spellbound

Triple bill featuring:

• Spell choreographed by Rafael Bonachela
  Somewhere between ten and fourteen choreographed by Tra Mi Dinh
  
• Love Lock choreographed by Melanie Lane

Spell
Step into Spell; a bold new dance work from celebrated choreographer Rafael Bonachela. Five distinctive worlds, five powerful “spells,” each a vivid ritual that together create dance alchemy. 

With intricate rhythmic detail and fearless technicality, Bonachela’s signature style reaches new heights of precision and passion. 

Set to music from Ólafur Arnalds, Bryce Dessner, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and Alice Smith, with costume and set design by Kelsey Lee and lighting design by Damien Cooper, the Spell creatives conjure an exhilarating fusion of movement, light, and sound for the dancers to inhabit. Spell is an invitation to experience dance as a potent, primal force. 

Somewhere between ten and fourteen 
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. Originally premiering in New Breed 2023, this mesmerising work is now reimagined for a mainstage production. 

“Intricate, geometric and with enjoyable attention to detail” – Sydney Morning Herald (New Breed 2023) 

“… the standout work of the evening… Dinh’s work just continues to go from strength to strength” – Dance Informa (New Breed 2023)

Love Lock
Inspired by the power of love stories, Melanie Lane’s bold work Love Lock deconstructs love songs to create movement that celebrates the fantasies and realities of love. 

With striking costumes by the iconic designer Akira Isogawa and a score by UK electronic artist Clark, Love Lock imagines a 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. 

TOURING IN 2026

Orange Civic Theatre, NSW | Land of the Wiradjuri People
18 February | BOOK

Capitol Theatre, Tamworth NSW | Land of the Gamilaraay People
21 February | BOOK

ABOUT SYDNEY DANCE COMPANY

From performances at the Joyce Theatre in New York and Shanghai Grand Centre, to Alice Springs in the Central Desert and the Sydney Opera House on the Harbour Foreshore, Sydney Dance Company (SDC) has proved that there are no passive observers in a contemporary dance audience. The reward of truly moving audiences, and the raw pride of sharing Australian art with the world has driven its 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, SDC's programs have featured guest choreographers like Jacopo Godani, Melanie Lane, Antony Hamilton, Alexander Ekman, Gideon Obarzanek, Marina Mascarell, Gabrielle Nankivell and Cheng Tsung-lung, as well as collaborations with Sydney Festival, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Conservatorium of Music Composing Women, Bryce Dessner, Nick Wales, 48nord and the late Ezio Bosso.

The Sydney Dance Company 2026 National Tour 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.