre-Professional Year 2021

Koko Mukai (PPY1)

Jada Narkle (PPY2)

The Pre-Professional Year allowed me to uncover the maturity within myself not only as a dancer but also as a human being. This course encouraged me to explore the depths of my creativity which in turn helped me discover my identity, connecting the person I am to the dancer that I am. By being provided with the opportunity to work with renowned artists and choreographers, I am constantly surrounded by inspiration in all forms which drives my growth as an artist.

During the time in the Pre-Professional Year and the time that comes after, I believe the Djinanginy kaartdijin, seeing and understanding, of myself has become clearer. I find myself continually relearning, recontextualising and reshaping my reality. I am forever navigating the endless negotiations of Vā; space between, the between-ness, not empty space, not space that separates but space that relates, that holds separate entities and things. Contextualising questions to find questions. Moving through time cycles within space. Softening. Reclaiming autonomy and holding space within a Blak body. And eternally moving across the Nyitting that I occupy - looking back into the now.

Modern Analogue Archive

Pre-Professional Year 2021

Texas Nixon-Kain (PPY2)

Avalon Ormiston (PPY2)

Throughout this year I have been unexpectedly immersed in an environment which has allowed an investigation of seeking otherness beyond the actual dance. There has been an overwhelming sense of questioning and a constant urge to de-construct learnt ways of thought and movement, in order to create a condition in my body for new things to happen and evolve. I didn’t know that I wouldn’t know that once you know you don’t know … so now the fun begins.

Pre-Professional Year provided a rich and diverse insight into art and bridged the gap between human experience and movement. It’s the unexpected lessons I’ve learned in this course that have further prepared me for entering the dance industry and my future. This year I realised that everyone has a place in this industry, it’s just a matter of believing in that yourself. Everything we bring, our knowledge, experience, skills are all valid and incomparable. I faced challenges along the way, and rather than giving up I had to adapt to make these challenges work for me, allowing me to learn even more about myself.

Modern Analogue Archive

Pre-Professional Year 2021

Mia Polinelli (PPY1)

Hugo Poulet (PPY2)

I have taken on a new sense of self-awareness both physically and mentally. Thanks to the Pre-Professional Year, I am coming out of my first year feeling hungry and open for more. For more exploration into how I can implement what I have learned here at Sydney Dance Company across all aspects of my life. My biggest take away from this year is that I have the power to make choices. To consciously and continually choose how I exist within my environment. I am excited to return next year and continue exploring my journey in 2022

The Pre-Professional Year expanded my understanding of movement, creativity and my place within that. I’m grateful for the sharing of knowledge and ideas that are continuously being explored within the studio. Through this past year we have worked with a range of teachers and choreographers giving us insight into different processes of creative development. Sydney Dance Company’s PreProfessional Year is a melting pot for dancers who are willing to explore and re-define dance; it’s exciting to see where these amazing artists will end up. Modern Analogue Archive

Pre-Professional Year 2021

Sophie Roberts (PPY2)

Erin Shackcloth (PPY1)

Over the span of this year and out of all my time surrounded by such wonderful people, I have been extremely privileged to listen, discuss, agree (or disagree) and learn from everyone within the course. I have learnt from my friends and peers how diverse and wonderfully infinite dance can be within my life - I am eternally grateful for the care with which they have shared themselves with me throughout the duration of the course. The true essence of the Pre-Professional Year, in my opinion, is discovered within the people who are part of it, creating an endless cycle of discovery, tenderness and care for those who wish to have dance as part of their life.

Pre-Professional Year has created a diverse and authentic conversation about training, the industry, and a life within the arts. The realisation that my dance practice could exist within all aspects of my life was an epiphany for me. Throughout the year, I have curated a sustainable practice that aligns a mind-body connection and grounds my technique. I wholly believe that in my time at Pre-Professional Year I developed as much as a human as I did dancer, I learnt about myself and my dancing and the connection between the two. No matter my career path, dance will always be a defining factor in my life experience, I am so grateful to have been able to dance this year with such a generous and intelligent group of movers.

Modern Analogue Archive

Pre-Professional Year 2021

Katie Shawsmith (PPY1)

Shontaya Smedley (PPY1)

I didn’t expect my journey in the PreProfessional Year to be so different and inspiring. Working with a broad range of teachers and choreographers has offered me new ways to explore movement and has allowed me to thrive wholeheartedly in a creative environment. I truly believe I have discovered new sides to myself, both inside and outside of the studio. Tapping into true authentic movement and falling in in love with dance all over again.

My growth and development as a dancer and individual has been astronomical in my time in this course. It has enabled me to discover a new way of learning and find myself through improvisation and eye-opening exploration of the body and mind alike. Pre-Professional Year has really given me the opportunity to re-evaluate my understanding of contemporary dance through pushing boundaries and finding new pathways for my movement and creativity.

Modern Analogue Archive

Pre-Professional Year 2021

April Stubbs (PPY1)

Charisse Timermanis (PPY1)

This year at Pre-Professional Year has been really eye opening. I have learnt so much about the contemporary dance industry as well as myself as a person and an artist. PreProfessional Year has taught me new ways to think and move which has developed me into a more mature dancer, mover and person through the quality, extensive training that the Pre-Professional Year offers.

2021 has been the most eye-opening year of my life in countless ways. Pre-Professional Year has given me the space and opportunity to grow and find myself as a person and an artist, discovering what it means to be authentically me – not only in my movement, but in my life. Working with so many diverse artists has exposed me to new ways of moving, thinking, and creating. With every new artist, my perception of dance shifts, as the world of contemporary dance keeps proving to have infinite possibilities. I’m so grateful for the positive and mature environment as I feel free to express and explore myself as a dancer and an individual.

Pre-Professional Year 2021

Lucy Tobin (PPY1)

Isobel Turner (PPY2)

Pre-Professional Year has offered a truly holistic experience in furthering my training and opening my understanding of dance beyond a sole focus on physical form, to find my own artistic voice. Pre-Professional Year has equipped me not only for pathways in dance but empowered agency over creating and realising the power of a multifaceted vision. The people I have been surrounded with have offered real intention to help cultivate a selfreflective understanding of myself and others, revealing the power within creative diversity.

Pre-Professional Year has brought together every possible facet of artistry in a manner that has empowered me to place value in my individual self as an artist. In the unpredictable state of the world, I feel that from my experience over the past two years in PreProfessional Year I can draw on my own selfunderstanding and take risks that continually expand my abilities as an artist.

Pre-Professional Year 2021

Niki Verrall (PPY2)

Jessica Vongphachan (PPY1)

Over time, the elements of Pre-Professional Year grew to be familiar and I became well accustomed to it, and the finer detail of what makes this course so important become blurred. Yet, I feel widely different from the me that entered the course, morphing into the collection of my frequent and smaller realisations that I don’t altogether remember, but which hold great value to me. I am very glad this all happened, and thankful I got to be in the room.

Pre-Professional Year acts as a great facilitator for personal growth as a dancer, and especially as a person. I didn’t expect to learn so much in such a short amount of time. The course has helped me grow into myself, challenging my outlook on life and opening my approach to my dance practice dramatically. This has been a transformative year, and I have met so many amazing, inspiring people along the way.

Modern Analogue Archive

Pre-Professional Year 2021

Rory Warne (PPY1)

Zoe White (PPY2)

Pre-Professional Year has held a space for me to discover myself as a person alongside exploring the artist I am becoming. Learning from a range of renowned artists has introduced me to a broad scope of the industry and supported my development and growth as a professional dancer.

This year I’ve truly reflected and grown on a deep level, received levels of support truly unanticipated, and been given the agency to grow, validate myself, and learned to have an openness and curiosity to my movement and creative process, to allow space for possibilities to arise. Pre-Professional Year has taught me to trust in the ever evolving process, and focus on quality and sensation over striving for preconceived ideals. To honor my body, its capabilities and boundaries, and to give it the voice and space to go where it needs to go while quieting the mind as an observer.

Modern Analogue Archive

Pre-Professional Year 2021

Coco Wood (PPY2)

Luci Young (PPY1)

In my second year of the Pre-Professional Year program my aim was to continue my development in contemporary technique with exposure to as broad a range of choreographic styles as possible whilst working in a caring and collaborative environment. Zoom classes during lockdowns really reinforced my appreciation of having the privilege of working together in the studio with fellow dancers. I feel deeply honored to have been offered a trainee contract with the company for 2022 and am excited at the prospect of working hard to continue my future with Sydney Dance Company.

Pre-Professional Year has broadened my idea of dance and encouraged me to value myself as an artist. My mind has been opened to many new ideas and it’s provided a safe place for me to try new things. We share a space that’s sometimes silly, sometimes serious but always full of love and care for each other. I am forever grateful to the friends I have made this year and all of the smiles and laughs along the way.

Modern Analogue Archive

Photo by Wendell Teodoro

Pre-Professional Year

Board of Directors

Management

Brett Clegg (Chair) Pam Bartlett David Baxby Jillian Broadbent AC David Friedlander Emma Gray Alexa Haslingden Mark Hassell Catriona Mordant AM Sandra McCullagh Emma-Jane Newton Paris Neilson

Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela

Patron Dame Darcey Bussell DBE

Project Manager Nick Read

Founding Patron Dancers’ Circle Julian Knights AO

Producer Dominic Chang

Ambassadors Judy Crawford Bee Hopkins Jules Maxwell Dance Noir Committee Co-Chairs: Pam 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.

Executive Director Anne Dunn Deputy Executive Director Lizzi Nicoll Executive Assistant Andy Grant

Programming Coordinator Kerry Thampapillai Jacob Williams (Parental Leave Cover) Chief Financial Officer Sean Radcliffe Accountant Melissa Sim Payroll Assistant Carina Mision Chief Commercial Officer Caroline Spence Director of Operations and Open Programs Polly Brett Kylie Tung (Parental Leave Cover)

Acting Customer Service Manager Michael Sieders Event and Venue Hire Manager Sandra Di Palma Head of Training Linda Gamblin Pre-Professional Year Course Coordinator Omer Backley-Astrachan Training Associate Gabrielle Nankivell Conditioning Studio Manager Felicity McGee Learning Manager Sam Dashwood Learning Coordinator Alys Gwillim Education Strategic Advisor Helen Cameron Head of Philanthropy Michelle Boyle Philanthropy Manager Madeleine White Philanthropy Coordinator Anya Platoskina

Dance Class Manager Ramon Doringo

External Affairs Assistant Amy Burrows

Ticketing Specialist John Calvi

Corporate Development Manager Marcus Hurley

The Company

PPY Teaching Faculty

Head of CRM Heath Wilder

Rehearsal Director Richard Cilli

Yoga Jolie Brook

Head of Brand, Audience and Sales Priscilla Hunt

Rehearsal Associate Charmene Yap Juliette Barton (Parental Leave Cover)

Marketing Coordinator Natalie Zagaglia

Dancers Isabella Crain Sabine Crompton-Ward Davide Di Giovanni Dean Elliott Jackson Fisch Jacopo Grabar Liam Green Luke Hayward Telea Jensen Dimitri Kleioris Rhys Kosakowski Chloe Leong Jesse Scales Emily Seymour Mia Thompson Chloe Young

Guest Teachers and Choreographers Emily Amisano Anton Anton Craig Bary Juliet Burnett Benedict Carey Izzac Carroll Shane Carroll Jana Castillo Holly Doyle Cloé Fournier Jessica Goodfellow Amber Haines Kate Harman Samantha Hines Victoria Hunt Annie Jeffries Alana Jeverett Madeleine Krenek Adam Linder Lee-Anne Litton Zachary Lopez Sinead McDevitt Cleo Michael Sophia Ndaba Rhiannon Newton Anthony Osbourne Leah Pellinkhof Alejandro Rolandi Elizabeth Ryan Lee Serle Ingrid Shaw Frankie Snowdon Lauren Sussman Lisa Synnott Dean Walsh Gavin Webber Patricia Wood Victor Zarallo Zee Zhafirah Liesel Zink

Marketing Coordinator Adrienne Salmon Publicity Manager Alexandra Barlow Resident Multimedia Artist Pedro Greig Technical Director Guy Harding Stage Manager Simon Turner Technical Coordinator Tony McCoy Production Electrician Ren Kenward Production Technician James Lister Head of Wardrobe Annie Robinson Wardrobe Makers Sally-Anne Andrews Azure Schofield

Company Doctor Dr. Michael Berger Sports Doctor Dr. James Lawrence Physiotherapist Ashlea-Mary Cohen Psychologist Dr. Sallie Grey Wellness & Nutrition Coach Kate Weir

Pre-Professional Year Alumni Sydney Dance Company celebrates our Pre-Professional Year graduates entering the industry in a broad spectrum of employment. Our aim is to empower young dancers as they embark on their own unique journey, be it within the realm of contemporary dance or outside of it. Sydney Dance Company’s Pre-Professional Year alumni have gained employment with the following contemporary dance companies, productions and independent directors in the last eight years:

Australian Dance Theatre (Adelaide)

Martin del Amo (Sydney)

Australasian Dance Collective (Brisbane)

Metamorphosis Dance Company (Madrid, Spain)

Atamira Dance Company (New Zealand) Ballet Junior De Geneve (Geneva, Switzerland) Baltic Art Form (London, UK) Bangarra Dance Theatre (Sydney)

Moulin Rouge (Paris, France) Narelle Benjamin (Sydney) Ochre Dance Company (Perth)

Catapult Dance (Newcastle)

Ohad Naharin / Decadance performances with STRUT Dance (Perth)

Chunky Move (Melbourne)

Omer Backley-Astrachan (Sydney)

Cirque du Soleil (Montreal, Canada)

Opera Australia (Sydney)

Colette Sadler (Berlin, Germany)

Poetic Disaster Club (The Hague, Netherlands)

Configuration Co (Sydney)

Punchdrunk / Maxine Doyle (International)

Crystal Pite/Kidd Pivot performances with STRUT Dance (Perth)

Sara Black (Sydney)

Dance North (Townsville) Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company (Frankfurt, Germany)

Scottish Dance Theatre (Dundee, UK) Shaun Parker & Company (Sydney) Sydney Dance Company (Sydney)

Dunera Synchronicity (Sydney)

Sydney Experimental Arts Ensemble (Sydney)

DV8 / Lloyd Newson (London, UK)

The Farm (Gold Coast)

Eileen Kramer (Sydney)

Theo Clinkard & Company (Brighton, UK)

Force Majeure (Sydney)

Twisted Element (Sydney)

Fresco Dance Company (Tel Aviv, Israel)

Wayne McGregor Dance Company (London, UK)

Inala Live (London, UK) ITDansa (Barcelona, Spain) Ivan Perez (Heidelberg, Germany) Kristina Chan (Sydney) 46

West Side Story (New York City, USA) William Forsythe / One Flat Thing Reproduced performances with STRUT Dance (Perth)

Photo by Wendell Teodoro

With Special Thanks

PPY21 Revealed is presented on the land of the Gadigal of the Eora Nation. Carriageworks and Sydney Dance Company acknowledge the Gadigal people and pay respect to Elders past and present. Sydney Dance Company partners with Carriageworks to present PPY21 Revealed through the ongoing support of the NSW Government through Create NSW and the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts. Carriageworks is the largest multi-arts centre in Australia commissioning Australian and International artists to make monumental new work that intersects with contemporary ideas. Reflecting the diverse communities of urban Sydney, Carriageworks’ artist-led program is ambitious, radical and always inclusive. Sydney Dance Company thanks Carriageworks for its support of PPY21 Revealed. We thank and acknowledge Hermès Australia for its generous support as the PPY21 Revealed Production Partner. Sydney Dance Company would also like to thank the following donors for their generosity in providing scholarships for Pre-Professional Year 2021 dancers: Doug Hall Foundation Wales Family Foundation Mary Zuber

Sydney Dance Company is grateful to Tim Fairfax AC for his support of the inaugural Training Associate position. From 2004 to 2017, the Hephzibah Tintner Foundation successfully supported the work of young Australian artists. Since 2018, Sydney Dance Company is honoured to continue the work of the Foundation with the Hephzibah Artist Development Program. This program supports the next generation of Australian artists, with a particular focus on professional pathways for choreographers, dancers, composers and costume designers. Make a gift today You can help to nurture and inspire future generations of dancers and audiences by making a tax-deductible donation to Sydney Dance Company. As our Partner, you will know that your gift of any size is hugely appreciated and will make a truly transformational impact. For more information, please call: 02 9258 4882, or email: philanthropy@sydneydancecompany.com

Photos by Wendell Teodoro

Sydney Dance Company Wharf 4/5 15 Hickson Rd Dawes Point NSW 2000 Join the Conversation @SydneyDanceCo #SDCPPY21 #SDCKeepDancing sydneydancecompany.com Photography Pedro Greig Wendell Levi Teodoro Daniel Boud David Kelly