MMeets
Years Choreographed by Rafael Bonachela

Free!

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Dancer Richard Cilli, Photographer Rafael Bonachela

An elegiac meditation on the layers of legacy that shape both our past and our future, Years sees Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela’s choreography performed by the incredible dancers of Sydney Dance Company as they delve deep into the essence of movement and musicality.

Set to renowned Australian musician Stephen Emmerson’s reimagining of Bach’s iconic Goldberg Variations for two pianos, this counterpoint-rich adaptation was recorded with celebrated Ukrainian-Australian pianist and collaborator Sonya Lifschitz whose “powerful exposition” (The Sydney Morning Herald) of Bach’s work has earned her international acclaim. Years was conceived, filmed and streamed during 2021’s lockdown as an online work, directed by Clemens Habicht.

This live, site-specific performance of Years sees six dancers respond both to the 31 counter point-rich variations and the essence of MAP studio (Venice)’s MPavilion itself. Bonachela reflects on his personal choreographic journey and echoes of the past to find clarity at the heart of a turbulent world. Sinuous costumes by Bianca Spender bring softness and grace to the angles of the architecture and the dancers’ movement.

Created and staged with the support of the Naomi Milgrom Foundation, Years is also presented in honour of former Sydney Dance Company Board Member and patron of the arts, the late Carla Zampatti AC.

With thanks

Artistic Director’s Commissioning Partner 2021 (Years)
The Naomi Milgrom Foundation

Supported by
Kawai

Government Partners                                 Digital Funding Partner
Australia Council & Create NSW               Australian Government RISE Fund

Years is also generously supported by Sydney Dance Company supporters: Arab Bank Australia, Tony Berg AM and Carol Berg AM, David Mathlin, Jules Maxwell, Rebel Penfold-Russell OAM, Penelope Seidler AM, Matt Shelmerdine and Bianca Spender and Sam McGuinness.

Choreographer: Rafael Bonachela
Costume Designer: Bianca Spender
Company Dancers: Dean Elliott, Jackson Fisch, Liam Green, Luke Hayward, Emily Seymour, Chloe Young
Music: ‘Goldberg Variations’, BVW988, composed by Johann Sebastian Bach and arranged by Stephen Emmerson
Performed by: Sonya Lifschitz and Stephen Emmerson
Music Recording: Bob Scott, Jonathan Palmer
Sound Post Production at Dodgy Sound: Bob Scott

In collaboration with

Wominjeka (Welcome). We acknowledge the Yaluk-ut Weelam as the traditional custodians of the land on which we meet. Yaluk-ut Weelam means ‘people of the river camp’ and is connected with the coastal land at the head of Port Phillip Bay, extending from the Werribee River to Mordialloc. The Yaluk-ut Weelam are part of the Boon Wurrung, one of the five major language groups of the greater Kulin Nation. We pay our respects to the land, their ancestors and their elders—past, present and to the future.