Sydney Dance Company presents ‘Current’

Sydney Dance Company presents Current from 3-20 September, inviting audiences into the intimate setting of the Neilson Studio for a program of new and acclaimed contemporary works experienced at close range.

Current brings together three world premieres by Raghav Handa, Jenni Large, and Azzam Mohamed, alongside the long-awaited Australian premiere of Rafael Bonachela’s acclaimed E2 7SD. Presented as one continuous experience, the program celebrates four distinct approaches to contemporary dance, revealing the breadth of ideas, movement practices and artistic perspectives shaping the artform.

 

 

Created in London in 2004, Rafael Bonachela’s E2 7SD is a landmark duet that marked a pivotal moment in the choreographer’s career. Named after the East London postcode where Bonachela lived while creating the work, E2 7SD explores the intricate connection between two bodies in motion, through a fast-paced and intensely physical exchange. Never before performed in Australia, the award-winning duet makes its Australian premiere as part of Current, bringing one of Bonachela’s most significant works to Australian audiences for the first time.

Raghav Handa’s One Song probes the evolving traditions of contemporary dance, reflecting on how yesterday’s innovations become tomorrow’s foundations. Drawing on his practice rooted in Indian kathak and contemporary movement, Handa takes the pulse of Sydney, a city shaped by rumours, legends, secrets and folklore and channels its gritty, fearless energy into a work that contemplates where the artform might move next.

 

 

In Alpha Mutt Jenni Large examines the seductive mechanics of obedience, power and belonging through the metaphor of the dog. Large creates highly visual choreographic worlds driven by the personal and political forces of the body, drawing on cinematic language, horror, comedy and popular culture.

Rhythm becomes ritual, repetition becomes belief, and dancers move between discipline and rebellion as the work considers how authority is created, performed and resisted, while questioning the systems that shape human behaviour.

Inspired by spaces where music, movement and self-expression bring people together, Azzam Mohamed’s OUR (SELF) juxtaposes the relationship between individuality and collective experience.

Drawing on a rich movement vocabulary shaped by Afro-House, Kuduro, Hip Hop, Popping and House, Mohamed brings a dynamic choreographic perspective centred on rhythm, connection and self-expression.

 

 

Developed collaboratively with the Sydney Dance Company Ensemble, OUR(SELF) celebrates difference as a source of shared energy and collective expression.

The performance season of Current is the centrepiece of a public program celebrating 40 Years at The Wharf. For four decades, Sydney Dance Company’s harbourside home has been central to its creative practice; where generations of dancers have trained and some of Australia’s most acclaimed contemporary dance works have been imagined, developed and rehearsed.

Sydney Dance Company Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela:

Revisiting E2 7SD alongside new work by Jenni, Raghav and Azzam has been a chance to reflect on how contemporary dance continues to evolve. Each artist approaches movement from a distinct perspective, and that is what makes this season so exciting. Together, these works sit in dialogue with one another, revealing a breadth and curiosity that runs through Current.

I am especially looking forward to welcoming audiences to The Wharf as we celebrate 40 years in this extraordinary home. Once again, the Neilson Studio will transform to reveal the Ensemble’s exceptional ability in works by some of the most compelling choreographers working in Australia today.

From these iconic waterfront studios, Sydney Dance Company has built an international reputation for ambitious contemporary dance and artistic collaboration. The broader anniversary program will be announced 4 August, with events taking place from late August and throughout September.

 

 

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Season Details

Venue: Sydney Dance Company
Date: 03- 20 Sept 2026

For more information click HERE

Photo Credit: JezSmith