ab [intra] Sydney Dance Company Opening Night

Rebecca Varidel
16th May 2018

As Artistic Director of Sydney Dance Company, Rafael Bonachela has been taking us on a journey exploring the human spirit for some time now.

And last night as Choreographer, his new full length work ab [intra] opened to a standing ovation at the Roslyn Packer Theatre in Sydney.

ab [intra] has a short two week Sydney season until May 26th so be sure to book quickly.

When we look within what are the unspoken aspects of our being? Perfection in movement, original music, monochrome costumes, bodies that live in the shade as much as the light, in all the contradictions of internal tension, conflict, hope, questioning, longing, change and disruption, this look from within has been captured in a way that could never be expressed in words.

"I think about ab [intra] ... as an energy transfer between the internal and the external. For me it is more than the external expression of internal concepts. in this dance sphere it is a representation of energy - an energy derived from the interaction of these two facets of our world."

The physicality of the Sydney Dance Company enhances this new work more than ever before. Angular at times, gentle less frequently, the expressions of one, twos and threes expose the contrasting emotions that we often hide. I felt myself, my inner being exposed. I felt myself as the individual. I saw us integrated in our relationships. I felt the hive of the collective.

Throughout the performance, I watched the audience leaning forward on their seats, captivated. The opening night performance ended and as in the yang and yin of the dance, I was left both satiated and empty. Is that it? Does it really have to be over?

Choreographer Rafael Bonachela
Nick Wales Composer
Damien Cooper Lighting Design
David Fleischer Costume & Production Design.