Sydney Dance Company is based in Walsh Bay Arts Precinct Sydney. Our studios are situated on the lands and over the waters of the Gadigal. We recognise their continuing connection to the land and waters and thank them for protecting this coastline and its ecosystems since time immemorial. We pay our respects to Elders past and present and extend that respect to all First Nations people.
Dance changes you. More than simply witnessing something beautiful, or engaging with culture, to experience dance is to be positively altered.
From prestigious performances at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Athens, and Théâtre national de la Danse, at La Villette in Paris, to Alice Springs in the Central Desert and the Sydney Opera House on the Harbour Foreshore, Sydney Dance Company demonstrates that contemporary dance can move us all.
The reward of truly moving audiences, and the raw pride of sharing Australian art with the world has driven our Ensemble of 17 dancers, led by Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela, to become one of the world’s strongest forces in contemporary dance. Alongside Bonachela’s original works, our programs have featured guest choreographers like Jacopo Godani, Melanie Lane, Antony Hamilton, Alexander Ekman, Gideon Obarzanek, Marina Mascarell, Gabrielle Nankinvell and Cheng Tsung-lung, as well as collaborations with Sydney Festival, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Conservatorium of Music Composing Women, Bryce Dressner, Nick Wales, Clark, 48nord and the late Ezio Bosso.
Sydney Dance Company has a broad community beyond the practice and performances of our Ensemble dancers. We believe in the universality of dance, and with the largest public dance class program in Australia, people can connect with the grace, strength and creativity that live within us all.
In 2014, Sydney Dance Company launched the Pre-Professional Year (PPY), providing professional training in an unparalleled environment. Since then, Sydney Dance Company’s training programs have expanded to include not only the full-time PPY program but also Accredited Dance Teacher Training, Short Courses, Professional Intensives and Youth Ensembles. The offerings provide diverse pathways for performers and educators to refine their practice, develop their artistry, and deepen their understanding of dance technique, performance, and choreography. In addition, Sydney Dance Company offers a nationwide education program offering workshops and tailored school matinees to connect with students with a range of dance experiences, inspiring the next generation.
2025 reaffirmed Sydney Dance Company’s standing as Australia’s leading contemporary dance company — a creator of defining artistic work, and a champion of the broader dance sector.
It was also a challenging year financially. Persistent cost inflation across production, wages and touring, together with sustained cost-of-living pressures on our audiences, required the Company to draw on its reserves once more, delivering an operational deficit of $697,612. The Board does not take this lightly and is focused, in close partnership with the executive, on a disciplined return to a positive net financial position while holding firm on artistic ambition.
Against that backdrop, the achievements of 2025 are remarkable. We shared our work with more than 41,000 audience members across seven Sydney seasons, featuring the Ensemble as well as other dance makers, intimate performances of Somos in Melbourne, a national tour of momenta, and an international tour to Ljubljana, Paris, Spoleto, Moncalvo, Athens and Helsinki, performing at some of Europe’s most revered venues and festivals.
A moment that will stay with us: our dancers performing Impermanence at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Athens — the 5,000-seat, nearly 1,900-year-old amphitheatre beneath the Acropolis — rising to a sustained standing ovation. It captured, in a single evening, what this Company can do on the world stage.
At home, Continuum was a defining season, bringing together a landmark First Nations collaboration from Stephen Page with composer William Barton, a new piece from Tra Mi Dinh (a New Breed alumna now on the mainstage), and a world premiere from Rafael Bonachela. Across the year we commissioned 11 new dance works and eight new music works, and continued to grow our INDance season for independent choreographers. It is with real pride, and some sadness, that we delivered our 12th and final New Breed — a programme that leaves a lasting legacy.
Our classes, education and training activities continued their remarkable trajectory, welcoming more than 116,000 attendees, including the delivery of 228 education workshops and five school matinees. From adult beginners stepping into our Walsh Bay Arts Precinct studios for the first time, to our PreProfessional Year students preparing for careers on the global stage, to Youth Ensemble dancers, teacher training participants and regional students encountering contemporary dance through our schools programme — this work is how we cultivate the artists, audiences and advocates of the future and embed the Company at the heart of the Australian dance ecosystem.
and in particular, to retiring directors Paris Neilson and Mark Hassell for their strong contributions over many years. I warmly welcome Gitanjali Bhalla to the Board in 2025.
To our executive team, Rafael Bonachela and Lou Oppenheim, our dedicated staff, and our inspiring Ensemble of dancers — thank you for your unwavering commitment to the art of dance. A special congratulations to Rafael, named a recipient of the Institute of the Arts Barcelona Honorary Fellowship in 2025, a prestigious international recognition fitting of his visionary creative leadership and his contribution to the global dance community.
I also extend the Company’s sincere thanks to the Federal Government, through Creative Australia, and to the NSW Government, through Create NSW, for their continued investment in our work and in Australian contemporary dance. And to our extraordinary donor community — our ambassadors, philanthropic supporters, Dance Noir committee, corporate partners and Chair’s Club members — thank you. Without your generosity and belief in what we do, none of this would be possible.
I am enormously grateful to be part of such an inspiring company making a genuine impact in the Australian arts sector, and deeply optimistic about what lies ahead.
Emma-Jane Newton Chair
From our home on the lands and over the saltwater of the Gadigal, in 2025, Sydney Dance Company continued to expand its impact - from intimate shows and workshops in small regional NSW communities, tours to Victoria, Tasmania and Queensland, to performances on the largest world stages and internationally acclaimed festivals.
During this time of increasing travel costs and pressures on discretionary spend across the community, this touring reach is only made possible through a multifaceted partnership of our presenting venues, generous philanthropic support, underpinned through Government funding, including through Creative Australia, Create NSW plus, and in 2025, direct support from the Paris Embassy and the Austrade Export Grant Scheme. Without a change to external factors, financial pressures will continue to impact our touring activities, particularly limiting the frequency of performances in regional Australia locations, as well as additional educational and workshop activities. We are also working to ensure these activities are more sustainable, achieving a Green Touring “Baseline Standard’ of the internationally recognised Theatre Green Book Australia framework across our productions, operations, and buildings.
Alongside Rafael Bonachela’s original works, we are proud to continue to commission, support and amplify the work of a breadth of Australian and international choreographic voices. In 2025, our Ensemble delighted audiences with the work of nine choreographers, including three First Nations dancemakers, and the world premiere of six new works. This included our final edition of New Breed, which across its 12 years, supported 47 choreographers to deliver 49 new commissions. Our broader programming initiatives, including through our Pre-Professional Year program and INDance, showcased works by 13 choreographers including one First Nations creative. In addition, our accredited training programs employed over 50 guest choreographers, dance makers and teachers.
None of this would be possible without the incredible support of our individual donors, trusts and foundations and generous partners, across all branches of our company, including the Carla Zampatti Commissioning Fund, our Dancers’ Circle, our Ambassador Council, chaired by Sarah Myer, and all those who so generously contribute to our education, access and training programs. I’d also like to thank our ever-energetic Dance Noir committee and pay tribute to outgoing co-Chairs Peter Reeves and Mandy Foley, whose creativity, drive and persistence have made the event all that it is today.
As New Breed takes its final bow, I’d particularly like to acknowledge the extraordinary support of The Balnaves Foundation. The unwavering vision and commitment of The Balnaves Foundation has been instrumental in enabling emerging Australian choreographers to realise their creative dreams and leaves an extraordinary artistic legacy that will continue to shape contemporary
Australian dance for many years to come. We are proud to continue this relationship through The Balnaves Artist in Residence program.
We also are much more than just a performing company, and I celebrate all our classes, education and training programs. In 2025, this included a new primary youth ensemble, building on the existing junior and senior program, and intensives delivered in central and western Sydney. Through vital philanthropic support, Western Sydney primary students were able to participate in workshops and attend the matinee for free. Our long-standing Pre-Professional Year program included a highly successful collaboration with the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, with our accredited training program expanding now to include Dance Teacher training. With more than 116,000 attendances in a class, workshop, training program, short course or school matinee in 2025 - in Sydney, NSW, nationally and online, our bespoke workshops also included MOVED!, created by and for the neurodivergent community with The A List Create Space Arts Initiative.
To all members of the Sydney Dance Company community, on-stage, off-stage and behind-the-scenes, including our Board, thank you for your dedication and commitment in all that we do. Through your efforts and talents, our small but mighty teams deliver much. Thank you also to the ongoing support of our Government partners – Creative Australia and Create NSW.
We look forward to continuing to share the power of dance with all our communities.
Lou Oppenheim Executive Director
Reflecting on 2025, I am filled with immense pride for the Company’s resilience, artistic growth and the opportunities we were given to share Sydney Dance Company work across national and global stages.
The year commenced with a significant infusion of talent. In January we welcomed seven new artists to the Ensemble, including our new Company Trainee. Their collective energy, enthusiasm, and technical prowess have electrified the studio, providing a vibrant foundation as we prepared multiple works for a demanding global season.
Our international tour saw sold out performances across Europe’s most iconic stages. In Paris, we performed Impermanence and Love Lock with audiences across five nights at La Villette. It was fantastic to see some of our Australian friends in the audience – thank you for making the trip to join us overseas. Watching our Ensemble perform Impermanence at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Athens to nearly 5,000 people was unforgettable and a career defining moment; the electricity was so palpable that many of us were moved to tears during the curtain call.
In July, the Ensemble and I experienced what a true gift it was to be hosted for a week’s residency in Italy at the Orsolina28 Art Foundation - a state-of-the-art venue, purpose-built for dance creation. Orsolina28 is a special place that feels designed to nurture creativity. Our time there allowed us to immerse fully in the process of creating two new works, with Bryce Dessner also able to join us for this period of exploration and creativity.
The year also bought new opportunities for work commissioned at Sydney Dance Company to reach wider international audiences, including performances in Germany (Staatstheater Nürnberg Lux Tenebris) and Poland (Wrocław Opera Ballet 6 Breaths). This broadens the international reach and impact of Sydney Dance Company, with graduates of our Pre-Professional Year program also gracing the stages of companies worldwide.
In September, the Ensemble returned to the Roslyn Packer Theatre for a powerful triple bill, Continuum The season was a celebration of lineage and of new beginnings, of where we have come from and where we are going — all held within one evening of performance. It was also a joy to be able to share the stage with Stephen Page, an artist who has had a profound impact on Australian dance and Tra Mi Dinh, who’s stunning work emerged from New Breed and now rightly sits within the Sydney Dance Company Ensemble repertoire.
At home, we were immensely proud to share our work with audiences across the country through our national tour. Bringing our work to audiences and community across New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania was a joy. The response was overwhelmingly positive,
reaffirming that the visceral language of contemporary dance resonates just as powerfully in regional theatres as it does on the grand stages of Europe.
In December, we celebrated the twelfth and final season of New Breed. This program has been the heartbeat of our commitment to the next generation of choreographers, enabling us to present 49 new world premiere works since its inception. Thank you to The Balnaves Foundation, to Victoria, Hamish and all the Family and Trustees for your enduring belief and unwavering support. As we close this chapter, we do so with immense gratitude for the talent you fostered and creative risks you championed.
Throughout the year, we farewelled four Company Dancers; Mia Thompson, Luke Hayward, Eka Perunicic and Riley Fitzgerald. We also saw Company Dancer Liam Green cover the role of Rehearsal Associate. Their artistry and dedication made a profound impact on the Company, and I thank them for their invaluable contributions.
My thanks go to our Board whose steady guidance provides us with the freedom to dream big. And to the entire team, your tireless work behind the scenes keeps our vision in motion, thank you.
Rafael Bonachela Artistic Director
total audience across all digital platforms
2,252,858 engagements across all digital platforms
116,036 Attendances in classes, education and activities including 343,796
4,308,885 total impressions across all digital platforms
4,368 views of Classes on Demand
Social Media Audience
90,892 on Facebook
87,231 on Tiktok
131,554 on Instagram
11,600 on YouTube
This represents a growth on all platforms
Sydney Dance Company Website
1.705m views
464,000 active users
total classes in person and on-line
school holiday and family program attendances
advanced training attendances
99,510 7,891 6,296 2,339
school matinee and workshop attendances
2025 was an incredible year for Sydney Dance Company and for me as a new member of the Ensemble. The Company performed through regional Australia, as well as Melbourne and Sydney, plus across some of Europe’s greatest stages sharing outstanding Australian choreography with audiences at home and internationally.
As a new Ensemble Dancer, there was a lot of repertoire for me to learn. The year began with eight weeks of rehearsal, during which we prepared the existing works we would perform throughout the year.
Rafael Bonachela’s Somos started our year with Spanish flair. We performed in Melbourne for two weeks before bringing Somos back to Sydney for a further three weeks. This performance period included school shows and two relaxed performances, allowing us to increase access to our art by curating shows for audiences of diverse age ranges and needs.
Closely following our Sydney Somos season, we were back in my home state, Victoria. The regional tour began in Mildura, where we performed momenta by Bonachela. We proceeded to dance our way through Ballarat, Bendigo and Frankston finishing the tour with two performances in the recently renovated Geelong Arts Centre.
Arriving back at Walsh Bay Arts Precinct, we begun a two-week rehearsal period in anticipation of the upcoming, long awaited, European tour. This tour would see the return of the dynamic double bill Twofold, consisting of Bonachela’s Impermanence followed by Melanie Lane’s Love Lock
Our international journey began in Ljubljana with our first performance at Cankarjev Dom. Our next stop landed us in beautiful Paris for five sold out performances at La Villette. Then we took a brief break from performing, as we were fortunate to be hosted at Orsolina28 Art Foundation for a creative residency. The winery turned dance haven, nestled into the Italian countryside, made the perfect location for us to begin creative development of Bonachela’s new work Spell, as well as exploring early stages of The Journey Itself is Home. Creatively charged, we moved south-east towards Spoleto to participate in the renowned annual Festival dei Due Mondi where we performed Impermanence. Our final leg of the tour was to Athens, Greece. The Ensemble danced Impermanence to a crowd of 5,000 in the sold out, Odeon of Herodes Atticus, a venue of such grandeur and historic significance performing Impermanence felt poignant, with added layers of depth and contextual relevance.
We returned home to continue touring Australia, once again crossing waters on our way to Tasmania where we performed momenta in Hobart and Launceston, and to New South Wales, with shows in Port Macquarie and Newcastle.
Helsinki was our final international destination for 2025. As part of the Helsinki Festival, we performed Impermanence, followed by Antony Hamilton’s Forever & Ever. Our Scandinavian stay was short but sweet as we returned to Australia after just six days of Nordic novelty.
The theme for Dance Noir was Rebel Romance. Dancers performed excerpts from momenta, Love Lock as well as Bad Romance choreographed by Ensemble Dancer Timmy Blankenship. Overall it was an entertaining and entirely successful evening of dress, donation and dance.
In October, our new triple bill Continuum opened in the Roslyn Packer Theatre. The bill featured Bonachela’s new Spell, Tra Mi Dinh’s Somewhere between ten and fourteen and Stephen Page’s Unungkati Yantatja - one with the other. The diverse program was exciting to develop and share with our home audiences in Sydney.
Spellbound opened in Wyong in November, another triple bill program consisting of Spell, Somewhere between ten and fourteen and Love Lock. This show concluded the 2025 National Tour, which I found to be very rewarding. Being able to bring contemporary dance to communities across Australia is a special opportunity for us as artists and an important part of the way Sydney Dance Company is able to connect and share dance with regional audiences.
Our year culminated with Sydney Dance Company’s final instalment of New Breed. A revolutionary initiative that realised the creative visions of 49 upcoming choreographers throughout its lifetime. New Breed 2025 featured four different, thought provoking and lovingly crafted works. Ensemble Dancers Ryan Pearson and Ngaere Jenkins made choreographic debuts with Save Point and From the horizon thereafter respectively. Emma Fishwick and Harrison Ritchie-Jones’s marathon o
marathon and Pigeon Humongous concluded the performance. These four works came together to form one enthralling show, A fitting final production of New Breed demonstrating the importance of amplifying freelance and independent voices within contemporary dance.
2025 was a hugely successful year for Sydney Dance Company and it was truly a privilege for me to be a part of it. A year as special as this one doesn’t just happen by itself. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the people who work publicly as well as behind the scenes within this organisation to make all the amazing things we do possible. There are also countless individuals who support us physically, financially and emotionally outside of the organisation, without whom we also would not be able to do what we do.
The year was both artistically exciting and challenging, I believe it helped me grow as a dancer and as a person. I would especially like to thank the artistic team for their guidance and faith both in myself and the rest of the Ensemble throughout this year. Finally, I would like to acknowledge my wonderful colleagues who continue to strive for growth, support one another and inspire me on and off stage. 2025 was an absolute joy, I look forward to 2026.
Sam Winkler Company Dancer
Our promise is one of transformation; to create works and performances that have a lasting impact on minds, bodies and communities.
2025 marked a year of deep connection, creative vitality, and powerful new collaborations. From the intimate studios of Walsh Bay Arts Precinct to stages across Australia and historic theatres of Europe, the Company continued to redefine the boundaries of contemporary dance.
Our commitment to artistic excellence and diversity of voices took centre stage through a series of landmark world premieres and performance seasons. The artistry of our set, costume and lighting designers expanded the visual language of our work, complemented by inspiring collaborations with choreographers, composers and musicians whose scores enriched each performance.
Audiences and critics alike responded to our dancers’ technical skill, passion and commitment to pushing the limits of their own physicality.
By balancing the return performances of our powerful repertoire with bold investment in new creations, Sydney Dance Company remained at the forefront of contemporary dance. It was a year of work that delighted, challenged and inspired audiences at home and abroad
“There are gorgeous duets and ensemble scenes, featuring incandescent, athletic, impeccably timed partnering.”
- The Sydney Morning Herald Continuum
Choreography Rafael Bonachela
Music Arca, ROSALÍA, Buiká, Silvia Pérez Cruz, Chavela Vargas, Dino Saluzzi, Lola Beltran, Estrella Morente
Sound Mixing and Editing Nick Wales
Lighting Design Damien Cooper
Costume and Set Design Kelsey Lee
★★★★★ “To witness Somos up close is to experience dance in its purest form.”
– Bacchus at the Theatre
★★★★★ “Rafael Bonachela’s passionate and ‘most Spanish’ work triumphs in a perfect, intimate setting.” – ArtsHub
Somos, translated as “we are” in Spanish, is a tender and powerful work, featuring a journey through evocative solos, intimate duets and powerful trios –all imbued with a distinctly Spanish essence. Known for his distinctive emotive pairings, Bonachela’s work celebrated the strength and individuality of the dancers, while delving into the compelling dynamics between them.
Set to music by powerhouse Hispanic artists, Somos is Bonachela’s love letter to Spain and a celebration of his cultural heritage. Performed in the round, this unique setting allowed Bonachela to redefine the traditional boundaries between the audience and the Ensemble Dancers to showcase their extraordinary artistry and breathtaking physicality.
“The force and frailty of the flesh is on full display, as earthy and hotly visceral as a Renaissance fresco.”
– The Saturday Paper
“Eroticism and flamboyance meld in an elaborate display.”
– The Age
48 Performances
Choreography Rafael Bonachela
Music Ólafur Arnalds, Bryce Dessner, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, and Alice Smith
Lighting Design
Costume and Set Design
Damien Cooper
Kelsey Lee
Spell by Rafael Bonachela, opened the Continuum triple bill, presenting five distinctive worlds, five powerful “spells,” each a vivid ritual that together created dance alchemy. The work’s creative collaborators conjured an exhilarating fusion of movement, light, and sound for the dancers to inhabit. With intricate rhythmic detail and fearless technicality, Spell was an invitation to experience dance as a potent, primal force.
Spell was proudly supported by Visionary Patron, the Clegg Foundation, and Commissioning Partner, Orsolina28 Art Foundation. The work received its world premiere during the Company’s Continuum season.
“Bonachela at his best: tightly built, dramatically open-ended, and danced with complete conviction.”
– Dance Australia
“Bonachela’s own world-premiere Spell delivers the evening’s visceral heartbeat.” – Robb Report
14 Performances
Choreography Stephen Page
Music Commissioned by Omega Ensemble
Music Performed by William Barton with the Omega Ensemble
Lighting Design Damien Cooper
Costume Design Jennifer Irwin
Set Design Jacob Nash
★★★★½ “The combination – on just one stage – of Barton’s presence, Page’s masterful choreographic instincts, and the artistic excellence of the SDC dancers and Omega Ensemble is almost an embarrassment of riches.”
– The Sydney Morning Herald
★★★★½ “Barton’s musicality and mere stage presence is nothing short of magnetic.”
– The Sydney Morning Herald
“The combination of instruments, voice and breath is textural, cinematic and profoundly moving.”
– ArtsHub
Unungkati Yantatja – one with the other brought together the powerful creative forces of Stephen Page, esteemed composer William Barton and Sydney Dance Company. Page’s choreography embodied Barton’s composition, calling out to land, sea, sky, and creature, whilst carefully connecting us all to the spirit of our creation breath.
The work saw Barton joined live on stage with the award-winning Omega Ensemble, who commissioned the underlying, powerful score. Blown gently across the stage, Unungkati Yantatja was a dedication to the force of our earthly breaths, intrinsically connecting us to country, to each other and to the continual rhythm of life.
A world premiere during the Company’s Continuum season, Unungkati Yantatja was proudly supported by the Girgensohn Foundation, Sandra McCullagh and the Carla Zampatti Commissioning Fund. With musical score commissioned by Omega Ensemble and adapted for the stage with the generous support of Ian Plater, Julianne Maxwell, The Darin Cooper Foundation, Peter Howard and the Simpson-Michel Foundation.
This project has also been assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.
Choreography Tra Mi Dinh
Music Tilman Robinson
Lighting Design Alexander Berlage
Costume Design Aleisa Jelbart
Tra Mi Dinh’s Somewhere between ten and fourteen is a study on dusk, illuminating and indulging in the transient yet expansive moments between day and night. Bodies and energy chase the impermanence of transformation and surrender to the ever-shifting movements of light, and time. It is a choreography propelled by the movement of light. It is an ode to change.
Somewhere between ten and fourteen was originally produced by Sydney Dance Company as part of New Breed 2023, co-presented with Carriageworks and proudly supported by Principal Partner, The Balnaves Foundation. The work was presented as part of the Company’s Continuum season.
“The ensemble work is extraordinary. Dinh has a sculptor’s eye for spatial balance: dancers form clusters, ripples, and waves that move across the stage like breathing organisms.”
– Dance Informa Magazine
14 Performances
Choreography Rafael Bonachela
Music Original Score by Nick Wales featuring Distant Light by Pēteris Vasks
Lighting Design
Set and Costume Design
Damien Cooper
Elizabeth Gadsby
Associate Costume Design Emma White
Choreography Rafael Bonachela
Music Composition Composition Bryce Dessner (co-commissioned by the Australian String Quartet) also featuring Another World by Anohni
Music Performance Australian String Quartet Partridge String Quartet Quartet Zaide (Europe)
Lighting Design Damien Cooper
Stage Design David Fleischer
Costume Design Aleisa Jelbart
Rich with rhythmical and spatial patterning, Rafael Bonachela’s work momenta takes audiences on a journey into the poetry and physicality of human bonds. The work is a captivating interplay of Bonachela’s signature choreographic style, Nick Wales’ evocative soundscapes, Elizabeth Gadsby’s arresting set design and Damien Cooper’s striking lighting.
momenta was presented as a standalone work on the Company’s National Tour to Victoria, Tasmania and New South Wales. Damien Cooper won the 2025 Green Room Award for Outstanding Design - Light, in the Dance Category for momenta.
This full-length work by Rafael Bonachela explores both the power of beauty and the meaning of its destruction. It features a score full of emotional power from Grammy Award-winning composer Bryce Dessner, co-commissioned with the Australian String Quartet.
Impermanence is a celebrated and definitive part of Sydney Dance Company repertoire, and as such, offered the perfect balance to Melanie Lane’s Love Lock and Antony Hamilton’s Forever & Ever Impermanence was presented as a standalone and with both works on the Company’s International Tour to Slovenia, Italy, France, Greece and Finland.
Acknolwedgement
Australian String Quartet – Co-commissioners and performing artists, Helsinki.
Choreography Melanie Lane
Composer Clark
Lighting and Set Design Damien Cooper
Costume Design Akira Isogawa
Inspired by the complexity of love stories, Australian/ Javanese choreographer and performer Melanie Lane’s Love Lock deconstructs romantic songs to create a folk dance that celebrates the fantasies and realities of love, delving into dreams of its complex and often giddy realms.
With striking costumes by the iconic designer Akira Isogawa and a score by UK electronic artist Clark, Love Lock was generously supported by Sydney Dance Company’s Visionary Patron Brett Clegg and the Clegg Foundation. Love Lock is Melanie’s second work for Sydney Dance Company, and was presented alongside Impermanence on the Company’s International Tour to Slovenia and France.
Choreography Antony Hamilton
Music Julian Hamilton
Lighting Design Ben Cisterne
Costume Design Paula Levis 4 Performances
Premiering in 2018, Forever & Ever was choreographed by Antony Hamilton, commissioned by the Sydney Dance Company in our commitment to supporting independent choreographers. The work won the 2019 Helpmann Award for Best Choreography and from the Melbourne season, won the 2024 Green Room Award for Best Choreography. Forever & Ever had its international premiere at Theatre Bonn, Germany in October 2023. Set to a score by The Presets’ Julian Hamilton, the work fuses a killer mix of dance, techno, high fashion and vivid lighting to hypnotic effect.
Forever & Ever was presented with Impermanence on the Company’s International Tour to Finland.
New Breed has been a vibrant platform for Australia’s independent dance voices, made possible through the extraordinary commitment of Principal Partner, The Balnaves Foundation. This remarkable 12 year partnership stands as a testament to The Balnaves Foundation’s inspired and visionary philanthropic support. Over more than a decade, New Breed has commissioned 49 new Australian dance works by 47 choreographers, presented across 125 performances. It leaves an extraordinary legacy that will resonate long into the future.
Choreography Ryan Pearson
Composer Durriwiyn
Lighting Design
Alexander Berlage
Costume Design Aleisa Jelbart
Save Point was inspired by video games from Pearson’s childhood, the work moved between nostalgia and invention, using movement to reconnect with a time when games felt limitless. Pearson explored movement, combat choreography and nostalgic worlds, blending imagination with physicality and deeply personal reflection.
2025 marked the culmination of this inspiring program and featured work by Emma Fishwick, Harrison Ritchie-Jones and Ensemble Dancers, Ryan Pearson and Ngaere Jenkins.
Acknowledgments
Sydney Dance Company sincerely thanks New Breed Principal Partner The Balnaves Foundation, and Co-Presenters Carriageworks.
From the horizon thereafter
Choreography Ngaere Jenkins
Composers Jackie Jenkins, Abigail Aroha Jensen and Stefan Jenkins
Music Features Rimu Rimu, Arranged and performed by Hannah Tatana, with kind permission of Viking Sevenseas
Lighting Design
Costume Design
Alexander Berlage
Aleisa Jelbart
From the horizon thereafter is an evocative contemplation on the whenua (land) Jenkins comes from, its misted horizons, fern-fringed bays and lakes encircled by mountains that stand as her tupuna (ancestors). In her work, Jenkins embodies the ephemeral beauty and memory of her homeland — its holding and yielding, its silences and calls, its quiet invitation to listen and be led.
“New Breed began with a simple conversation between myself and the late Neil Balnaves AO. We shared a belief that the future of dance depends on giving new voices a chance, on creating space for artists to dream, to risk, to fail and to fly. From that conversation, from that shared passion, New Breed was born.
The impact of New Breed over the last 12 years has been extraordinary. It has changed the course of choreographic careers. It has helped shape the landscape of contemporary dance in Australia.”
– Rafael Bonachela
Choreography Harrison Ritchie-Jones
Choreographic Assistant Michaela Tanchef
Composer Nicholas Roder
Lighting Design Alexander Berlage
Costume Design Aleisa Jelbart
Ritchie-Jones investigates a dystopian vision in which a global virus collapses humanity and gives rise to a post-apocalyptic world of punk pigeon people. In this disintegrated society, where words, structures and rules no longer hold, movement emerges as the only language and the only salvation.
Choreography Emma Fishwick
Artistic Collaborator Ella-Rose Trew
Sound Design Tristen Parr
Music Features Father Death Blues composed by Allen Ginsberg, interpreted by Nick Cave, Allen Ginsberg & Falco from the Viva La Poesia album, with kind permission from reemedia Verlags GmbH
Lighting Design Alexander Berlage
Costume Design Aleisa Jelbart
marathon, o, marathon, is a moving chorus, a strange nagging, a something about now. Using imagery of medieval dance manias and fallen knights, next to collapsed marathon runners and states of protest, was a way to gesture towards a certain kind of human conviction that stretches across time. The work evokes a desire for us to keep going, but to do this with tender and persistent attention to each other.
“Since 2012, Sydney Dance Company’s New Breed has been a launchpad for Australia’s most daring new choreographers. This year, after creating 49 new works across the past 12 years, the program takes its final bow, with the company shifting focus to an artistin-residence program. It’s a pivot – but New Breed, true to form, goes out with risk, personality, and four works that land with impact. For more than a decade, New Breed has championed choreographers willing to be bold, strange, tender and unruly. Its departure marks the end of an era”
– Sydney Morning Herald
Slip
Choreography
Composer
Visual Design
LX Design
Animation
Technical Operator
Outside Eye
Rebecca Jensen
Aviva Endean
Romanie Harper
Jennifer Hector
Patrick Hamilton
Jordi Edwards
Andrew Wilson
This slip of time and sound can stretch to much bigger timescales. Excerpt from Slip Essay by Roslyn Orlando 2023.
INDance is Sydney Dance Company’s curated program of independent contemporary dance. It’s a unique opportunity for established dance makers to have work presented across two weeks by Sydney Dance Company in our intimate Neilson Studio at the Walsh Bay Arts Precinct. The program exemplifies our commitment to supporting the Australian independent dance sector, expanding audience reach and engagement with the artform.
[ game boy ]
Choreography
Sound Design
Contributing
Composer
Performers/ Collaborators
Lighting Design
Amy Zhang
Jackson Garcia
Maxwell ‘Thv Flood’ Douglas
William ‘Billy’ Keohavong & Ko Yamada
Theodore Carroll
Special Thanks Emma Wong
[ game boy ] a dance theatre work that fuses street styles and contemporary drops two avatars into the game of life. Created by Amy Zhang, and featuring two of Australia’s sought-after dancers William ‘Billy’ Keohavong and Ko Yamada, the work questions what is the secret to winning at life.
★★★★ “The second instalment in the fourth year of Sydney Dance Company’s INDance program – continued this week to carve out that rare space where dance can risk, unravel, and reimagine itself. Staged in the intimate Neilson Studio, INDance invites artists to test the boundaries of form, content, and audience expectation. If Week 1 signalled the breadth of possibilities in independent dance, Week 2 confirmed the depth – two distinct works that dared to confront, unsettle, and reframe how performance can embody the urgent questions of our time” – Dance Informa
Co-direction, Choreography, Writing and Concept
Alison Currie and Alisdair Macindoe
Sound Design Sascha Budimski in collaboration with Alisdair Macindoe
Lighting, Set and Costume Design
Meg Wilson
Lighting Consultant Matthew Adey
Wardrobe Assistant Geoffrey Watson
Creative Producer Jason Cross
Additional Polystyrene Set Build (NSW) Mariska Lowri
Producers Insite Arts
Soloists
Choreographic Development Dancers
Rachel Coulson and Geoffrey Watson
Lewis Rankin, KialeaNadine Williams, Cazna Brass
Special Thanks Penelope Leichman, Seb Calbretto, StyroBoss
FM Air
Choreography Jo Lloyd
Performers Jo Lloyd, Louie Wisby, Thomas Woodman
Music Duane Morrison
Costume Design Andrew Treloar
Garment Construction Andrew Treloar and Hailey Scott
Producer Michaela Coventry and Sage Arts
FM Air appears and disappears – like a scent. FM Air is palimpsest of earlier works, examining the behaviour of gendered roles and movements that may have belonged to ancestors or ghosts past. The work questions the ephemeral, what remains when the dance is finished and what is captured by the gaze of the viewer.
Acknowledgment
The Sydney Dance Company acknowledges the Neilson Foundation’s visionary investment in this program to enable the growth and development of Australian dancemakers.
Progress Report critiques and unravels our relationships to consumerism and waste, exemplifying the imperative needed to transform the value of garbage.
The Company’s national trajectory brought momenta to audiences across Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania, deepening our vital connection to Australian communities from Hobart, to Mildura and Port Macquarie. Our broader projects expanded that reach to Queensland, Western Sydney and smaller regional NSW communities such as Junee.
Beyond our borders, the Company maintained its place on the world stage, from the acclaimed stages of Paris’ La Villette to the historic Ljubljana Festival. The final performance was before a sold-out, 5000 strong audience at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Athens. The international tour was centred by a residency at Orsolina28 Art Foundation, beginning a new collaboration with acclaimed composer Bryce Dessner.
France Paris, 5 performances
Italy Moncalvo, 1 performance
Spoleto, 2 performances
Queensland Brisbane, 7 performances
Victoria Ballarat, 1 performance
Bendigo, 1 performance
Frankston, 1 performance
Geelong, 2 performances
Melbourne, 19 performances Mildura, 1 performance
Acknowledgments
Creative Residency supported by Orsolina28 Art Foundation. The NSW and broader national tour was supported by Create Australia and Creative NSW.
Complementing these performances the Company delivered masterclasses, inclusive workshops and five livestreamed performances to Albania, India, Mongolia and Malta that championed artistic excellence and social accessibility.
“In two completely different works, Sydney Dance Company demonstrates stylistic versatility, interpretative dedication and rigorous expertise. The scenic worlds’ allusions to current themes appeal to a wide audience. So does the virtuosity of the dancers and the emphasis on dance and movement in the stage performance.”
– Helsinki Festival (Impermanence, Forever & Ever)
Finland Helsinki, 4 performances
Slovenia Ljubljana, 1 performance
Greece Athens, 1 performance
New South Wales
Campbelltown, 2 performances
Junee, 1 performance
Leeton, 1 performance
Newcastle, 1 performance
Port Macquarie, 1 performance
Sydney, 85 performances Wyong, 1 performance
Tasmania Hobart, 2 performances
Launceston, 1 performance
Includes PPY, INDance, Club Origami and ACO 50th Concert (Silence & Rapture).
Concept Takeshi Matsumoto
Created and Performed Makiko Aoyama, Robert Howat, Takeshi Matsumoto
Australian Cast Ryuichi Fujimura, Reina Takeuchi, Salina Myat and Gabriel Fischer (QPAC and Sydney Seasons)
Music Robert Howat
Dramaturg Lou Cope
Mentor Rosie Heafford
Set and Lighting Designer Ben Pacey
Costume Designer Giulia Scrimieri
Costume Maker Hania Kosewicz
Tour Lighting Designer Andy Finn
Stage Manager Jemma Sproul
Club Origami was commissioned and produced by Little Big Dance in association with Seven Circles, with special thanks to South East Dance, Brighton, United Kingdom.
Acknowledgment
Supported by the Packer Family Foundation
27 Performances
From the first fold to the last flutter of paper, Club Origami is a joyful celebration of creativity, curiosity and play. In 2025 Club Origami, Sydney Dance Company’s production for very young children and their families returned, and was presented in Sydney, before touring to Brisbane, Queensland, Regional NSW (Junee and Leeton) and to Campbeltown, Western Sydney.
This production was brought to life through an incredible international collaboration from our UK creative partners Takeshi Matsumoto, Makiko Aoyama and Rob Howat to the dedicated Australian cast and crew, Ryuichi Fujimura, Reina Takeuchi, Salina Myat, Gabriel Fischer, Jemma Sproul, and Aleisa Jelbart, who poured endless imagination care, and energy into every detail.
“Club Origami is a gorgeous introduction to the world of live art for little ones. It’s a show that respects their intelligence, celebrates their creativity, and invites them to dance, imagine, and play. It’s clever, kind, and joyfully chaotic in all the right ways. For families looking to dip a toe into contemporary performance, this show isn’t just worth seeing – it’s a gift that might just fold itself into your child’s lifelong memory.” – Stage Whispers, Review of Brisbane QPAC Performances
PPY Revealed returned to Carriageworks in 2025, an iconic and inspiring hub for choreographers, dancers and audiences alike. It was a season rich with vulnerability, resilience and creative truth.
Choreography Zee Zunnur
Composer Peter McAvan
Lighting Design Karen Norris
Costume Design Harriet Ayers
Cast PPY2 Full Company
Choreography Richard Cilli in collaboration with the performers
Music Sidewalk Dances (Fourteen Moondog Pieces) by Joanna MacGregor
Lighting Design Karen Norris
Costume Design Harriet Ayers
Cast PPY1 Full Company
Choreography Emma Harrison in collaboration with the performers
Composer Amy Flannery
Lighting Design Karen Norris
Costume Design Harriet Ayers
Cast PPY2 Full Company
3 new Australian commissions 2 Performances
In 2025, Fiona Hill was nominated in the Art Music Awards, Dramatic category, for previous work with PPY
Choreography Thomas E.S. Kelly
Composer Thomas E.S. Kelly
Lighting Design Karen Norris
Costume Design Harriet Ayers
Cast PPY2 Full Company
Choreography Rafael Bonachela
Restaged by Juliette Barton and Madeline Harms
Composer Nick Wales
Lighting Design Karen Norris
Original Costume Design Aleisa Jelbart
Costume Reimagined Harriet Ayers
Cast PPY2 Full Company
This sold-out season of PPY first-year students was held at the Neilson Studio.
Throng
Choreography Richard Cilli in collaboration with the performers
Music Sidewalk Dances (Fourteen Moondog Pieces) by Joanna MacGregor
Costume Design Harriet Ayers
Choreography Merce Cunningham
Restaged by Melissa Toogood
Music for Signals John Cage, Gordon Mumma and David Tudor composed the original music First Week of June
Choreography Eliza Cooper in collaboration with the performers
Music Yokto by Ori Lichtik with samples by Mason Peronchik and Eliza Cooper
Costume Design Eliza Cooper
Choreography Rafael Bonachela
Music Jean-Philippe Rameau, Antonio Vivaldi and Johann Sebastian Bach
A strong and collaborative arts sector is vital and as Australia’s pre-eminent contemporary dance company, we aim to be a leader and engage in ways that strengthens and sustains the industry by offering support and opportunities. We do this in a number of ways.
Sydney Dance Company staff led and engaged with the broad dance, performing arts and training sectors, including:
• Co-Chairing the Network of National Dance Organisations (NoNDO)
• Convening the NSW national performing arts framework organisations meetings
• Panel representation on ‘the future of dance’, Movement Movement, a dance industry forum produced by Campbelltown Arts Centre
• Representing Australia at Performing Arts Market, Seoul
• Representation at the Australian Performing Arts Exchange (APAX)
• Being representatives on a range of industry bodies and boards including:
» Sydney Opera House Education Advisory Panel
» Create NSW Dance and Physical Theatre Artform Board
» Theatre Network Australia
» Sydney Arts Management Advisory Board
Sydney Dance Company is committed to empowering the next generation of dance artists by creating meaningful opportunities to engage directly with our professional Ensemble. Across the year, we hosted 31 undergraduate dancers for week-long secondments, including 22 students from our Pre-Professional Year (PPY) and six from leading tertiary institutions, including the New Zealand School of Dance, the Australian Ballet School and Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. At our Walsh Bay Arts Precinct home and abroad, the Ensemble regularly welcomed independent artists and freelancers to participate in morning class.
At the 2025 Brisbane International Contemporary Dance Prix, we were proud to award four three-day secondments with the Ensemble and six five-day secondments with the PPY program. The winner of the 2024 Brisbane International Contemporary Dance Prix, Jessi Hough, undertook an eight-week secondment with the Ensemble, and following this experience Jessi was contracted with the Ensemble for part of the year.
The Ensemble conducts private auditions throughout the year and leverages our national and international tours to observe exceptional talent from around the world. In 2025, 13 dancers were offered the opportunity to attend a private audition as part of the Ensemble audition program. Notably, for the first time, every member of the PPY2 cohort submitted an application to audition for the 2026 Traineeship.
As part of a two-year initiative with Creative Australia’s Production Workforce Training Initiative and Dance Makers’ Collective, Sydney Dance Company continued to provide a professional development opportunity for three individuals to grow their skills in technical delivery of dance performances, including touring, costuming, for small-scale works.
Thanks to the continued support of The Balnaves Foundation, we welcomed Raghav Handa as the 2025 Balnaves Artist in Residence, further embedding diverse perspectives into our creative and administrative fabric. Raghav Handa is a celebrated choreographer and dancer of Indian heritage, whose works have featured in festivals across Australia and internationally. Raghav was part of Sydney Dance Company’s New Breed season in 2020 with his nominal work Cult of the Titans
This invaluable initiative allows independent choreographers to work across all departments of Sydney Dance Company for one year. The residency offered Raghav deep exposure to the Company’s artistic practice, expansive community outreach, education programs, long-term vision for legacy and sustainability, and the opportunity to interrogate his creative and cultural potential.
Acknowledgment
At our home at Walsh Bay Arts Precinct, James Batchelor & Company, in collaboration with PPY students, transformed the main foyer into an in-the-round performance space for IDEA ‘25, produced by FORM Dance Projects. The professional dancers and students performed Resonance in Sydney Dance Company’s cafe foyer space, bringing three generations of artists together to pay tribute to the creative legacy of Tanja Liedtke.
Supporting the broader performing arts industry, two of Sydney Dance Company’s Ensemble Dancers performed My Heart’s in the Highlands, an excerpt from Silence & Rapture, Rafael Bonachela’s 2024 work, in the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s 50th anniversary performance.
In 2025, Sydney Dance Company’s venue hire continued to position our wharf studios as a highperforming, multi-purpose asset, successfully balancing commercial return with community outcomes. The venue continues to attract corporate clients, brand activations, and business events, alongside film and photography shoots, leveraging the precinct’s premium waterfront setting. Concurrently, the studios were activated by independent artists for performances, as well as education and training partners, ensuring the building remained a daily hub for creative practice and learning.
Key highlights included multiple audition days for Disney, major cruise line entertainment, workshops for Sydney Festival, The Arts Unit, the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, NCIS Sydney, as well as major activations for Dirty Feet, Sydney Fringe & FORM Dance Projects IDEA 25 festival, where the venue operated at full capacity as a performance hub. This breadth of activity underscores the strategic value of the venue hire program in generating revenue, supporting the independent sector, and strengthening industry pathways, while maximising utilisation of Sydney Dance Company’s spaces.
Sydney Dance Company also provided in-kind support through venue hire to Dirty Feet’s Out of the Studio performances and Sydney Fringe Festival programming, with four shows per night in the Neilson Studio. We provided total in-kind (free) venue hire worth $17k to arts organisations.
“I’ve experienced growth beyond what I thought possible, that I don’t believe I would’ve found anywhere else than in the nurturing and inspiring environment that is PPY.”
– Mahalia Adamson (PPY2)
In 2025, the Pre-Professional Year (PPY) had 54 participants across the two cohorts. 49 students completed the year, with 41 successfully completing their Advanced Diploma of Professional Dance (Elite Performance) CUA60120 or Diploma of Professional Dance (Elite Performance) CUA51520 in December (RTO #45863). Two students are set to finish their qualifications in 2026.
Thanks to our donors, 2025 saw a total of 10 individual students receive scholarship support for their training. This support was offered in the form of one full scholarship and nine half scholarships.
For the second year in a row, assessment requirements were completed by the end of term four and certificates were awarded to students on the final day of PPY Revealed
In addition to working with a range of incredible artists from across Australia and internationally, the PPY students engaged in a cross-disciplinary collaboration with third-year composition students from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Together they choreographed, composed and performed 24 original works, which were presented in the Neilson Studio. The success of this initiative has generated strong interest in continuing the collaboration in the future.
“Every step is wild, vital, alive. Each moment unique and precious. Dancing in this space where personal expression is everyone’s conviction has made me grateful that a place like this can exist in the world.”
– Edie Burgess (PPY2)
In July 2025, Sydney Dance Company strengthened its position as a leading training organisation with the launch of its inaugural Teacher Training program, delivered under our status as a Registered Training Organisation (RTO #45863). 13 students enrolled in the (CUA40320) Cert IV Dance Teacher Training and Management course. Designed to meet the evolving demands of dance education, this new program integrates theoretical knowledge with practical experience, equipping teachers with the skills, knowledge and confidence to inspire the next generation of dancers. Through the program, dance teachers gain expertise in developing movement practices, fostering safe and inclusive learning environments and translating professional knowledge into dynamic teaching experiences.
This hybrid program includes four practical, weeklong intensives, providing an interactive learning experience. The theory component is delivered through 1.5-hour weekly lectures and tutorials over four terms, offered in person or online. With an integrated approach and a strong emphasis on evolving somatic philosophies and respectful workplace practices, the sessions equip teachers to develop adaptable and effective teaching strategies.
Participants included PPY alumni, industry professionals, secondary dance teachers and dance studio teachers, a number of whom travelled interstate to attend the intensives.
2025 marked the fourth year of the partnership between Sydney Dance Company and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. The four year groups of the Diploma of Music Theatre undertook a customised dance curriculum developed by the training team. The program delivered structured technical progression across ballet, tap, and theatre jazz, ensuring stylistic breadth and performance readiness. All cohorts completed formal assessments at the conclusion of both Semester 1 and Semester 2 to evaluate technical proficiency, stylistic application, and overall competency development.
In addition to core activities, Sydney Dance Company’s learning team provided bespoke workshops tailored to groups with specific learning outcomes and goals.
In its second year, the collaboration with the Independent Girls’ Schools Association (IGSA) engaged 60 emerging dancers representing 21 independent schools across NSW and the ACT in a bespoke dance program at Walsh Bay Arts Precinct studios during the April school holidays. The two-day IGSA Dance Festival culminated in three informal showings in the Neilson Studio,
providing students with a valuable performance outcome and learning opportunity.
A new learning program for children and young people that was piloted in 2024, was adopted by Sadleir Public School in Term 4, 2025. The purpose of the Primary Education Workshop Series is to deliver curriculum-aligned dance classes tailored to the specific creative arts outcomes or goals of each school community, while providing access to high-quality dance experiences for primary students and generalist classroom teachers. At Sadlier Public School, the program was implemented across Years 1 to 6, engaging students in a structured progression of skills and creative exploration. Over the course of the term, students demonstrated growth in musicality, rhythm, and understanding of core dance concepts. The series culminated in a school assembly performance, where students showcased the foundational and collaborative skills developed throughout the program, highlighting artistic progress and confidence.
Sydney Dance Company remains dedicated in its commitment to cultivating the next generation of dance artists through its advanced training pathways. These programs equip emerging and professional dancers with rigorous technical development, sustained creative exploration, and direct collaboration with leading industry practitioners.
Through immersive opportunities spanning Youth Ensembles, Intensives, Pre-Professional Training, and affiliated initiatives, the Company is not only strengthening individual artistic trajectories but also actively shaping the evolution of contemporary dance, both in Australia and on the global stage.
Sydney Dance Company’s Youth Ensemble program continued to provide invaluable opportunities for young dancers in 2025. Across the duration of the program, participants worked closely with leading choreographers and industry specialists in a supportive environment designed to nurture the artistry, technique and creativity of each dancer.
The introduction of a new Primary Ensemble (ages 10–12) expanded the program’s breadth, fostering creativity and performance skills from an earlier age. This initiative provides a valuable opportunity to experience a professional environment not commonly available to dancers of this age group. It also supports the development of new and emerging audiences for contemporary dance by building meaningful connections with young people and their families. Across three terms, 73 participants - 11 Primary, 31 Junior (12–15 years) and 31 Senior (15–18 years) engaged
in varied contemporary dance practices and creative development with former Company
Dancers Mia Thompson and Madeline Harms, and respected independent artists including Gabrielle Nankivell, Siobhan Lynch, Eliza Cooper, Lisa Maris McDonnell, Remy Rochester and Bangarra Dance Theatre’s Rehearsal Director Rikki Mason.
The program culminated in three showings in the Neilson Studio, attended by 198 family and friends. The inaugural Primary Ensemble presented Small Voices, Big Echoes by Mia Polinelli, the Junior Ensemble performed Mass by Sophia Ndaba, and the Senior Ensemble performed Hive-mind by Emma Riches.
Three Senior Ensemble dancers were accepted into the Pre-Professional Year (PPY1) for 2026, underscoring the Ensemble’s impact as a pipeline for advanced training and future careers in contemporary dance.
In 2025, two Youth Intensives offered young dancers (ages 14–17) immersive training experiences in two locations:
• Walsh Bay Arts Precinct (January): 34 dancers took part in a five-day intensive, expanding their technique and creativity under the guidance of Sydney Dance Company’s Artistic and Training teams. The program culminated in an informal showing for family and friends.
• Rooty Hill (October): Supported by ClubGRANTS West HQ, 34 young people from Western Sydney participated in a fully subsidised Creative Youth Intensive at Sydney Coliseum Theatre in the spring holidays. Led by Sydney Dance Company Teaching Artists, the program encompassed technique training, repertoire exploration and creative development, culminating in a community showing. Now in its third year, the initiative continues to strengthen access to professional contemporary dance programs and deepen engagement in the creative arts for communities in Western Sydney.
“The Creative Youth Intensive was amazing and inspiring. A new skill I gained was greater confidence in creating new choreography. Coming from a rural dance school and having this opportunity was amazing.”
– 2025 Participant
41 emerging professional dancers from across Australia and overseas attended the 2025 Summer and Winter Professional Intensives, including four scholarship recipients from NAISDA Dance College, Australia’s leading performing arts training organisation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
The program demonstrated strong interstate, international and culturally diverse representation and participation, with dancers travelling from Singapore, the USA, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Mexico, as well as multiple Australian states, to undertake a rigorous five-day training experience.
The intensives delivered advanced technique classes, choreographic development and Company repertoire, complemented by an in-depth Q&A with Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela and Rehearsal Director Richard Cilli. Faculty included leading industry practitioners Emma Harrison and Martin del Amo and former Ensemble Dancers Madeline Harms and Mia Thompson, ensuring participants received current, industry aligned professional training.
Sydney Dance Company hosted two advanced contemporary workshops led by artists Tristan Carter and Sam Hines to provide connection with the broader dance sector. More than 30 advancedlevel dancers attended the sessions to engage with these creatives and collaborate with peers from the industry.
Four Secondary School Matinee and one Primary School Matinee performances were presented across two Sydney seasons in 2025, engaging over 1,700 primary, secondary and tertiary students. Students and teachers were provided with a digital resource pack to deepen engagement pre and post-performance.
Unungkati Yantatja – one with the other Primary Matinee was attended by 730 students (Years 2–6) and teachers, marking the performance as Sydney Dance Company’s largest primary matinee to date. Nearly 50% of seats were fully subsidised through the generous philanthropic support of Alenka Tindale. During the performance, William Barton introduced his composition and demonstrated the Yidaki, prompting strong participation and enthusiastic engagement from the audience.
“The performance was wonderful, inspiring, original and it went beyond our expectations.”
– Primary TeacherCanley Heights Primary School
165 Sydney-based workshops were delivered, engaging 2,893 primary, secondary and tertiary students at our Walsh Bay Arts Precinct studios or delivered as incursions at schools. This flexibility in offering removed travel as a barrier of participation and ensured greater access to arts education. Groups who attended the wharf studios were given a tour of the space and were introduced to a range of career pathways and educational opportunities connected to the performing arts.
With philanthropic support, 12 workshops were delivered to primary schools in Western Sydney. These workshops deepened student engagement and understanding of the school matinee performance, enriching the overall learning experience and strengthened relationships with participating schools.
“Students thoroughly enjoyed the complete experience. From the tour to the workshop, the complete immersion in the workings of Sydney Dance Company was an invaluable experience.”
Secondary TeacherBlayney High School
“The students had an incredible time at the workshops. They were inspired by the professionals who led them all in the various styles and have taken away a range of new skills and approaches to the art form.”
College, Campbelltown
As part of the momenta national tour, education workshops were delivered to 63 schools and studios across regional and remote Australia including Bendigo, Ballarat, Frankston, Geelong, Mildura, Hobart, Launceston, Port Macquarie and Newcastle. 1,685 young people participated in the workshops, including those who identify as living with learning needs or a disability.
“The students were really engaged and thoroughly enjoyed it. The workshop was a very valuable experience for our students in building appreciation, interest, confidence and enjoyment of engaging in Performing Arts.”
– Primary Teacher – Holy Rosary Primary School
During the Company’s season in Mildura, Dancers visited Dareton Public School, a small primary school of approximately 60 students, 90% of whom identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. Sydney Dance Company has worked with the school since 2019, with the school reporting that programs like these increase student engagement, strengthen attendance, and reduce incidents of aggression. Following the principal’s attendance at the performance at Mildura Arts Centre, members of the Artistic and Training and Education teams delivered a workshop for all Years 3–6 students. The session featured a movement warm-up, repertoire from momenta, student-led performance sharing, and a Q&A, reinforcing a valued long-term relationship while building connection, confidence and pride within a regional community.
Acknowledgement
Sydney Dance Company sincerely thanks National Education Partner The Sid and Fiona Myer Family Foundation.
The Conditioning Studio has continued to strengthen its impact within the dance and Walsh Bay Arts Precinct community, further expanding its unique blend of dance expertise and functional conditioning to help people move like their best selves. Drawing on deep knowledge of biomechanics and somatic practices, the team design programs that enhance strength, flexibility, alignment, and body awareness. These principles are essential to dancers and are made accessible to people of all movement backgrounds.
A major area of growth in 2025 has been the expansion of our Pilates Short Courses. Following their introduction in 2024, attendance has increased from 114 to 323 (183%). These courses have become an important pathway for improving dance technique, posture, and overall movement efficiency in a structured and supportive format. We have also seen locals increasing confidence in their bodies with our range of non-dance specific short courses such as ‘Balance and Stability’ and ‘Neck, Shoulder, and Back Release’.
We saw increased engagement across programs from our regular client base, showing strong retention. This sustained participation reflected significant community trust and demonstrated the studio’s role as an essential resource for injury prevention, mobility, and long-term movement health. By continuing to provide expert guidance through inclusive and accessible programming, the Conditioning Studio promotes healthier, more sustainable movement practices within our expanding community.
Public Sessions Delivered
492
Private / Couples sessions
114 Pilates Short Courses sessions
292 Small Group sessions
Dancer Sessions Delivered
196 sessions with Pre-Professional Year students
160 sessions with Ensemble
Unique Public Clients
64
Privates / Couples
Attendance
492
Privates / Couples
38 Pilates Short Course
42 Small Groups
323 Pilates Short Course
521 Small Groups
“Felicity is so knowledgeable about determining individual strengths and weaknesses. She creates routines and offers cues to suit and connect with each individual perfectly. Through Felicity’s thoughtful instruction, past niggles have lessened and I feel confident with exercises and knowledge on how to address injuries should they come up again.”
– Pilates Short Course Participant
In April, Sydney Dance Company’s studios became home to an immersive dance and music experience called MOVED!, created by and for the neurodivergent community. The event was part of The A List Create Space Arts Initiative, a project aiming to transform cultural venues into spaces of true neuroinclusion and was funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services.
MOVED! brought together artists, families and community members to share in a space designed to be safe, inclusive and creatively empowering. From lighting adjustments and visual wayfinding to flexible participation and quiet breakout areas, every detail was carefully considered to ensure everyone could feel welcome and truly be themselves. Cocreated with artists who are neurodivergent, MOVED! included a movement workshop led by Eliza Cooper, a silent movement installation and a Lego® build. The event reinforced Sydney Dance Company’s commitment to embed inclusive practices across our programming to ensure we are a space which welcomes all communities.
Relaxed Performances were held for our Somos season as well as audio described and tactile tours for patrons to both the Somos and Continuum seasons. These initiatives reflect our ongoing commitment to Accessibility and ensuring the transformative power of contemporary dance is available to everyone.
Our partnership with Job Access – National Disability Recruitment Coordinator continued in 2025, supporting our ongoing commitment to inclusive employment practices. As part of this collaboration, a formal Recruitment Process Review was undertaken by Job Access to identify potential barriers that people with a disability may encounter when applying for roles with Sydney Dance Company, alongside practical recommendations for improvement. Several of these recommendations have already been implemented, including the introduction of a dedicated Accessibility page on our website. Remaining actions are scheduled for implementation in 2026, ensuring a continued, staged approach to improving access and inclusion.
Sydney Dance Company’s Open Classes continue to be a cornerstone of the Company’s community engagement. In 2025, there were 88,043 attendances in adult classes in our Walsh Bay Arts Precinct studios. Designed for people of all experience levels, from complete beginners to professional artists, the program offered a diverse range of styles including contemporary, jazz, ballet, hip hop and conditioning classes led by industry professionals. Beyond technical development, the classes foster creativity, wellbeing and connection, providing an inclusive environment where individuals can build confidence, maintain physical health and experience the joy of movement. The program ensures high-quality dance training remains accessible, flexible and responsive to the needs of a broad and vibrant community.
Sydney Dance Company’s School Holiday Workshops offered dynamic, inclusive and fun learning experiences that engage young people in meaningful creative practice. Designed for young people aged 5 to 18, the program provided a supportive and inspiring environment for learning and creative development. Led by experienced industry experts, each program nurtures confidence, teamwork and self-expression while maintaining a strong focus on artistic rigour and skill development. The workshops played a vital role in broadening access to quality arts education, offering young dancers the opportunity to connect with peers, deepen their passion for movement and experience the professional standards and creative culture of the Company.
Sydney Dance Company’s Classes On Demand platform extended the reach of the Company’s teaching beyond the studio, providing flexible, highquality dance training, accessible anytime and anywhere. Featuring a broad library of contemporary, ballet, jazz, hip hop and conditioning classes led by the Company’s Artistic and Teaching staff, the platform supports dancers of all levels to train at their own pace. Classes On Demand provided access for regional and interstate participants, and those unable to attend for a variety of accessibility reasons, ensuring geography and mobility are not barriers to participation. By combining artistic excellence with digital innovation, the program strengthened community connection and expanded access to professional-standard dance education nationwide.
“It was inspiring meeting so many amazing new people, making really positive friendships and being able to dance in such a safe and supportive environment with so many incredible teachers.”
– School Holiday Workshop participant (12-14 years)
In its third year of programming, Families Classes continued to create joyful, shared movement experiences that strengthened connection between children and their grown-ups. Beyond physical activity, the classes offer families a space to explore movement together and discover the joy of learning something new.
“Doing the activity together was so lovely, and getting to participate alongside my daughter meant that I could also observe her learning style - we as parents don’t often get that opportunity. And hopefully I was able to inspire her with my learning efforts in class as well!” – Parent from the Families Classes
Parents and Toddlers classes continued to introduce young children aged 2-4 years to dance. Through a range of activities, children were encouraged to use their bodies and imaginations to create new movement and express themselves. Sessions combine music, rhythm and imaginative play to build coordination, balance and motor skills. Led by experienced Teaching Artists, the program also strengthens parent–child connection in a joyful and inclusive space.
“Amazing teaching skills — explains technique in such a clear, comprehensive manner that’s really helped students to improve. Every class has a unique focus, with a gentle pace and consistently great vibes.” – Open Class participant
In the Studio Classes On Demand
88,043 attendances to Adult Classes
1,807 attendances to School Holiday Workshops
5,763
411 attendances to Short Courses
views4,368 (including free trial)
121 attendances to Parents and Toddlers Classes attendances to Families Classes
Sydney Dance Company’s philanthropy program is critical to realising our vision for the future — one in which Sydney Dance Company expands its reach and inspires more people to experience the joy and power of dance.
The generosity of our donors plays a vital role in ensuring the Company’s long-term sustainability and the continuation of our cornerstone programs. This support is realised through the Carla Zampatti Commissioning Fund, the Touring Fund, the Dancers’ Circle Fund, and our broader partnerships program — each providing essential investment in artistic creation, national and international reach, and the ongoing development of our artists.
The Commissioning Fund continues to ensure that ambitious, culturally significant projects can be realised. In 2025, our Carla Zampatti Commissioning Fund enabled an unprecedented and historic collaboration Unungkati Yantatja – one with the other, marking the Company’s first major First Nations collaboration and representing a powerful step forward in deepening cultural dialogue and artistic exchange.
The year also marked the final season of New Breed, a program that has been the creative heartbeat of the Company for more than a decade. Born from a shared belief between our Artistic Director and the late Neil Balnaves AO, New Breed stood as a testament to what is possible when shared vision meets sustained support. Through the visionary generosity of The Balnaves Foundation, what began as a simple idea became a defining platform for artistic innovation. New Breed demonstrated the power of philanthropy; empowering artists, enriching the cultural landscape and ensuring the next generation of creative talent can thrive.
The Philanthropy and Partnerships team continue to deepen engagement with our community of supporters through a curated program of behindthe-scenes experiences and intimate events. These opportunities allow donors and partners to connect meaningfully with the Company’s artists and creative process, fostering a deeper sense of shared purpose and belonging within the Sydney Dance Company family.
Sydney Dance Company’s annual fundraising gala, Dance Noir, was held on Saturday 20 September, with over 530 guests embracing the Rebel Romance theme for a spectacular night of dancing and celebrating.
Hosted by the wonderful Jessica Rowe, guests were entertained with spectacular performances, including a group from the Pre-Professional Year program and our incredible Sydney Dance Company Ensemble, before hitting the dance floor themselves.
Dance Noir would not be possible without the tireless efforts of our dedicated Co-Chairs Peter Reeve and Mandy Foley and the Dance Noir Committee members. Sydney Dance Company is very grateful to everyone who contributed to the night’s success, including attendees, donors and the many organisations and individuals who provided prizes.
We would like to thank all our donors for their generous support and acknowledge those who have given anonymously. Our donors make it possible for us to create and present new work, inspire future generations of artists and audiences, extend our reach and plan for the future.
Visionary Patron
Clegg Foundation
Accessibility Partner
JACE Foundation
Dancers’ Circle
The Dancers’ Circle supports the growth and development of our Ensemble of dancers, enabling pathways for their time with the Company and beyond.
Patron: Knights Family Jabula Foundation
Hayley & James Baillie
Clegg Foundation
Paula & Damien Cronin
Manuela & Michael Darling
Steph Fairfax
Deborah & David Friedlander
Margaret Gibbs
Andrew & Emma Gray
The Hansen Family
Margaret Payn
Rachel & Neil Sinden
Pip & Dick Smith Foundation
Mary Zuber
Carla Zampatti
Commissioning Fund
With visionary support from the Carla Zampatti Foundation.
Larissa Behrendt AO
& Michael Lavarch
The Berg Family Foundation
Paul Brady & Christine Yip
Jillian Broadbent AC & Olev Rahn
Clea Caisley
Clegg Foundation
Helen Eager
& Christopher Hodges
Girgensohn Foundation
Alexa & David Haslingden
John Head
Linda Herd
John Kaldor AO
Alicia K Kemp
Knights Family Jabula Foundation
Macquarie Group Foundation
David Mathlin & Camilla Drover
In memory of Nola McCullagh
The Neilson Foundation
Emma-Jane Newton & Chris Paxton
Rebel Penfold-Russell OAM & Ian Low
Ruth Ritchie Family Fund
Penelope Seidler AM
Ezekiel Solomon AM
Leslie Stern
Touring Fund
John Barrer
Jane Bridge & Michael Lambert
Susie Dickson
& the late Martin Dickson AM
Kay Freedman
& the late Ian Wallace
Bunny Gardiner-Hill
In memory of Nola McCullagh
Bernard Ryan & Michael Rowe
Matt Shelmerdine
Victoria Taylor
Kathy White
Barbara Wilby & Christopher Joyce
Bequests
The Estate of C.R. Adamson
The Estate of Patricia Cameron-Stewart
The Estate of Janet Fischer
The Estate of Patricia Leehy
The Estate of Carina Martin
The Estate of Lorelle Thomson
The Estate of Peggy Watson (Raczkowska)
Training Associate
Tim Fairfax AC
Company Traineeship
The Wales Family Trust
Early Careers Artists
The Wales Family Trust
Pre-Professional Year Scholarships
Kay Freedman and the late Ian Wallace
Doug Hall Foundation
James N Kirby Foundation
The Wales Family
Mary Zuber
Pre-Professional Year Programs
Tanja Liedtke Endowment
The Hephzibah Tintner Foundation
Education Partner
The Sid and Fiona Myer Family Foundation
Education Supporter Alenka Tindale
Annual Giving Program
Our Annual Giving Program underpins all of our activities, enabling us to create, commission and share exceptional contemporary dance experiences with people of all ages, across Australia and around the world.
Platinum Donors
A special thank you to our Platinum Donors for their enduring commitment and passion for Sydney Dance Company.
The Late Robert Albert AO
RFD RD & Elizabeth Albert
The Balnaves Foundation
Jane & Andrew Clifford
Crown Resorts Foundation
Julian Knights AO
& Lizanne Knights
Jules Maxwell
Andrew Messenger
Naomi Milgrom AC
Naomi Milgrom Foundation
The Neilson Foundation
Judith Neilson AM
Packer Family Foundation
Gretel Packer AM
Thyne Reid Foundation
The Wales Family Foundation
Carla Zampatti Foundation
Mary Zuber
We’d also like to thank our Take a Seat supporters, who continue to support our Neilson Studio.
The Late Robert Albert AO
RFD RD & Mrs Elizabeth Albert
David & Selina Baxby
Jillian Broadbent AC & Olev Rahn
Todd Buncombe
Livinia Clegg
Janine Collins
Judy Crawford
Desmon Du Plessis
& David Jonas
Anne Dunn & Patricia Buick
In memory of Katherine Kar
Lum Fan
Deborah & David Friedlander
Margaret Gibbs
Andy Grant
Poppy Mallett
In memory of Nola McCullagh
Karen Moses
Paris Neilson
India Neville
Emma-Jane Newton
Lizzi Nicoll
Chris Paxton
Tim Rahn
Nick Read
Victoria & Peter Shorthouse
Catherine Smithson
Ruth & Bruce Smithson
In loving memory of Ian Wallace Anonymous
Performance Donors ($20,000+)
Bertalli Family Foundation
Andrew & Emma Gray
Alexa & David Haslingden
Denise Kirkpatrick
Susan Maple-Brown AM & the late Robert Maple-Brown AO
The Alexandra & Lloyd Martin
Family Foundation
Pallion
Studio Donors ($10,000+)
Pam & Doug Bartlett
Aniek Baten
Susie Dickson
Michael Humphreys & Nadia
Naylor
John Griffiths and Beth Jackson
Emma-Jane Newton & Chris Paxton
Cathie & Paul Oppenheim
Lou Oppenheim
Roslyn Packer AC
Rebel Penfold-Russell Stedmans
Mary Zuber
Duet Donors ($5,000+)
Jillian Broadbent AC & Olev Rahn
Therese Cochrane
Ari & Lisa Droga
Helen Eager
& Christopher Hodges
Margaret Gibbs
Terri Hollings in memory of Erin Ostadal
Tina & Mark Johnson
Ingrid Kaiser
Skye Leckie OAM
Kylie Rixon
Leslie Stern
David Wayne
Deanne Weir
Adam Worling Public Relations
Dance Donors ($2,000+)
Phillip & Catherine Brenner
Karola Brent & Tim Reed
Jacqui Burton
The Hon Ben Franklin
Bunny Gardiner-Hill
Bradford Gorman
& Dean Fontana
Mikaela Haberfield & David Brown
Cheryl Hatch
John Head
Val & Mal Hebblewhite
Rebecca Hogan
Gabrielle Iwanow
Rebecca & Ben Keeble
Les Kennedy
Mckeage Cole Foundation
Steve Paridis
Catherine Parr & Paul Hattaway
Greeba Pritchard
Justin Punch & Patty Punch
Peter Reeve & Jaycen Fletcher
Jann Skinner
Cheryl M Spoor
Christine Thomson
Anonymous
Rehearsal Donors ($1,000+)
Chris Clark
Rob Coombe
Max Dingle OAM
Annalise Fairfax
Susanne de Ferranti
Helen Forrester
Belinda Gibson
Amber Gooley
Hon Don Harwin
Dr Amy Ho
Kaye Hocking
Carmel Hourigan
A. Sasha Jaksic
Lynton Jamieson
Elias & Jana Juanas
Ruveni Kelleher
Robert Kidd
Grant Leonard
Royston Lim
Patricia McCauley
Judy McMahon
Matina Papathanasiou
Naomi Parry & Kim Terakes
Marion Pascoe
Margaret Payn
Greg Peirce
Dr Natalie E Pelham
& Prof Carol Mills
Rebecca Rocheford Davies
Rowan & Annie Ross
Victoria Rowell
Emma Schimann
Pensiri Scott
Dr Brindha Shivalingam
Mike Thompson OAM
Denis Wilkinson
Nina Wines
Joshua & Jo Yeldham
Government Partners
Season Partners – Somos
Principal Partner – New Breed
Season Partners – Continuum
Event Sponsors - Dance Noir
Trusts & Foundations
Pro Bono Supporters
Media Partners
Board of Directors
Emma-Jane Newton (Chair)
Larissa Behrendt AO
Gitanjali Bhalla (from May)
Jillian Broadbent AC
Michael Dagostino
David Friedlander
Emma Gray
Andrew Hagger
Alexa Haslingden
Mark Hassell (until April)
Sandra McCullagh
Paris Neilson (until February)
Bianca Spender
International Patron
Dame Darcey Bussell
Ambassadors’ Council
Sarah Myer (Chair)
Victoria Balnaves
Pam Bartlett
Judy Crawford
Chum Darvall AM
Jaycen Fletcher
Mandy Foley
Rebekah Giles
Bradford Gorman
The Hon. Don Harwin
Samuel Joyce
Alexandra Knights
Skye Leckie OAM
Amelia Liveris
Jules Maxwell
Andrew Muston
Peter Reeve
Ruth Ritchie
Keinwen Shephard
Stephen Thatcher
Bee Wood
Adam Worling
Susan Wynne
Mary Zuber
Management
Artistic Director
Rafael Bonachela
Executive Director
Lou Oppenheim
Executive Assistant to Rafael Bonachela and Lou Oppenheim
Amy Burrows
Director, Producing
Brendan O’Connell (until April)
Katy Green Loughrey (from July)
Senior Producer
Dominic Chang
Associate Producer – Ensemble
Kerry Thampapillai
Associate Producer – Wharf
Michael Sieders
Chief Financial Officer
Sean Radcliffe (until January)
Kate Di Mattina (from January)
Financial Accountant
Melissa Sim
Payroll Assistant
Carina Mission
Director, Training and Education
Polly Brett
Head of Open Programs and Learning
Samantha Dashwood
Dance Class Manager
Ramon Doringo
Head of Training
Linda Gamblin
Pre-Professional Year
Course Coordinator
Tobiah Booth-Remmers
Training Associate
Juliette Barton (until March, on leave)
Madeline Harms (from March)
Learning Associate
Alexandria Panetta
Conditioning Studio Manager
Felicity McGee
Learning Manager
Justine Ocampo
Learning Coordinator
Jacqueline Cooper
Learning Administrator
Eugenie English
Customer Experience and Venue Manager
Sue Neilsen
Customer Service Assistant
Mardi Downing (until August)
Ellie Cevik (from September)
Director, Philanthropy and Partnerships
Fiona Crockett
Head of Philanthropy
Katherine Seymour
Philanthropy Manager
Lachlan Bell
Trust and Foundations Manager
Madeleine White (from August)
Philanthropy Coordinator
Bianca Mulet
Partnerships and Events Coordinator
Jasmine Cook (until August)
Director, Market Development
Olivia Blackburn
Marketing Manager
Natalie Zagaglia (until June)
Kylie Boyd (from June)
Digital Marketing Specialist
Rebecca Nash
Marketing and Communications Coordinator
Rohan Furnell
Gabriella Lay
Head of CRM and Business Intelligence
Thida Kyaw
Ticketing Specialist
John Calvi
Technical Director
Guy Harding
Company and Resident Stage Manager
Simon Turner
Production Manager
Shane Placentino (from July)
Technical Coordinator
Tony McCoy
Head of Wardrobe
Nicole Artsetos (acting, January-March)
Mary-Ellen Baxter (from March)
Costumiers
Nicole Artsetos
Harriet Ayers
Maverick Durkin (Trainee)
Paul Flanagan
Bronte Hilder
Aleisa Jelbart
Erika Schwarz
Monica Smith
Production and Venue Technicians
Ben Anshaw
Jackson Edwards
Jem Hoppe
Tom Kelly (Trainee)
William Phillips (Trainee)
Sammy Read
Cameron Smith
Allan Vella
Stage Managers
Jemma Elyse Sproul (Club Origami)
Mackenzie O’Byrne (PPY)
Rehearsal Director
Richard Cilli
Rehearsal Associate
Charmene Yap (until April, on leave)
Victor Zarallo (April to May)
Mia Thompson (from June)
Photography Credits
Neil Bennett
Daniel Boud
Rafael Bonachela
Jade Ellis
Sandi Fišer
Pedro Greig
Gregory Lorenzetti
Jacqui Manning
Jaz Millar
Elli Poupolidou
Belinda Rolland
Peter Rosetzky
Jez Smith
Pippa Somaya
Wendell Teodoro
Zan Wimberley
The Ensemble
Lucy Angel
Finn Armstrong (from September)
Mathilda Ballantyne
Timmy Blankenship
Mali Comlekci
Ali Dib (from September)
Riley Fitzgerald (until July)
Liam Green
Luke Hayward (until August)
Sonrisa Hubbard
Morgan Hurrell
Ngaere Jenkins
Sophie Jones
Naiara de Matos
Ryan Pearson
Eka Perunicic
Piran Scott
Mia Thompson (until April)
Sam Winkler
Trainee
Amelia Russell
Jessi Hough (April-September)
Company Doctor
Dr. Michael Berger
Sports Doctor
Dr. James Lawrence
APA Sports and Exercise Physiotherapist
Ashlea Mary Cohen
Shannon Trotter
Isabella De Santis
Employee Assistance Program Manager
Dr. Sallie Grey
Company Teachers
Richard Cilli
Charmene Yap
Mia Thompson
Victor Zarallo
Cathie Goss
Iohna Mercer
Madeline Harms
Juliette Barton
Holly Doyle
Annabel tom Dieck
Robert Curran
Zee Zunnur
Samantha Hines
Across 2025, Sydney Dance Company employed 283 staff and contractors. The lease of Sydney Dance Company premises at Walsh Bay has a significant effect on the Company’s Balance Sheet and P&L at reporting date and will continue in future years due to the accounting required under “AASB 16 Leases”.
After this accounting requirement, the deficit for the year ended 31 December 2025 was ($1,087,098).
Management calculates that an operational deficit of ($697,612) was achieved in 2025. For further information see the Sydney Dance Company 2025 Financial Report.
*including performances ACO 50th Gala
**INDance and Club Origami Performances
***includes livestream (2023-24) and in-person audiences
****face to face and online
*****completed PPY, including flexible learners
^includes in studio, classes on demand, conditioning studio, short courses
^^includes School Holiday Programs and Family, Parents and Toddlers classes
