Artistic Director's Report

The year began in the newly refurbished Wharf. In 2017, as we began our detailed planning to leave, we took a huge leap into the unknown. We had vision, we had ambition, we had passion. Now, on our return, we are optimistic and grateful to be in such a beautiful space, built to enable us to increase our capacity to create and grow. Most importantly, the Wharf creates an environment in which the talent of the future can be nurtured and developed. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the NSW Government and our Capital Campaign donors for their passion and belief. As we continue to strive for excellence, we will do so in surroundings that will enhance our creativity, our capability and our capacity. I hope that you are as proud as I am of what has been achieved here. This is a building that is ready for the future, and so are we. The dancers and I had a very special experience creating a short film TOUCH inspired and created at the stunning Phoenix Central Park. It was incredible to have the opportunity to bring to life a creative response to the sinuous lines and surprises around each corner of this breathtaking building. After months of lockdown, this film collaboration with Phoenix Central Park, Entropico and Phoebe Twigg was centred around the first moment that the dancers were able to make contact again. It was a privilege to at last bring Impermanence to the stage in Sydney in February 2021, as well as the Adelaide Festival, Canberra, regional Victoria and destinations in regional NSW, after a longer than usual path to fruition. We once again experienced the surge of excitement of audiences standing in appreciation of our creative work. We felt the buzz in the foyer after the show and the impact our performances had in big cities and small towns. How time with our dancers or our teaching artists, in workshops in the towns and local schools, or an artist talk on stage after the show, could spark connection, inspire dreams, careers and open doors to possibilities, or just move you for a while. Our heartfelt thanks to those who contributed to the commissioning and touring programs that brought Impermanence to the stages, and to our entire donor family – our Partners. Your incredible generosity and your belief in our vision is humbling and we are so very grateful to you all. I was also incredibly touched by the generous bequest from our supporter, volunteer and friend of many years, the late Carina Martin – Carina was one of us and her gift has made a transformational difference to Sydney Dance Company. I would like to thank Four Winds Festival Creative Director Lindy Hume, Executive David Francis and the team at the festival who made us feel so welcome. It was wonderful to perform Cinco, a work created in 2019 as part of Sydney Dance Company’s 50th Anniversary season, with live music provided by the wonderful Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s Fellows String Quartet. It was also a time of grief and loss as we said goodbye to my dear friend and Sydney Dance Company’s great supporter, Carla Zampatti AC. Throughout the year I felt compelled to make work in her honour; my digital work Years, conceived during the pandemic when everyone was at home, pushed us into new territory, as she always did. She held us up to Australia and the world and opened her heart and her home, making us always welcome and encouraging us to move forward. Another great loss was Chrissy Sharp. Chrissy was an astute arts leader on the Board and in the Executive. She had such passion and belief in the Company and what it could do. She will be sorely missed in our community. During the times we could not perform, we were determined to continue to connect. We created high-quality dance classes you could take at home, anywhere and anytime. Through valuable RISE funding from the Australian Government, we recorded over 100 dance classes during 2021, evolving our digital offering with our Classes On Demand platform. While the Company dancers were working across the business, teaching, completing data research, creating marketing content, developing learning resources and supporting the administration teams, we were also beginning to create our new digital work Years. This collaboration with Collider, filmed at our new Studio 5: Neilson Studio, set to Stephen Emerson's reimagining of Bach's 'Goldberg Variations' and performed with celebrated Australian pianist Sonya Lifschitz was streamed in early November across Australian and European time zones, presented as part of the Who are we now? The UK/ AU Season in partnership with Southeast Dance and Brighton Digital Festival, with support from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. It included a special introduction Q&A with me and our esteemed International Patron and Ambassador to the UK/AU Season, Dame Darcey Bussell DBE. Years was made possible by the generous support of our Artistic Director's Commissioning Partner, the Naomi Milgrom Foundation, Associate Partner, Kawai, and a group of commissioning supporters, and was dedicated to the

late Carla Zampatti AC; I am deeply grateful to have been able to create and share this very special work. 2021 saw the expansion of the Pre-Professional Year into two cohorts. Despite the disruptions, the Pre-Professional Year dancers continued their training online, making tremendous, exciting work from home. They produced 53 films from all parts of Australia while working towards their graduation performance season PPY Revealed. Another highlight of the year was welcoming Angela Goh, a Create NSW Beyond the Studio Fellow, to work alongside us in 2021. The fellowship supports emerging leaders in dance in NSW to undertake self-directed professional development and it provided a wonderful opportunity for us to connect with the independent dance sector. I take this moment to acknowledge our dear friend and generous supporter, the late Neil Balnaves AO. Since 2014, Neil’s commitment to nurturing the future of contemporary choreography has been demonstrated through his visionary support of New Breed. New Breed is long-standing and greatly cherished. This is an incredible and inspiring space for choreographers, dancers and audiences, and we are very appreciative of this collaboration with Carriageworks and The Balnaves Foundation. The visionary leadership of the Trustees has created an invaluable resource with which to nurture 34 Australian choreographers over the last eight years. Moreover, their generosity in providing additional support allowed us to extend the season this year. With another year of disrupted performance seasons, we thank them for their leadership in bringing artists and audiences together, just as it should be, as the year came to a close. I would also like to thank and acknowledge the support of the Federal Government through the Australia Council of the Arts and the NSW Government through Create NSW for their generous and unwavering support for Sydney Dance Company and the broader arts community over the last two years. The word ‘unprecedented’ has been overused, but these have been unique circumstances for us all and we are incredibly grateful to both of our government funding partners for their guidance, counsel and assistance as we navigated uncharted territory. Their collective belief in the importance, value and power of the arts is heartening and enormously appreciated. 2021 also saw the departure of my longtime leadership partner Anne Dunn. Over the past 12 years Anne and I have worked to build the capacity of the Company. Anne has been instrumental in placing us in the tremendous, stable and secure position we are in today. I would like to thank her for her true leadership and friendship over the years; it has been an honour and a privilege. As I sit here today, I am excited to have the opportunity to work alongside Lou Oppenheim, recently appointed Executive Director. Lou has an extraordinary arts management background and brings with her great knowledge and strong leadership skills. She has already stepped up and we are finding our beat together. We look forward to an exciting future.

Rafael Bonachela Artistic Director