Sydney Dance Company Announces 2025 Program ‘Come Closer’

Sydney Dance Company, led by Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela, has announced its 2025 Program: Come Closer; a captivating year of contemporary dance bringing together iconic and emerging Australian creatives with the formidable Sydney Dance Company ensemble. 

The program is an adventurous experience, where the year’s vision and collaborations set the journey for audiences that will live on through touring and programming, defining the future of contemporary dance.

Following an acclaimed 2023 season, the 2025 program will begin with the encore of Rafael Bonachela’s sensual Somos, premiering in Melbourne before returning to Sydney.

An electric triple bill, Continuum, will showcase new works by three trailblazing Australian choreographers. Opening in Sydney in October, it includes a new commission, Unungkati Yantatja, by renowned choreographer Stephen Page AO; a world premiere by Rafael Bonachela; and Somewhere between ten and fourteen, a standout piece by Keir Choreographic Award recipient Tra Mi Dinh.

In a powerful collaboration, Unungkati Yantatja brings together for the first time, the creative forces of Stephen Page AO with one of Australia’s leading Yidaki players, William Barton. The choreography by Page, a descendant of the Nunukul people and the Munaldjali clan of the Yugambeh Nation, will respond to Kalkadunga man Barton’s songline, played live on stage alongside the award-winning Omega Ensemble, who commissioned the deeply moving score.

Somewhere between ten and fourteen by dance artist and emerging choreographer Tra Mi Dinh is an ode to change and a study on twilight, illuminating and expanding the moments between day and night. Originally debuted in the New Breed 2023 program, the work takes to the mainstage reimagined for a larger ensemble. 

As Australia’s leading contemporary dance company, Sydney Dance Company is committed to supporting the broader sector, creating opportunities for choreographers and dancers to enhance their practice, reaching wider audiences and deepening their appreciation of the artform. 

The annual showcase of the country’s most exciting emerging choreography, New Breed, will return for its 12th year in December, presenting new works created by four emerging choreographers and a glimpse into the future of Australian dance, made possible through the ongoing support of New Breed Principal Partner, The Balnaves Foundation.  

Alongside the 2025 Season, Club Origami, an interactive family show choreographed by Takeshi Matsumoto, returns following last year’s Australian premiere, and INDance, Sydney Dance Company’s acclaimed program showcasing independent dance artists, will be back for its fourth edition supported by the Neilson Foundation.

The Company will also embark on national and international tours presenting repertoire across Australia and beyond. The 2024 hit Twofold will be presented in major international institutions and festivals, shining a light on Australian dance on a global scale and cementing the company as one of the world’s strongest forces in contemporary dance. 

Sydney Dance Company Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela says; “I’m delighted to reveal the exciting journey we have in store for 2025 – an incredibly beautifully crafted blend of new creations, powerful collaborations, and national and international tours.

The opportunity to bring choreographer and dancer, Stephen Page, back to our Company to work with the ensemble and create a new work in response to the music of William Barton is a very special and important moment. This work will be the first time these Australian icons have collaborated, which is such a momentous occasion, and for William to be joined live on stage by the Omega Ensemble makes it all the more special. We were also blown away by Tra Mi Dinh’s captivating piece in the 2023 New Breed program, and this triple bill is the perfect moment to bring this to the mainstage. And by popular demand, we’re proud to bring back Somos, an emotive work performed in the round which breaks down the walls between dancer and audience.”

Season One – Somos

Arts Centre Melbourne, The Show Room: 13 – 23 March 2025

Sydney Dance Company, Neilson Studio: 27 March – 6 April 2025 

★★★★★ “There is ‘intimate’ and then there is Somos” – Limelight

The season opens with the critically acclaimed Somos premiering in Melbourne before returning to Sydney Dance Company’s Neilson Studio, following its sold-out run in 2023. 

Meaning “we are” in Spanish, Somos features a cascade of intimate solos, duets and trios with a distinct Spanish flavour. Set to music by powerhouse Hispanic artists and performed in the round, this intimate setting provides unparalleled connection to Company dancers as audiences witness their formidable artistry closer than ever before. 

Season Two – Continuum

Roslyn Packer Theatre: 22 October – 1 November 2025 

Continuum is set to be a highlight, showcasing work by three trailblazing Australian choreographers. 

For the first time, Unungkati Yantatja brings together the powerful creative forces of Stephen Page AO with esteemed composer William Barton. Page’s choreography embodies Barton’s songline, calling out to land, sea, sky, and creature, whilst carefully connecting us all to the spirit of our creation breath. Barton will be joined live in performance by the award-winning Omega Ensemble, who commissioned the underlying score. Blown gently across the stage, Unungkati Yantatja is a dedication to the force of our earthly breaths, intrinsically connecting us to Country, to each other, and to the continual rhythm of life. 

Originally commissioned as part of New Breed 2023, Tra Mi Dinh’s Somewhere between ten and fourteen takes to the mainstage. This mesmerising work is a study on dusk, illuminating and indulging the transient yet expansive moments between day and night. 

Season Three – New Breed

Carriageworks: 3 – 13 December 2025 

Four choreographers, four world premieres. Sydney Dance Company continues to champion the future of dance in 2025, with the return of New Breed. Since its premiere season in 2014, 43 emerging Australian choreographers have created work for this program, showcasing a rich diversity of choreographic ideas. 

In December, Sydney Dance Company will commission the 12th cohort of emerging choreographers to create works performed by the ensemble. 2025’s choreographers will be announced mid-year.

New Breed is made possible thanks to the generous support of Principal Partner, The Balnaves Foundation.  

International Tour 

Twofold

Impermanence – Rafael Bonachela

Love Lock – Melanie Lane

Ljubljana, Slovenia: 2 June 2025

Paris, France: 11-15 June 2025

Further dates to be revealed. 

★★★★★ “Sydney Dance Company confirms its world-class status in this dazzling, superhuman double bill” – Sydney Morning Herald on Twofold 

Twofold is a monumental double bill with the return of Rafael Bonachela’s Impermanence alongside Melanie Lane’s compelling new work, Love Lock. Twofold celebrates the breadth of choreographic dynamism and diversity with two formidable full-ensemble works from these renowned choreographic powerhouses. 

National Tour 

momenta 

Victoria

Mildura: 30 April

Frankston: 10 May

Geelong: 14-15 May 

Tasmania

Hobart: 18-19 July 

New South Wales

Newcastle: 6 August

Further dates to be revealed. 

★★★★★ “momenta is an electric and arresting celebration of light and life that feels almost sacred in its reverence for the power of the body to connect and communicate” – Sydney Morning Herald 

momenta takes audiences on a journey into the poetry and physicality of human bonds. This mesmerising work presents a kaleidoscope of energy, capturing moments where individual trajectories collide and intertwine.

Rich with rhythmical and spatial patterning, Sydney Dance Company dancers transcend physical limitations; they explore the full range of their bodies with grace, power and vulnerability. Each moment resonates through space, drawing the audience into a world of raw emotion. 

The Balnaves Foundation Artist in Residence

2025 Recipient: Raghav Handa 

The Balnaves Foundation and Sydney Dance Company are thrilled to announce The Balnaves Foundation Artist in Residence for 2025: critically acclaimed choreographer and New Breed alumni Raghav Handa.

Now in its second year, this invaluable initiative allows independent choreographers to work across all departments of Sydney Dance Company for one year, exposing recipients to a complete artistic, production and administrative cycle within Australia’s pre-eminent contemporary dance company. Raghav Handa is a celebrated choreographer and dancer of Indian heritage, whose works have featured in festivals across Australia and internationally. His movement combines traditional Kathak and contemporary language to create a unique vocabulary which he fashions into multifaceted, engaging explorations of complex and challenging themes. 

Club Origami

Sydney Dance Company, Neilson Studio: July 2025 

Dive into the magical world of Club Origami, an immersive and interactive dance show inviting family audiences to create, imagine and explore whole new ways of thinking, playing and moving.

Created by Makiko Aoyama, Robert Howat and Takeshi Matsumoto, dance, fashion and live music meet the magic of origami for a spirited and inspiring adventure. 

INDance

Sydney Dance Company, Neilson Studio: August 2025 

INDance returns for its fourth year in 2025, providing a platform for independent choreographers and creatives to present their work, with the aim of building capacity, improving access and participation across the sector, whilst presenting cutting-edge dance from some of Australia’s foremost choreographic voices.

INDance is supported by the Neilson Foundation. 

About Sydney Dance Company

Sydney Dance Company is Australia’s leading contemporary dance company, presenting new works in Sydney, around Australia and internationally, under artistic direction of Rafael Bonachela. Since 1985 the Company has been resident in purpose-built studios on Gadigal Land at Wharf 4/5 in Sydney’s Walsh Bay Arts Precinct. Its studios house the largest public in-studio dance class program in Australia. A legendary force in contemporary dance in Australia, Sydney Dance Company celebrated its 50th year in 2019. 

More information, www.sydneydancecompany.com