Sydney Dance Company

Sydney Dance Company is a contemporary dance company in Australia which performs on stages around the world, including the Sydney Opera House in Australia, the Joyce Theater in New York, the Shanghai Grand Theatre in China, and the Stanislavsky Theatre in Moscow.

Sydney Dance Company
Formerly
  • Ballet in a Nutshell
  • Athletes and Dancers
  • Dance Company (NSW)
Founded1969 (1969)
FounderSuzanne Musitz
Headquarters
Australia

History

Sydney Dance Company was founded in 1969 as the dance-in-education group Ballet in a Nutshell by Suzanne Musitz (Davidson), later changing its name to Athletes and Dancers, and Dance Company (NSW).

From 1975 to 1976, the company was led by Dutch choreographer Jaap Flier and later by Australian choreographer Graeme Murphy in 1976. In 1979, Graeme Murphy and his wife, Janet Vernon, also a dancer, renamed the company as Sydney Dance Company and served as artistic directors for three decades. During their tenure, the company achieved international recognition and became the first Western contemporary dance company to perform in the People's Republic of China.

Murphy's success can be attributed to his diverse taste in music and his eclectic choices of musical accompaniment for his dance works. The acclaimed production Some Rooms (1983) featured a selection of existing music by composers such as Keith Jarrett, Joseph Canteloube, Francis Poulenc, Benjamin Britten, and Samuel Barber. Additionally, other works included newly commissioned original music. For instance, Hate (1982) featured a score by the noted Australian composer Carl Vine, and the successful 1985 production Boxes included original music by composer and musician Iva Davies, who was then the lead singer with the popular Australian rock band Icehouse.

In May 2007, the company announced that Tanja Liedtke as its new artistic director;[1] however on 17 August of that year Liedtke was accidentally killed in a traffic accident in the northern suburbs of Sydney[2]

In December 2007, Executive Director Noel Staunton launched the company's 2008 season, announcing three guest choreographers, Meryl Tankard, Rafael Bonachela and Aszure Barton, to create new works for the company. Bonachela was subsequently appointed the Company's new Artistic Director.

In December 2008, Foxtel signed a three-year sponsorship of the company involving special broadcasts and incorporating the company into subscription television programs Australia's Next Top Model and Project Runway Australia.[3]

In December 2009, Anne Dunn was appointed Executive Director of the Company.

Rafael Bonachela has been the artistic director of the company since 2009.[4] His first commissioned work for the company, 360°, was as a guest choreographer. His works include unfold (2009), 6 Breaths (2010), LANDforms (2011) and 2 One Another (2012), Irony of Fate, Soledad, and The Land of Yes & The Land of No. He has worked with guest choreographers Kenneth Kvarnstrom (Mercury 2009), Adam Linder (Are We That We Are 2010), Emanuel Gat (Satisfying Musical Moments 2010), and Jacopo Godani (Raw Models 2011). Other guest choreographers include Alexander Ekman and Gideon Obarzanek, as well as collaborations with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and with composers 48nord and Ezio Bosso.

Following a number of years of negotiation, in 2014, the company announced it was granted permission to perform William Forsythe's rarely performed 1993 work Quintett.[5] The work is set to Gavin Bryars' soulful Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet.

Since Rafael Bonachela's appointment, the company has toured around the world to Venice, Beijing, Germany, New York City, Barcelona, London and Guanajuato.

Since 1985, the company has been a resident of the purpose-built studios at The Wharf in Sydney's Walsh Bay, minutes from the city's famed Bridge and Opera House. Its studios offer the largest public dance classes in Australia, with nearly 80,000 attendances annually.

Notable alumni

Sydney Dance Company has launched the careers of several notable Australian dancers and choreographers, including:

Awards

Mo Awards

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Sydney Dance Company won two awards in that time.[6]

Year Nominee / work Award Result (wins only)
1989 Sydney Dance Company Dance Performance of the Year Won
1990 Sydney Dance Company - King Roger Dance Performance of the Year Won

References

  1. Lawson, Valerie (4 May 2007). "Welcome to her brave new world". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  2. Lloyd, Tim (17 August 2007). "Dance director killed". Adelaide Now. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  3. Knox, David (15 December 2008). "A waltz with Sydney Dance Company". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  4. "ORB" (PDF). Sydney Dance Company.
  5. "Sydney Dance Company 2015 season a series of big wins for Bonachela". Sydney Morning Herald. 16 September 2014.
  6. "MO Award Winners". Mo Awards. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
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