Rafael Bonachela, the artistic director of Sydney Dance Company, has long been a strong supporter of independent artists. With this in mind, he is delighted to offer for the first time the company's brand-new Neilson Studio for artists to present their work, in a new season called INDance.
"Supporting Australian choreographers and creatives is at the heart of Sydney Dance Company’s mission, and it is so exciting to now add INDance to Sydney Dance Company’s broader programming,” he says.
Neilson Studio is a dance studio by day for Pre-Professional Year students and company dancers to rehearse in, and by night is a state-of-the-art theatre with retractable seating banks, lighting rig, bar and foyer space.
Over two weeks in August, INDance will provide a platform for independent choreographers and creatives to present their work, with the aim of building capacity, improving access and participation across the sector while reflecting the rich diversity of choreographic voices in contemporary Australia.
The works were chosen through an expression of interest process and reviewed by an external panel of industry advisors led by Bonachela. Applicants were assessed on their works, their suitability for the program and the performance space, and whether INDance could provide an appropriate platform to showcase their work.
Four artists have been chosen:
Week 1 (Friday 19 to Saturday 20 August) will present Siren Dance, by Lillian Steiner, and Prue Lang's CASTILLO.
Week 2 (Friday 26 to Saturday 27 August) will present Julia by Natalie Allen and Explicit Contents by Rhiannon Newton.
SDC will provide production, publicity and marketing support for the artists involved. The program is also supported by the City of Sydney.
For more info, go here.
For a review of the Perth premiere of Julia, go here.