WEDNESDAY | 7:30PM
Choreographed
Photo by Pedro Greig
AUSTRALIA
ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL
APRIL 10
SPONSORED BY LISA & SHAWN K. MANGUM
by Rafael Bonachela ab [intra]
CLOSING OUR 2023-24 SEASON
Thank you for joining us tonight as we close our 26th season with Sydney Dance Company, the leading contemporary dance company in a country teeming with excellent dance. With Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela at the helm, Sydney Dance Company has cemented its reputation as a powerhouse company on the global stage. We at White Bird are proud and humbled to once again bring Sydney Dance Company to Portland. With New York City and Washington D.C. as the only other two North American stops on the company’s 2024 international tour, we are among a very fortunate few on this continent to experience Bonachela’s stunning work, ab[intra]!
Our presentation of Sydney Dance Company sets the tone for our upcoming 2024-25 season. This is an exciting moment for White Bird - next season, half of the companies we present will once again be visiting from outside the country. They will represent six countries across five continents and a wealth of dance styles from around the world. American dance companies are also strongly represented, with performances by Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Martha Graham Dance Company, and Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo. See our brochures in the lobby for more information and secure your subscription online at whitebird.org
Tonight, we are also raising funds for our NEST (No Empty Seats Today) Program, which grants White Bird tickets to those facing hardship through our partnerships with local health and human service non-profits. The magic of the arts—its power to inspire and heal—is profound. Your donation tonight, no matter the size, helps us share this magic with over 200 individuals in need. Let’s unite in making the transformative power of the arts accessible to all in our community.
We look forward to seeing you again in October when we open our 2024-25 season with a White Bird debut as we present the Los Angeles-based company, BODYTRAFFIC, at the Newmark Theatre. This company exudes energy, sophistication, and sheer joy in their dancing - promising an entertaining start to our 27th season! Until then keep your eyes on our email newsletter and social media, where we’ll be announcing appearances at summer street festivals, chances to win free tickets, volunteer opportunities, and more. Thank you for your continued support of White Bird, as we bring even more of the world’s best dance to Portland. We hope you have a wonderful summer!
Board of Directors
Walter Jaffe & Paul King, Co-Presidents
Ken Edwards, Vice-President
Kim Allchurch Flick, Treasurer
Sandra Holmes, Secretary
Leroy E. Bynum, Jr.
Graham Cole
Lisa Mangum
Shawn K. Mangum
Nancy & George Thorn, Founding Board Members Emereti
Graham Cole, Executive Director
White Bird Team
Graham Cole, Executive Director
Christopher Carvalho, Director of Patron Services and Communication
Jeff Forbes, Technical Director
Deanna Reeves, Communication Manager
Gretchen Westlight, Operations Manager/Executive Assistant
Mia Chavez Lysaght, Administrative Assistant
Natalie Anthony, Graphic Designer
Alexandra Kuhle, Graphic Designer
Photo by Jingzi Zhao
ab [intra]
CREDITS
Choreography
Music
Lighting Design
Production & Costume Design
DANCERS
Rafael Bonachela
Original score by Nick Wales featuring Klātbūtne by Pēteris Vasks
Damien Cooper
David Fleischer
Timmy Blankenship, Anika Boet, Dean Elliott, Riley Fitzgerald, Tayla Gartner, Liam Green, Luke Hayward, Morgan Hurrell, Ngaere Jenkins, Sophie Jones, Naiara de Matos, Connor McMahon, Ryan Pearson, Piran Scott, Emily
Seymour, Mia Thompson (Parental Leave), Coco Wood, Chloe Young.
PRODUCTION
Artistic Director
Executive Director
Technical Director
Company & Resident Stage Manager
Production Coordinator
Head of Wardrobe
Rehearsal Director
Rehearsal Associate
Production Technician
Rafael Bonachela
Lou Oppenheim
Guy Harding
Simon Turner
Tony McCoy
Annie Robinson
Richard Cilli
Charmene Yap
Jenn Ryan
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Sydney Dance Company has been assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body, and is supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW.
Acknowledgement of Country
Sydney Dance Company is based in the Walsh Bay Arts Precinct in Sydney, Australia. Our studios are situated on the lands and over the waters of the Gadigal. Sydney Dance Company acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of these lands and the lands on which we will be touring and performing throughout our tour, paying our respects to their Elders and Cultural Custodians and all First Nations People.
CHOREOGRAPHER’S NOTE
I am so thrilled to be returning to White Bird after 11 years to present the US premiere of my work ab [intra] as part of our 2024 International Tour. From two blockbuster Sydney seasons to performances around the world, I am overjoyed by the warm welcome this work has received, with standing ovations, wonderful reviews and sold-out seasons. I can’t wait to share this work with our Portland audiences.
When creating ab [intra] I wanted to capture the energy and drive I feel each time I walk into the studio.
I think about ab [intra] (meaning ‘from within’ in Latin) as an energy transfer between the internal and the external. For me it is more than the external expression of internal concepts, in this dance sphere it is a representation of energy – an energy derived from the interaction of these two facets of our worlds.
My innate human and personal instincts play a significant role in my creativity; they feed through the entire process from the point of inspiration to collaborations at every level and right through to the living moments of the final performance. I wanted to try to capture this internal instinctive process and make an external representation of it – and so ab [intra] was born.
The creative process started as a series of improvisations where I asked the dancers to be in the moment with each other, to feel and listen - to use their instincts and their impulses and then seek to capture those moments in writing. Those written phrases became the direction for a physical movement sequence, a script for dance, an energy transfer from the thought to the body.
The dancers are an integral part of my creative process, and they give life and form to my instincts and creative impulses every day. ab [intra] for me is a work that is derived from the group dynamic of the dancers and what they give in the studio and on the stage, collectively and as individuals, and I thank them for their generosity and tireless efforts.
It has been a pleasure to work with each of my collaborators on this piece. Dance relies so heavily on the intersection of creative ideas and trust, both in the studio and in the creation of the stage environment that surrounds the movement. Thank you to Damien Cooper, David Fleischer and Nick Wales for the results of your individual elements and the results of your collective efforts. I truly appreciated the process as well as the outcome.
ABOUT THE COMPANY
Dance changes people. It’s more than simply witnessing something beautiful or engaging with culture. To experience dance is to be positively altered. In performances at venues ranging from The Joyce Theater in New York, to the Shanghai Grand Theatre, the Théâtre National de Chaillot in Paris and at home at the Roslyn Packer Theatre and Sydney Opera House, Sydney Dance Company has proved that there are no passive observers in a contemporary dance audience.
The reward of transforming 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 across recent years have featured guest choreographers such as Alexander Ekman, Jacopo Godani, Melanie Lane, Gideon Obarzanek, Gabrielle Nankivell and Cheng Tsung-lung, as well as collaborations with Sydney Festival, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Conservatorium of Music’s Composing Women and composers Bryce Dessner, Nick Wales and the late Ezio Bosso.
Sydney Dance Company has a broad community beyond the practice and performance of our Company dancers. We believe in the universality of dance, with the largest public dance class program in Australia that offers the chance to connect with the grace, strength and creativity of dance. Our nationwide education program offers a strategic curriculum targeting primary and secondary students, through to career focused study for pre-professional dancers and university graduates.
Since 1986 the Company has been a resident of the purpose-built studios in Sydney’s Walsh Bay Arts Precinct on Sydney Harbour. In 2019, Sydney Dance Company – a legendary force in contemporary dance – celebrated its 50th anniversary.
Sydney Dance Company is supported by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body, and the NSW Government through Create NSW.
sydneydancecompany.com
@sydneydanceco
#SydneyDanceCompany
Photo by Pedro Greig
DANCERS
Scan the QR Code to read the biographies of the dancers of Sydney Dance Company.
Tayla Gartner
Sophie Jones
Piran Scott
Timmy Blankenship
Liam Green
Naiara de Matos
Coco Wood
Dean Elliott
Morgan Hurrel
Ryan Pearson
Riley Fitzgerald
Ngaere Jenkins
Emily Seymour
Anika Boet
Luke Hayward
Connor McMahon
Chloe Young
CHOREOGRAPHER, Rafael Bonachela
Rafael Bonachela is a Choreographer, Artistic Director and Curator whose career has seen him successfully span high art and popular culture, working across a range of art forms, including contemporary dance, art installations, pop concerts, musicals, film, commercials and fashion.
Bonachela was born in La Garriga near Barcelona (1972) where he began his early dance training before moving to London to join the legendary Rambert Dance Company where he danced from 1992 to 2004. In 2008, Rafael premiered his first full-length production 360° for Sydney Dance Company.
Less than six months later he was appointed Artistic Director, making international headlines and heralding a new era in Australian contemporary dance. His vision for the Company embraces a guiding principle that sees commissioned dance works by Australian and International choreographers, most recently Denmark-based Marina Mascarell, alongside his own critically acclaimed creations.
In 2022, Cartier announced Rafael as a new Friend of the Maison. From his internationally recognised talent as both a dancer and choreographer, to his commitments supporting a new generation of emerging artists and choreographers, Bonachela embodies values cherished by Cartier: strength of character, virtuosity and the ability to find beauty wherever it may lie.
Bonachela’s career has seen him collaborate with many artists in different fields such as composers (Ezio Bosso, Nic Wales, Tarik O’Regan, Matthew Herbert, Marius de Vries, Benjamine Wallfisch), musicians (Sarah Blasco, Katie Noonan, Kylie Minogue, Tina Turner, The Sixteen), orchestras (Australian Chamber Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Sydney Symphony), visual artists (Angela de la Cruz, Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla, Lenka Clayton), production desiners (Alan Macdonald, Ralph Myers, Tony Assness, David Fleisher), fashion (Toni Maticevski, Dion Lee), Filmmakers (Daniel Askill, Tim Richardson, Dimitri Basil, Dawn Shadforth, Johan Renck, Clemens Habicht), poets (Sam Webster) and photographers (Pedro Greig, Jez Smith, Hugh Stewart).
Bonachela’s work is strong, sober and sharp. The exploration of pure movement is where he finds his unmistakable style. The result is an incandescent dance that springs from the power of movement, in which energy and muscle strength combine with a great emotional sensitivity.
COMPOSER, Nick Wales
Nick Wales’ visceral and immersive music is a hybrid between classical forms, electronic and popular music. Nick has collaborated on ten works with Sydney Dance Company. Nick’s recent commissions include the Netflix feature film score True Spirit directed by Sarah Spillane, Le Diable bat sa femme et marie sa fille with Marina Mascarell for Ballet de l’Opéra de Lyon, cathedral for Bundanon Trust, Zampatti for MAAS and collaborations with visual artists Lauren Brincat, Mel O’Callaghan and Hayden Fowler. Nick has worked with choreographer Shaun Parker on a number of works including the Helpmann nominated score for AM I,Happy as Larry and the outdoor works Spill andTrolleys. Nick continues to compose and collaborate with his wide and varied group of collaborators including Bree van Reyk, Rrawun Maymuru, Veronique Serret, Stereogamous, Sophie Hutchings and Sarah Blasko.
While Wales’ contemporary dance scores are both challenging and abstract, his pop sensibilities are undeniable. Traversing all genres as a founding member of ARIA nominated classical-fusion band CODA, he has also collaborated with Sarah Blasko for a number of years, the pair co-composing Sydney Dance Company’s score Emergence for Rafael Bonachela. Emergence was released as a soundtrack in 2015.
LIGHTING DESIGNER, Damien Cooper
Damien Cooper works internationally across theatre, opera and dance. Damien’s dance credits for Sydney Dance Company include; Resound, ab [intra], Impermanence, Cinco, Ocho, Grand, Air and Other Invisible Forces and Orb
Other dance credits include; State (Western Australian Ballet), Of Earth andSky (Bangarra), TheNarrativeofNothing, Firebird and Swan Lake (Australian Ballet), Giselle (Universal Ballet), Birdbrain, Supernature, Habitus and Be Your Self (Australian Dance Theatre), The Frock (Ten Days on the Island Festival), Affinity (Tas Dance), MortalEngine (Chunky Move) and GreyRhino (Performing Lines).
Other Theatre credits include; Counting&Cracking (Edinburgh International Festival/ Belvoir), MarkColvin’sKidney, The Great Fire, Radiance, TheGlassMenagerie, Coranderrk, Miss Julie, Stories I Want to Tell You in Person, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Peter Pan, Private Lives, Conversation Piece, StrangeInterlude, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, Neighbourhood Watch, TheSeagull, Gethsemane, Keating!, ToySymphony, Peribanez, StuffHappens, The Chairs, TheSpook, In Our Name, TheUnderpantsandTheHamFuneral (Belvoir); Disgraced, Orlando, Arcadia, AMidsummerNight’sDream, TheGoldenAge, SuddenlyLastSummer, The WomenofTroy, The Lost Echo, Riflemind and Tot Mom (Sydney Theatre Company); Macbeth andTheTempest (Bell Shakespeare); TheRingCycle, DerRingdesNibelungen, Aida and Cosi Fan Tutte (Opera Australia); AMidsummerNight’sDream (Houston Grand Opera, Canadian Opera, Lyric Opera Chicago); and TheMagicFlute (Lyric Opera Chicago).
For lighting design, Damien has won three Sydney Theatre Awards, four Green Room Awards, and two Australian Production Design Guild Awards.
PRODUCTION & COSTUME DESIGNER, David Fleischer
David is a set and costume designer, working with leading theatre, dance and opera companies across Australia. He was co-resident designer for Sydney Theatre Company through 2012-2013, the recipient of the Kristian Fredrikson Scholarship in 2016 and received the Thelma Afford Award for Costume Design in Stage and Screen in 2020. His most recent credits include Impermanence, ab [intra] and Ocho for Sydney Dance Company; ScenesFromAMarriage for Queensland Theatre; Aida for Opera Australia’s ‘Opera On The Beach’; Love And Information and CalpurniaDescending for Malthouse Theatre; OpeningNight, Fangirls, A Room Of One’s Own and Hedda Gabler for Belvoir St Theatre; L’amant Jaloux and Griselda for Pinchgut Opera; and Sydney Theatre Company’s BlitheSpirit, Death of A Salesman, PlayingBeatieBow, The DeepBlueSea, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, TheHarpInTheSouth, Saint Joan, TopGirls, Chimerica, Australian Graffiti, SpeedThePlow, Powerplays, TheGoldenAge, BoysWillBeBoys, Children of the Sun, Mojo, TravellingNorth, Machinal, Romeo and Juliet, Fury, LittleMercy, Under Milk Wood and MarriageBlanc.
DISCOVER OUR FLOCK OF HEROES
A Tribute to Those Who Soar with Us!
Our Flock List includes gifts made between February 1, 2022, and April 1, 2024. Those with total gifts of $100 or more are honored online (linked through the QR code to the right), and those giving $250 or more are listed below. For questions or changes regarding our Flock List, please contact Executive Director, Graham Cole at graham@whitebird.org
TITANIUM PATRONS
($10,000+)
Carole Alexander
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Community Foundation For Southwest Washington
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Walter Jaffe & Paul King
Ronni S. Lacroute Fund of Oregon Community Foundation
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Regional Arts & Culture Council, including support from the City of Portland, Multnomah County, and the Arts
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MAY 16, 17 + 18
Third Angle New Music + BodyVox present Guest Artistic Director, Derion Loman with dancers, Madison Olandt and Marco Palomino in an exploration of the frequencies of the universe. Scan
www.thirdangle.org
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