In 2027, Sydney Dance Company builds on its artistic legacy with a program that celebrates collaboration and the ever-evolving possibilities of contemporary dance, as Rafael Bonachela prepares to present his final major commission as Artistic Director.
Across two major Sydney seasons, national and international touring, and a suite of programs supporting independent artists and emerging practitioners, the Company will present ambitious new work alongside celebrated repertoire.
Future Reverie will premiere in June, presented in the round at Carriageworks. Together choreographers Richard Cilli, Antony Hamilton, Sela Vai and Charmene Yap bring their unique creative minds into a single, ambitious new commission.
The season reflects a defining thread of Rafael Bonachela’s vision for the Company’s distinctive artistic identity; one enriched by diverse perspectives and a commitment to creating opportunities for future generations. The Company’s full Ensemble will perform alongside eight students from Sydney Dance Company’s Pre-Professional Year program, expanding the season’s cast to 25 dancers.
Set to a pulsating new electronic score by sound designer and DJ Deepchild (Rick Bull), costumes by Aleisa Jelbart and lighting design by artist Sam Whiteside, Future Reverie features four choreographic perspectives coalescing in a single work, where sound, movement and atmosphere collide.
In October the Company returns to Roslyn Packer Theatre with Wild Order; a triple bill that includes a world premiere by Rafael Bonachela, alongside the return of Melanie Lane’s WOOF and Ngaere Jenkins’ From the horizon thereafter.
Bonachela’s final major commission for Sydney Dance Company in his role as Artistic Director reunites the award-winning and longstanding collaborators composer Nick Wales, lighting designer Damien Cooper and designer Kelsey Lee.
Originally commissioned through New Breed, generously supported by The Balnaves Foundation, WOOF returns to the Company’s mainstage for an encore season. From the horizon thereafter also joins the Company’s repertoire, marking the first time a work created by a current Sydney Dance Company Ensemble member will be presented on the mainstage.
The Balnaves Foundation’s commitment to developing Australian choreographic talent continues in 2027 with the appointment of Eliza Cooper as the fourth Balnaves Artist in Residence.
Beyond its Sydney seasons, the Company will tour the critically acclaimed program Engine across Queensland, regional New South Wales and Tasmania through July and August. The triple bill brings together Rafael Bonachela’s The Journey Itself Is Home, Fran Díaz’s The Mass Ornament and Melanie Lane’s Love Lock, with performances in the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Mackay, Cairns, Newcastle, Port Macquarie, Goulburn and Hobart.
Internationally, the Company’s reach will extend across Europe with Rafael Bonachela’s momenta touring to Spain (Barcelona, Madrid), Germany (Iserlohn, Remscheid, Fürth) and Serbia (Belgrade).
Sydney Dance Company continues to support the wider dance sector, presenting work by independent artists and creating opportunities for emerging dance makers. With the support of the Neilson Foundation, INDance returns in March, bringing four works by independent choreographers Juliet Widyasari Burnett, Laura Boynes, Harrison Cook and Amelia Jean O’Leary to the Neilson Studio, reflecting a breadth of ideas and perspectives across Australian contemporary dance.
In December, PPY27 Revealed will present works by choreographers at Carriageworks, marking the culmination of a year of technical training and creative development for students of Sydney Dance Company’s nationally accredited Pre-Professional Year (PPY).
Sydney Dance Company resonates far beyond its performances, connecting audiences, students, teachers and communities with contemporary dance through education, participation and professional development. Following the graduation of its inaugural cohort in June, Sydney Dance Company looks ahead to welcoming its fourth Teacher Training intake in 2027.
Across its education and youth programs, schools’ matinees, professional learning opportunities for teachers, Youth Ensembles and school holiday workshops, pathways for young people are created to experience, explore and develop their relationship with dance.
In-Studio Classes will continue to welcome people of different ages and experience levels, with more than 80 classes each week complemented by a program of dedicated short courses.
“2027 is a time to celebrate everything we have built together at Sydney Dance Company, and to look forward to the creative possibilities ahead,” said Sydney Dance Company Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela. “This program brings together artists at every stage of their careers, with different experiences and perspectives, each bringing something of themselves and united by curiosity and a willingness to explore.”
“What continues to drive me is the feeling of discovery and I feel immense gratitude to the dancers, collaborators, supporters and audiences who have made this journey so inspired. I want 2027 to feel alive with the joy of co-creation. It is a reflection of the people who make this Company extraordinary, and of the imagination that will carry it forward,” said Bonachela.
For more information about Sydney Dance Company’s 2027 program, visit: www.sydneydancecompany.com for details. Subscription tickets on sale Tuesday 3 November 2026.
Images: From the horizon thereafter (Jenkins) – photo by Pedro Greig | WOOF (Lane) – photo by Pedro Greig | momenta (Bonachela) photo by Pedro Grieg | Rafael Bonachela – photo by Toby Burrows