Sydney Dance Company is based at 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.
It is with pleasure that we welcome you to Love Lock and Forever & Ever, a fierce double bill featuring works by Australian choreographers Melanie Lane and Antony Hamilton as part of the inaugural Australian Dance Biennale, curated and hosted by RISING.
It’s extraordinary to have the opportunity to collaborate with renowned artists including Melanie Lane, Antony Hamilton, Clark, Akira Isogawa, Paula Levis and Julian Hamilton – with each opening a different world of imagination and artistic possibility for our dancers and audiences alike.
At the core of our Company is commissioning and presenting work from a breadth of voices, inspiring future generations of dancers and audiences and extending our reach across Australia and the globe. And for that reason, we are so happy to be able to share Love Lock and Forever & Ever with audiences in Melbourne in collaboration with RISING and the Australian Dance Biennale.
None of this would be possible without the passionate commitment of our partners, supporters and those who have invested in our vision. We would also like to recognise the ongoing support of the Australian Government delivered through Creative Australia and the NSW Government through Create NSW. Thank you to our Visionary Patron, the Clegg Foundation, originally supporting Love Lock as part of Sydney Dance Company’s TwoFold season and The Naomi Milgrom Foundation, originally supporting Forever & Ever.
Thank you to everyone at Sydney Dance Company, on stage and behind the scenes, for their dedication, curiosity and ongoing collaboration. Every member of Sydney Dance Company plays an important role in bringing these extraordinary works before our audiences here, across Australia and as we tour internationally.
Please join us in celebrating this truly special season; a double bill that brings together some of Australia’s most exciting artists to collaborate and create with our wonderful Ensemble.
Bonachela Lou Oppenheim Artistic Director Executive Director
Choreography Melanie Lane
Music Clark
Set and Lighting Damien Cooper Design
Costume Design Akira Isogawa
Originally supported as part of Sydney Dance Company’s TwoFold by Visionary Patron, the Clegg Foundation.
Melanie Lane is an Australian choreographer and performer of Javanese/European cultural heritage. She works across visual arts, theatre, music and film. Her work interrogates physical and cultural histories to explore current social mythologies and extrapolates these into surreal futures that are confounded, broken and reconfigured. These independent works have been presented globally at festivals and theatres in Europe, Indonesia, United States and Australia. Drawing on her European and Indonesian heritage Lane moves between cultural landscapes and influences.
Alongside commissions with WA Ballet, Sydney Dance Company, Australasian Dance Collective, DanceNorth, Chunky Move, Schauspiel Leipzig, National Dance Company of Wales and HAU Berlin, her collaborations extend to artists: Marrugeku/ Bhenji Ra, Clark, Adena Jacobs, Amos Gebhardt, Leyla Stevens, Monica Lim and Rianto.
Her choreographic work for theatre and opera includes English National Opera’s Salome (London, 2018), Burgtheater’s Trojan Women (Vienna, 2022) and Nosferatu (Vienna, 2023), all directed by Adena Jacobs.
Melanie won the prestigious Keir Choreographic Award in 2018 and the 2017 Leipziger Bewegungskunstpreis in Germany, and has been nominated for both Green Room and Helpmann awards as both a choreographer and a dancer including the Shirley McKechnie Award for Choreography (2020).
Melanie is 2023/24 Choreographer in Residence at Chunky Move, Resident Artist at The Substation, 2015 Resident Director at Lucy Guerin Inc., Associate Artist at QL2, is a current 2023/24 Creative Australia Fellow and 24/25 Sidney Myer Fellow.
Love Lock is a work that I began dreaming about during my travels, listening to music on my headphones, getting swept up by a medley of lyrics and sound conjured by love songs from both past and present. I was fascinated by the mantra of love in songs that exists across our social fabric, a constant echo/reminder of what brings us together, connects and binds us.
It has been a joy creating Love Lock with the artists of Sydney Dance Company and with long time collaborators Clark (music), Akira Isogawa (costume) and Damien Cooper (set and lighting).
The invitation to work with the entire ensemble of artists is always an exciting opportunity that offers so much potential to harness the powerful energy of a larger group of dancers. It made me think a lot about social dances, folk dances and community dances that celebrate what it means to connect with each other through our bodies and essentially what it means to be human.
My work often creates fictional worlds to speak about our realities, so Love Lock draws from these ideas and imagines a kind of fantastical folk dance of the future, a dance that summons a collective energy and that dreams into the complex and often giddy realms of love. In an accelerated era where we navigate love both in person and in the digital space, the experience of love can be both intense and slippery. We can often find ourselves alone in a world that is saturated with the aspirations of romance, without the means to truly connect. Through the deconstruction of love songs, the most shared and prolific theme of global pop music, these iconic and catchy riffs are what embed Love Lock with its engine for connection and collective dreaming, and that insists on a dance that celebrates our hearts.
Since 2001, Clark has sculpted sound into a myriad of diverse forms. His two decades at Warp Records witnessed irradiated and ecstatic experiments in electronica, techno and rave, with equally colourful adventures in ambient, classical scores and cathartic lyrics for Deutsche Grammophon and his own Throttle Records. From St Albans, UK origins with frost encrusted vignettes on Clarence Park to unleashing kaleidoscopic live sets on the world stage, there’s neither a dull nor expected moment in the immersive musical universe Clark has constructed so far.
But how does one even shift from, say, folk-driven sound collage on albums like Iradelphic to intense, malleable jungle tracks in live shows? Clark’s leaps from crushingly industrial to subtly acoustic are framed by his wide-reaching influences and no limits approach to crafting such intricate soundscapes. Each album contains a unique thumbprint and dedicated exploration of a certain palette, manifested in flourishing melody, shimmering analog and digital texture, reshaped found sound and playful timbres created from scratch.
Twenty years on from his debut, Clark still has a voracious desire to challenge himself: his vocals are foregrounded on 2023’s Thom Yorke mentored Sus Dog, yet another elastic instrument in his repertoire. Whether learning drums for organic, eviscerating percussion on Body Riddle, or voicing his refreshingly singular songwriting on Sus Dog, Clark underlines the physicality of his everchanging sound.
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Melanie and I started talking about the score for Love Lock around five months ago - it’s since gone through many iterations. Although it’s not 310 bpm and composed with trance synths, that was the initial idea. It’s ended up in quite a different place - an ever mutating, at times dense collage of
recorded percussion/cello/synthesisers/ voices/flutes.
I like working on dance scores with Melanie, as you get to do things you would never normally consider for a solo record or a film score. Her choreography always surprises me. In Love Lock it reaches quite an ecstatic high. I wanted the music to reflect that.
I burrowed into a kind of controlled mania, exploring unusual microtonal shifts with what I hear as hooky ear worms, twists and turns. It’s been great being strict with the 20 minutes duration. I haven’t realised this until writing about it, but my self-pep talk has basically been ‘fill that 20-minute canvas with mad sounds but keep it coherent, with enough movement and pathos to keep it engaging’.
My work with Mel is always led by intuition, we get all the conceptual stuff out of the way early on and it soon becomes ‘does this feel right?’ If it does, I don’t tend to question it.
Damien Cooper works internationally across theatre, opera and dance. Damien’s credits for Sydney Dance Company include Somos, Ascent, Resound, ab [intra], Impermanence, Cinco, Ocho, Grand, Air and Other Invisible Forces, Orb, momenta and Love Lock. Other dance credits include Baleen for Adelaide Festival, State for Western Australian Ballet, Of Earth and Sky for Bangarra, IDK for Force Majeure, The Narrative of Nothing, Firebird and Swan Lake for Australian Ballet, Giselle for Universal Ballet, Birdbrain, Supernature, Habitus and Be Your Self for Australian Dance Theatre, The Frock for Ten Days on the Island Festival, Affinity for Tas Dance, Mortal Engine for Chunky Move and Grey Rhino for Performing Lines.
Other theatre credits include Counting & Cracking for Edinburgh International Festival/Belvoir, The Weekend, Into The Woods, Mark Colvin’s Kidney, The Great Fire, Radiance, The Glass Menagerie, Coranderrk, Miss Julie, Stories I Want to Tell You in Person, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Peter Pan, Private Lives, Conversation Piece, Strange Interlude, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, Neighbourhood Watch, The Seagull, Gethsemane, Keating!, Toy Symphony, Peribanez, Stuff Happens, The Chairs, The Spook, In Our Name, The Underpants and The Ham Funeral for Belvoir; On the Beach, White Pearl, Disgraced, Orlando, Arcadia, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Golden Age, Suddenly Last Summer, The Women of Troy, The Lost Echo, Riflemind and Tot Mom for Sydney Theatre Company; Macbeth and The Tempest for Bell Shakespeare; The Ring Cycle, Der Ring des Nibelungen, Aida and Cosi Fan Tutte for Opera Australia; A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Houston Grand Opera, Canadian Opera, Lyric Opera Chicago; and The Magic Flute for Lyric Opera Chicago.
For lighting design, Damien has won three Sydney Theatre Awards, four Green Room Awards, and two Australian Production Design Guild Awards.
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Thrilled to be returning to the stage with Melanie and Chris. Also Akira who I first worked with at Sydney Dance Company in 1999 on Air and Other Invisible Forces
The set and lighting design for Love Lock creates a future tense space. Electronic signals connect, communicate. The lights penetrate the dance space, communicating with the other lights, interacting with the dancers. Pods of energy, incubating the next generation of future folk dance. Enjoy!
Akira Isogawa is one of Australia’s most celebrated and critically acclaimed designers.
Born in Kyoto Japan, Akira moved to Sydney in 1986 studying fashion design at the Sydney Institute of Technology.
Akira is renowned for his contemporary aesthetic, drawing inspiration from traditional Japanese design.
Debuting in 1996 at Australian Fashion Week Akira continues to present his collections to international embrace.
Akira’s powerful creative force has seen him collaborate across multiple platforms including designing costumes for the Australian Ballet and Sydney Dance Company and designing for Blunt Umbrellas and Designer Rugs, to name a few.
Akira’s work has been exhibited in institutions and galleries worldwide including the NGV, MAAS, V&A Museum London and Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk.
Costumes sketches.
Choreography
Antony Hamilton
Music Julian Hamilton
Lighting Design Ben Cisterne
Costume Design Paula Levis
Originally commissioned with visionary support from the Naomi Milgrom Foundation as Artistic Director’s Commissioning Partner.
Antony Hamilton is Artistic Director and co-CEO of Chunky Move. His work is known for its seamless melding of choreography, sound and visual design, resulting in complete worlds in performance.
Antony has been the recipient of major fellowships from Bangarra Dance Theatre (the Russell Page Fellowship), the Tanja Liedtke Foundation, the Australia Council for the Arts and the Sidney Myer Foundation. In 2013, he was Resident Director of Lucy Guerin Inc and in 2014 was guest dance curator at The National Gallery of Victoria. He was also the inaugural International Resident Artist at Dancemakers Toronto from 2016 to 2018. Antony has received four Helpmann Award nominations, winning for Black Project 1 & 2 and Forever and Ever (Sydney Dance Company). He has won numerous Green Room Awards and has also received a New York Performing Arts Award ‘Bessie’ for Outstanding Production for MEETING.
In his time as Artistic Director at Chunky Move, Antony has premiered Token Armies (2019), Universal Estate (2019), Nocturnal (2020), Yung Lung (2022) and Rewards for the Tribe (2022). He has also championed a range of sector support programs, including the Victorian Regional Artist Residency, commissioning program Activators and the Choreographer in Residence initiative.
A number of ideas emerged through the creation of this piece in 2018, but the driving dramaturgy became the dancers’ duplication and change over time, expressed in Paula Levis’ costume concept of the babushka doll. The dancers reveal ever new looks under perpetually discarded layers as the piece drives on. I enjoyed making a work that pays homage to the heady world of pop culture, fashion and music, and its rapid pace of change expressed in the simple action of disrobing throughout the dance.
Choreographic phrases were developed with direct relationship to Julian Hamilton’s repeating rhythmic musical bars, both keeping to time and then skipping around the perpetual beat. The music has served as the steady, driving foundation on which the choreography rides - minimal and emphatic.
The choreography in Forever & Ever organises the body into curious formations and pushes the dancers’ abilities with technically challenging material. This kind of technical approach to developing choreography never ceases to fascinate me.
It was a pleasure to create this piece with my collaborators Julian, Paula and Benjamin and the outstanding and dedicated ensemble of dance artists back in 2018.
Sydney-based Julian Hamilton studied piano from a young age and trained at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music where he met collaborator Kim Moyes. Together they performed in the instrumental band Prop, and in 2003 formed the duo The Presets.
In 2008, he won the coveted APRA Song of the Year award for Silverchair’s Straight Lines, which he co-wrote with Daniel Johns. Also that year, The Presets released the chart-topping album Apocalypso, selling over 250,000 copies in Australia and winning five ARIA awards, including Album of the Year. In 2010, Julian shared the APRA Songwriters of the Year award with Kim Moyes. The Presets won Best Live Act at the In The Mix Awards in 2012 and released their critically acclaimed third album Pacifica.
In 2013, The Presets collaborated with Chunky Move on Keep Everything, choreographed by Julian’s brother, Antony Hamilton. In 2014, The Presets toured nationally with the Australian Chamber Orchestra performing their collaboration Timeline. Julian and Antony continued their artistic relationship and created Ruth – a commission for Campbelltown Arts Centre in 2015.
Hamilton has collaborated as a songwriter, composer, producer and featured artist with musicians including Silverchair, The Sleepy Jackson, Dillon Francis, Cut Copy, Kris Menace, Gin Wigmore, Daniel Johns, Bertie Blackman, Adrian Lux, Flight Facilities, KLP and Flume.
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When Forever & Ever was originally created in 2018, I was thrilled that Antony asked me to collaborate on the music. I always enjoy working with my brother. We have a unique and often strange, shared creative universe
that we can dive into when working together on projects like this — something we return to again and again, ever since we were kids making stop-motion movies with our GI Joe figures in the backyard!
Composing these longer form works is a refreshing change from the pop music world I normally inhabit. Instead of trying to say everything in the space of a three-minute radio song, I am instead able to explore just how much emotion and meaning I can convey by saying very little at all. Beats can build up over a very long period. Synths can subtly shift and morph almost imperceptibly. Antony encourages me in this process, often coming back with a suggestion to ‘do less… less parts… make it more repetitive and less complex!’ I am more than happy to oblige.
Paula Levis is a Melbourne based costume designer. She has worked extensively in Australia’s contemporary dance scene for twenty years, designing for Chunky Move Artistic Director Antony Hamilton on his works Token Armies, Forever and Ever, Meeting, Sentinal, Black Project 2 & 3, NYX, Keep Everything, Drift, RGB, Blazeblue Oneline and I Like This.
Paula has also designed costumes for Stephanie Lake Company (Manifesto, Skeleton Tree, Replica), Gideon Obarzanek (Two Faced Bastard, Mortal Engine, GLOW, Singularity, I Want to Dance Better at Parties), Lucy Guerin (Human Interest Story, Corridor, Structure & Sadness, Aether) and Melanie Lane She has designed for dance companies Lyon Opera Ballet, Skånes Dansteater, Sydney Dance Company, Australian Dance Theatre, KAGE, Danceworks, Dancehouse, TasDance and DanceNorth. Paula has also designed for Melbourne Theatre Company, Red Stitch Actor’s Theatre, Victorian Opera and La Mama and has worked as costume designer/stylist for the Black Arm Band and musician Genevieve Lacey.
She was costume illustrator for the late Peter Corrigan over seventeen years.
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The title Forever & Ever provided the catalyst for the costume concept of this work. In search of the visual manifestation of ‘infinity’, I discovered motifs and ideas that in turn, helped to lay a choreographic framework for the piece to evolve within. Most notably, the idea of a Babushka doll that can be opened to repeatedly reveal smaller and
smaller versions of a character - however in this incarnation, one character would ‘open’ to reveal a double of another character which would then double again and again until there are sixteen dancers dressed similarly on stage. Symbols of infinity and patterns that allude to the idea of perpetuity can be found throughout the costumes of Forever & Ever. Colours are simple and bold and stylistic choices aim to reflect the uncompromising and energetic nature of the musical score. We are left with notions of a culture that is both vital yet throwaway, being driven forever onwards with youthful exuberance.
Benjamin’s reputation is for finesse and a gutsy approach to design, based in light. Benjamin is known for creating bold designs that are integral to a project. He works collaboratively on all projects and has been involved in all forms of museum, exhibition and performing arts projects professionally for 15 years. Benjamin is passionate about the capability of light in spatial design, performance and its role in art. Benjamin has extensive experience working both nationally and internationally with diverse teams and projects. He splits his time between exhibition / museum specification and performing arts design where he is especially well-known for his work in dance.
Benjamin’s lighting design for Sydney Dance Company’s 2 One Another was nominated for a 2012 Green Room Award. His other work for Sydney Dance Company includes Project Rameau, Contemporary Women, Emergence, Les Illuminations, 2 in D Minor, L’Chaim!, Scattered Rhymes, Parenthesis and Frame of Mind.
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The design of Forever & Ever in 2018 represented the next big step in many years of collaboration between Antony and myself. We drew from years of visual conversations, becoming very influenced by simple designs of early computer graphics. We worked predominantly with light and design, the space to take light and be defined by light. Over the years we have developed a common aesthetic and an obsession with timing. This manifested in an inherently connected work where, along with the reference imagery and movement, the music defines every light sequence and change.
When Forever & Ever was originally created in 2018, it presented an opportunity for Antony and I to take some of the trickiest things we have developed with timing and colour transitions and scale them up to Sydney Dance Company size. We have used this to explore the contrasts of high and low tech ideas in light and how those can define space both through size and scale. It is a work of contrasts and big changes following the rhythmic pulse of Julian’s music.
Born in Taree, NSW, Mahalia began her dance training at the age of three, studying a wide range of styles at Andrea Rowsell Academy of Dance. After discovering a particular passion for contemporary dance, Mahalia joined Sydney Dance Company’s Pre Professional Year through 2024 and 2025, where she received an Advanced Diploma in Professional Dance (Elite Performance). In 2025 she had the opportunity to perform in James Batchelor’s Sydney season of Resonance and collaborated with and performed works by Zee Zunnur, Emma Harrison, Thomas E.S Kelly, Cass Mortimer-Eipper and Rafael Bonachela’s Lux Tenebris Mahalia is excited to begin her professional career as a trainee with Sydney Dance Company in 2026.
Lucy Angel
Born and raised in Wollongong, NSW, Lucy began her training at Joanne Grace School of Dance at age eight before completing her Certificate IV in dance at the Royal Academy of Dance at age 15. Lucy joined The Sarasota Ballet in Florida, USA as a trainee for their 2018-2019 season. At the end of 2019, she performed in The International Divertissement Ballet Gala with Projection Dance, as well as being a finalist in The Brisbane International Contemporary Dance Prix. Lucy joined Sydney Dance Company’s Pre-Professional Year in 2021 where she performed works by James Bachelor, Cloe Fournier, Stephanie Lake and Rafael Bonachela. Lucy commenced her traineeship with Sydney Dance Company at the end of 2022, premiering with the Company in Rafael Bonachela’s ab [intra] at DanceX.
Finn was born and raised on the Gold Coast, Queensland, starting his dance journey at 14. At 17 Finn moved to full-time practice at the Amanda Bollinger Dance Academy, completing a Certificate IV in Dance. During this time, he also danced in the Youth Ensemble of Australasian Dance Collective for two years. Aged 18 Finn moved to The Netherlands to study at Codarts Rotterdam. He spent two years at the university training and performing works by Cayetano Soto, Ton Simons, Evelien Jansen, and was part of the Talent on The Move Tour, where students travelled around the Netherlands. Through Codarts, Finn apprenticed at Danish Dance Theatre, led by Marina Mascarell. He spent the 2024/2025 season performing works by Marina Mascarell, Adam Linder, Renan Martins, and Fernando Melo and toured with the company around Denmark and Europe. He graduated from Codarts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Finn joined Sydney Dance Company in 2025, debuting in Continuum.
Mathilda is an Australian-Chinese artist from Melbourne/Naarm, whose movement blends classical ballet with contemporary dance. A graduate of the Australian Ballet School, they received the Graeme Murphy Award for Excellence in Contemporary Dance. After completing a Graduate Diploma in Classical Ballet, Mathilda shifted focus to contemporary dance, joining PROJECTion Dance Company in 2020. In 2022, they became a core member of Scimm. Dance Company, performing in works such as Paracosm and Mechorstra. In 2024, they collaborated with emerging choreographers Vourneen Ni’cainin and Ronan Armstrong for Lucy Guerin’s Out of Bounds seasons. In 2025, Mathilda joined Sydney Dance Company, debuting in Rafael Bonachela’s Somos and continuing to explore new artistic boundaries.
From the US, Timmy completed his early training in contemporary performance and choreography at Artistic Fusion in Thornton, Colorado and Dance Town in Miami, Florida, performing works by Loni Landon, Dana Foglia and Emma Portner. He continued at the prestigious University of Southern California’s Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, where he performed works by William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Merce Cunningham and Yin Yue. Timmy premiered his choreography at Dance Town Miami’s annual contemporary gala 2021 and debuted Intergenerational Traffic at the Trinity Laban School of Dance in London in 2023 in collaboration with composer Tom Bradbury and dancer Xavier Williams. Timmy performed with the Nederland’s Dans Theatre Summer Intensive in 2023 before moving to Australia for his debut with Sydney Dance Company, performing in New Breed
Originally from the UK, Caití Ellen has spent the last eight years living and working in London. She trained at Rambert School under Amanda Britton, graduating in 2020 and immediately joining the third cohort of Rambert2. There she performed works by Sharon Eyal, Andrea Miller, Megan Lawson, Micaela Taylor, and was part of livestream creations with Benoit Swan Pouffer. In 2021 Caití Ellen joined the main company, working with choreographers including Alonzo King, Ben Duke, and Wim Vandekeybus, performing and touring internationally. In 2023 Caití Ellen began freelancing in London. She continued to work with independent dance artists and companies in the UK and Europe, as well as acting with The Royal Shakespeare Company. During this period she also trained as a yoga teacher and now loves to teach and share her practice.
Mali Comlekci
With a Turkish background and born in Sydney, Mali has been dancing for as long as he can remember. He began formal dance lessons at the age of ten, outside of school hours as well as attending Newtown High School of the Performing Arts. After graduating in Year 12, he pursued full-time training at New Zealand School of Dance (NZSD). In those two years, Mali was invited to be a guest dancer, performing soloist roles with the Royal New Zealand Ballet Company in their 2016 season of Wizard of Oz and their 2017 triple bill Three By Ekman. After graduating from NZSD, Mali joined Queensland Ballet Company, performing various soloist and principal roles from 2018 – 2024. Mali joined Sydney Dance Company in 2025.
Born and raised on Gadigal Land, Mohamad ‘Ali’ Dib, of Lebanese heritage, began dance training at age eight, attending Dorothy Cowie School of Dance and Brent Street Studios. Ali continued his passion for contemporary and classical performance, advancing his training at Algeria Studios under the mentorship and guidance of Hilary Kaplan and Archibald Mackenzie. In 2024 Ali won the Brisbane International Contemporary Dance Prix and in 2025 the Contemporary Dance Open. Through his multidisciplinary training, Ali studied at Newtown High School of the Performing Arts and will complete his HSC in 2025. He has performed in works by Holly Doyle, Chloe Leong, Victor Zarallo, Davide Di Giovanni and other notable choreographers. He embarked on his professional dance career with Sydney Dance Company, at the end of 2025, debuting in Continuum
Born in Sydney on Dharug Country, Jai moved to Chile in 2009 where he discovered his love of dance at the age of eight. After returning to Australia, he trained at Newtown High School of the Performing Arts and Van Loon Dance Academy. In 2020 Jai relocated to Melbourne to join The Australian Ballet School. During his training, he performed in a wide range of works and in early 2023, travelled to Switzerland to perform Goyo Montero’s Bold as part of the Prix de Lausanne Partner School Choreographic Project. He also joined The Australian Ballet’s National Tour in 2023 and 2024, performing works by George Balanchine, Lucas Jervies, and Paul Knobloch. In the School’s 60th Anniversary Gala, Jai premiered his first choreographic work created on his cohort. After graduating, Jai joined Queensland Ballet in 2025 as a Jette Parker Young Artist, performing in a diverse repertoire of classical and contemporary works. He is thrilled to be joining Sydney Dance Company in 2026.
Sonrisa Hubbard
Sonrisa attended Denver School of the Arts before earning a merit scholarship to attend Boston Conservatory, where she performed works by Aszure Barton, Bill T. Jones, Andrew Skeels and more. Sonrisa has participated in international intensives, including those at Arts Umbrella, The Juilliard School, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Dart Dance Company and Orsolina 28. She studied the repertoire of choreographers Crystal Pite, Sharon Eyal, Ohad Naharin, Jiri Pokorny, Jiri Kylian and more. She also performed in a guest artist performance at the Young Choreographers Festival in 2024. Sonrisa joined Sydney Dance Company in 2025 and made her debut with the Company in Somos
Morgan Hurrell
Born in Mudgee, NSW, Morgan began dancing aged two, studying at Dance Unlimited. At 17 her contemporary dance passion led to multiple offers for full-time placements, and she completed her Diploma of Dance at the National College of Dance in Newcastle. In 2021 Morgan moved to Sydney to undertake an Advanced Diploma of Dance with Sydney Dance Company’s PreProfessional Year, after which she was offered a Trainee contract with the Company. Morgan has performed work internationally and nationally by renowned choreographers including Rafael Bonachela, Ohad Naharin, Antony Hamilton, Melanie Lane, and Stephanie Lake. She has performed works such as Decadance, ab [intra], Impermanence, momenta, Forever & Ever, Love Lock, The Universe is Here, and I Am-Ness. Morgan has performed with global brands such as Cartier, extending her artistry into the commercial industries.
Ngaere Jenkins
Born in Aotearoa/New Zealand, Ngaere is of Te Arawa and Ngāti Kahungunu descent. She trained at the New Zealand School of Dance, graduating in 2018, working with James O’Hara, Victoria (Tor) Colombus, Taiaroa Royal and Tanemahuta Gray. She performed works by Damien Jalet, Huang Yi, Sarah FosterSproull, Malia Johnston and Gabby Thomas. Ngaere represented the school in Tahiti at the Académie de Danse Annie FAYN fifth International Dance Festival and Singapore Ballet Academy’s 60th Anniversary Gala. From 2019 to 2023 Ngaere worked with The New Zealand Dance Company performing in works from Sean MacDonald, Nina Nawalowalo, Tom McCrory and Ross McCormack, Jo Lloyd, Stephanie Lake, Kim Jae Duk, Tor Colombus, Eddie Elliott and Xin Ji and Tupua Tigafua, as well as Mana Wahine by Ōkāreka Dance Company, working with Atamira Dance Company. In 2023 Ngaere was the recipient of the Bill Sheats Dance Award. Ngaere joined Sydney Dance Company in 2023, debuting in the tenth anniversary season of New Breed.
Sophie Jones
Sophie grew up in Angourie, NSW and trained with Adele Lewis School of Dance. At age 14 she moved to Burleigh Heads, Queensland to begin full-time ballet training and further her studies with Prudence Bowen Atelier. She received a traineeship with the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago. Whilst in Chicago she worked with numerous choreographers and performed Études by Harald Lander, and George Balanchine’s Serenade. After discovering an interest in contemporary dance, Sophie completed her diploma and advanced diploma with Sydney Dance Company PreProfessional Year in 2020 and 2021. She had the opportunity to perform works by Holly Doyle, Omer Backley-Astrachan, Jessica Goodfellow and Rafael Bonchela. Sophie joined Sydney Dance Company as a trainee in January 2022, supported by the David and Fee Hancock Foundation.
Naiara de Matos
Naiara was born in Salvador, Brazil. In 2007 she began full time training with the Bolshoi Ballet School in Joinville (Brazil). Following her graduation in 2011, Naiara began working in the Young Company of Bolshoi Ballet Brazil until she was offered a position with the Salzburg Landestheater in 2013. Throughout her career Naiara has joined companies such as Leipzig Ballet, Konzert Theater Bern, Augsburg Ballet and Dance Company St Gallen. She has performed classical and modern repertoire including a number of soloist and principal roles, both in Europe and further abroad. Naiara has worked with internationally renowned choreographers such as Ohad Naharin, Johan Inger, Uwe Scholz, Nadav Zelner, Martin Zimmermann, Dimo Milev, Alba Castillo, Giovanni Insaudo, Mauro Astolfi, Francesca Frassinelli and more. She joined Sydney Dance Company in 2023.
Ryan Pearson
Ryan is of Biripi and Worimi descent on his mother’s side and Minang, Goreng and Balardung on his father’s side. From Taree, NSW, he began his dance training at NAISDA at age 16, after taking part in the NSW Public Schools’ Aboriginal Dance Company, facilitated by Bangarra’s Youth Program Team in 2012. At NAISDA, Ryan learnt from a number of renowned teachers and choreographers, attending a Professional Division Summer Intensive at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre in New York City. He joined Bangarra Dance Theatre in 2017, debuting in Bennelong, performing for seven years through Australia and internationally, led by renowned storytellers Stephen Page and Frances Rings. Ryan was nominated in the 2020 Australian Dance Awards for Most Outstanding Performance by a Male Dancer for his performance in Jiri Kylian’s Stamping Ground. In 2023, Ryan presented his first choreographic work, 5 Minute Call as part of Dance Clan. He joined Sydney Dance Company in 2024.
Piran Scott
Born in Mackay, QLD, Piran trained under Lynette Denny AM at Theatre Arts Mackay. He completed the Professional Year program with the Queensland Ballet, joining the company as a full member in 2010, under the artistic direction of Francois Klaus. In 2013, Piran received a soloist position with the Leipzig Ballet in Germany under Mario Schroeder. Piran was a soloist with the Ballet Theater Basel in Switzerland, directed by Richard Wherlock, followed by successful seasons with the Dance Company St. Gallen under Kinsun Chan, awarded Dancer of the Year 2022 in tanz magazine Europe. Piran has performed in classical and contemporary works by renowned choreographers such as Ohad Naharin, Alexander Ekman, Sharon Eyal, Johann Inger, Ivan Perez, Nils Christie, Thierry Malandain, Natalie Weir, Dimo Milev, Uwe Scholz, Mauro Astolfi, Francesca Frassinelli, Nadav Zelner, Martin Zimmerman and Alba Castillo. Piran joined Sydney Dance Company in 2023.
Sam Winkler
Sam decided to pursue a career in dance during his time at the Victorian Collage of the Arts Secondary School. This aspiration led to him competing in the Prix de Lausanne, the world’s biggest ballet competition. His performance in the competition awarded him a scholarship to the Hamburg Ballet School where he completed his dance training. He worked with the Hamburg Ballet during his time in the school but found his first full-time work in Tanzcompany Innsbruck under Enrique Gasa Valga. Sam worked in the company as a soloist for two years, performing a variety of works. Concluding these two years, he moved home to Australia to be closer to family, delighted to be working closer to the people he loves. Sam joined Sydney Dance Company in 2025.
Richard Cilli brings together his experience as a dancer, rehearsal director and choreographer to support artistic excellence across Sydney Dance Company. In this role, he works closely with dancers, choreographers and creative teams to steward repertoire, nurture ensemble culture and support the ongoing development of artists working at the highest level.
As a performer, Richard has enjoyed an acclaimed career in Australia and internationally. He was awarded the Helpmann Award for Best Male Dancer in 2010 for his performance in Rafael Bonachela’s We Unfold, and was also the winner of The Australian Ballet’s 50th Anniversary Ballet Competition in 2012. Across his career he has interpreted works by an exceptional range of choreographers, including Rafael Bonachela, Lloyd Newson, Stephanie Lake, William Forsythe, Anouk van Dijk, Jacopo Godani, Lucy Guerin, Gideon Obarzanek, Alexander Ekman, Adam Linder, Emanuel Gat and Kenneth Kvarnström.
Beyond his tenure with Sydney Dance Company, he has performed with Rambert (UK), Chunky Move, Lucy Guerin Inc, Australasian Dance Collective, Dancenorth, and K. Kvarnström & Co (Sweden).
Born on Whadjuk Noongar Country (Perth), Richard trained at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts and Taipei National University of the Arts, and later completed studies in Arts and Cultural Management at Deakin University.
As a choreographer, Richard has created work for Sydney Dance Company and its Pre-Professional Year, The Australian Ballet, LINK Dance Company and WAAPA, as well as independent projects. In 2025, he created Throng for Sydney Dance Company’s Pre-Professional Year.
A certified Countertechnique teacher, he has taught extensively in Australia and internationally, including at Springboard Dance Montreal’s One Body, One Career intensive.
Alongside his artistic practice, Richard contributes to the sector through governance and mentorship. He currently serves on the Board of Quantum Leap, driven by his belief in the creative power of young people, sector sustainability and accessibility to dance in Australia.
Charmene Yap is a multi award-winning dancer, rehearsal director, choreographer and movement director. She is a graduate of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts and Purchase College, New York.
Charmene’s performing career spans some of Australia’s leading dance companies, including Sydney Dance Company, Chunky Move, Tasdance, Dancenorth, and Lucy Guerin Inc., as well as New York’s Armitage Gone! Dance Company. As an independent artist, she has worked with acclaimed choreographers such as Gideon Obarzanek, Lucy Guerin, Antony Hamilton and the late Tanja Liedtke. Her screen work includes performances in Del Kathryn Barton’s Red and Katie Noonan’s Quicksand
Joining Sydney Dance Company as a dancer in 2010, Charmene spent a decade performing the majority of works by Rafael Bonachela and other renowned choreographers, including William Forsythe, Alexander Ekman, Jacopo Godani, Emanuel Gat, Andonis Foniadakis, Stephanie Lake and Melanie Lane. She received multiple awards, including the Helpmann Award for Best Female Dancer in 2012 and 2014 and the Australian Dance Award in 2013.
As a choreographer, Charmene has created works for stage, film, music videos, and fashion. Her notable works include Grey Rhino, co-choreographed with Cass Mortimer Eipper for Sydney Festival 2022, as well as Do We and Drunk Tank Pink, performed by Sydney Dance Company and Perth’s Co3 Company. She was Assistant Choreographer for Gideon Obarzanek’s Us 50, celebrating Sydney Dance Company’s 50th anniversary. Her choreographic collaborations extend across disciplines,
including movement direction for Belvoir St Theatre, runway choreography for Bianca Spender, and site-specific works with visual artist Lauren Brincat.
In September 2019, Charmene was appointed Sydney Dance Company’s inaugural Rehearsal Associate, a role supported by the Nelson Meers Foundation and Sydney Dance Company’s Dancers Circle, working across the company’s artistic and education programs, mentoring and guiding the next generation of dancers.
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Board of Directors
Emma-Jane Newton (Chair)
Larissa Behrendt AO
Gitanjali Bhalla
Michael Dagostino
David Friedlander
Emma Gray
Andrew Hagger
Alexa Haslingden
Sandra McCullagh
Bianca Spender
International Patron
Dame Darcey Bussell DBE
Founding Patron
Dancers’ Circle
Julian Knights AO
Ambassadors’ Council
Victoria Balnaves, 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, Sarah Myer, Peter Reeve, Ruth Ritchie, Keinwen Shephard, Stephen Thatcher, Bee Wood, Adam Worling.
Artistic Director
Rafael Bonachela
Executive Director
Lou Oppenheim
Executive Assistant
Amy Burrows
Director, Producing
Katy Green Loughrey
Senior Producer
Dominic Chang
Associate Producer - Ensemble
Kerry Thampapillai
Associate Producer - Wharf
Michael Sieders
Director Finance and Administration
Kate Di Mattina
Accountant
Melissa Sim
Payroll Assistant
Carina Mision
Director Training and Education
Polly Brett
Head of Open Programs & Learning
Samantha Dashwood
Dance Class Manager
Ramon Monteverde Doringo
Learning Manager
Justine Ocampo
Learning Coordinator
Jacqueline Cooper
Training Coordinator
Eugenie English
Head of Training
Linda Gamblin
Training Associate
Juliette Barton
Todd Sutherland
Learning Associate
Lexy Panetta
Pre-Professional Year Program Manager
Omer Backley-Astrachan
Conditioning Studio Manager
Felicity McGee
Customer Experience and Venue Manager
Sue Neilsen
Customer Service Assistant
Ellie Cevik
Director Philanthropy and Partnerships
Fiona Crockett
Head of Philanthropy
Katharine Seymour
Philanthropy Manager
Lachlan Bell
Trusts and Foundations Manager
Madeleine White
Philanthropy Coordinator
Bianca Mulet
Director Market Development
Olivia Blackburn
Marketing Manager
Kylie Boyd
Digital Marketing Specialist
Rebecca Nash
Marketing and Communications
Coordinators
Gabriella Lay Rohan Furnell
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
Production Coordinator
Tony McCoy
Head of Wardrobe
Mary-Ellen Baxter
Costumer Maker
Erika Schwarz
Director Ensemble and Repertoire
Richard Cilli
Rehearsal Associate
Charmene Yap
Balnaves Foundation
Artist in Residence
Jenni Large
Dancers
Lucy Angel
Finn Armstrong Mathilda Ballantyne
Timmy Blankenship
Caití Ellen Carpenter
Mali Comlekci
Ali Dib
Jai Fauchon
Sonrisa Hubbard
Morgan Hurrell
Ngaere Jenkins
Sophie Jones
Naiara de Matos
Ryan Pearson
Piran Scott
Sam Winkler
Trainee
Mahalia Adamson
Head Physiotherapist
Ashlea-Mary Cohen
Company Doctor
Dr. Michael Berger
Sports Doctor
Dr. James Lawrence
Company Teachers
Emily Amisano, Anton, Lee Brummer, Joshua Consandine, Rachel Coulson, Tra Mi Dinh, Holly Doyle, Cathie Goss, Madeline Harms, Sue Healey, Samantha Hines, Paul Knobloch, Jenni Large, Chloe Leong, Rikki Mason, Yui Masukawa, Iohna Mercer, Rhiannon Newton, Marnie Palomares, Jasmin Sheppard, Chimene SteelePrior, Jessica Thompson, Annabel tom Dieck, Kimball Wong, Zee Zunnur
Sydney
4/5
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We are deeply grateful to all who support Sydney Dance Company, including those who give anonymously. Because of our incredible donors, new works are created and shared, future artists and audiences are inspired, communities far beyond our home stage are reached, and the next chapter of this company is able to be written.
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