Sydney Dance Company on the up and up
Sydney Dance Company continues on its trajectory of success with another stellar year of business performance in 2015. The company recently announced that in one of its biggest years yet – comprising 98 performances from a program of 22 works in repertoire – it has also achieved impressive growth across all areas of the operation, capped off by a seventh consecutive year of fiscal responsibility.
On the stage, the company commissioned 14 new works in 2015, plus eight scores; brought William Forsythe’s acclaimed masterpiece Quintett to Australian audiences; opened the prestigious Movimentos Dance Festival in Europe; collaborated with Richard Tognetti’s Australian Chamber Orchestra; made a return to Hong Kong for the first time in 25 years; and secured an invitation to premiere its acclaimed New Breed program (a partnership with Carriageworks) internationally in Germany, calling attention to the breadth of Australian talent and choreographic voice.
Shining brighter than ever, Sydney Dance Company collected all four awards in the Dance category of the 2015 Helpmann Awards for its double bill season Frame of Mind. The company has since collected a further three Green Room Awards for the same show, and is a key contender in the upcoming Australian Dance Awards.
Behind the scenes, Sydney Dance Company’s education program reached new heights in 2015, presenting 142 school matinees, workshops and master classes to 8,458 young people and their teachers, including almost 2,000 young people and their teachers in regional Australia. Closer to home, there were a total of 168,000 visits to the company’s Walsh Bay premises – making it one of Sydney’s most popular arts destinations. This includes 70,000 visits to the public Dance Classes and school holiday workshop programs.
Sydney Dance Company’s end of year results include 26% growth in total audiences, 16% growth in turnover and 28% growth in school audiences, backed by a seventh consecutive year of solid financial performance and a seventh consecutive year of surplus.
Sydney Dance Company Chairman Andrew Messenger says, “With 14 new commissioned dance works from artists at all stages in their careers, as well as new commissions in music and design, Sydney Dance Company is a major contributor to the Australian arts landscape. We make that contribution in an economically responsible way and with an eye to delivering exceptional quality performances and participatory experiences to our audiences. Sydney Dance Company is the flag bearer for Australian contemporary dance on the national and international stage. The ongoing recent success of the company is a tribute to Rafael Bonachela, the dancers and our exceptionally hardworking management, production and administration teams.”
Executive Director Anne Dunn echoed Messenger’s comments, adding, “It is extremely rewarding to have seen Sydney Dance Company continue on its positive trajectory in 2015. Whilst maintaining a strong fiscal performance supporting the surety of the company into the future, we have also worked incredibly hard to deliver a successful artistic program, resulting in significantly increased ticket sales. Sydney Dance Company has continued to invest in the development of international relationships and it was fantastic to see such strong demand and support for the company on the world stage this year. We were particularly pleased to continue to support the next generation of Australian dancers and choreographers in 2015, through our education, traineeship, scholarship and New Breed programs, the last of these presented in partnership with Carriageworks. The company was incredibly proud to take out the four Dance category awards at this year’s Helpmann Awards, including two awards for our presentation of William Forsythe’s masterpiece Quintett, which we were honoured to premiere in Australia.”
Sydney Dance Company recorded a surplus of $515,376 for the financial year ended December 31, 2015, enabling further contribution to the company’s cash reserve targets, which are a key goal of the Sydney Dance Company’s current five-year strategic plan.
Image: Snapshots from Sydney Dance Company’s 2015 performance calendar. Photos courtesy of SDC.