DANCE: 360°

REVIEW BY AMELIA GROOM

Sydney Dance Company is presenting the very sleek and glamorous 360°, a new work by the Barcelona-born, London-based choreographer, Rafael Bonachela.

With high octane solos that intersperse dizzying synchronized group sequences, the highlight is the section Bonachela refers to as ‘Japan’ which features Japanese music and projected images of flowers and goldfish. It is in this accelerated sequence that his zestful and unyielding style is executed with the most potent energy, and the lighting design by Hugh Taranto adds wonderfully to the boldness and futuristic feel.

Bonachela has done commissions for clients as broad as George Pipers Dancers, Kylie Minogue, English Chamber Orchestra, Primal Scream, Danza Contemporanea de Cuba and Tina Turner. ‘I want to remain open and experience different things,’ he says, ‘I’m about to start a feature film in Spain which is something I’ve never done, so I’m looking forward to that.’

The process of collaboration is intrinsic to his work, he says. ‘It’s one thing to make a beautiful piece in a dance studio but translating it to stage it what’s exciting. I get a lot of inspiration from working with other artists and I select collaborators whose work I respect, and who I feel will take me to new places.

‘I think collaboration is also important for introducing new audiences to dance ‘ the composer or designer I work with might have a following who wouldn’t otherwise come, and that way we start to reach new people.

‘As open as I am to other people’s visions, and as important I think the exchange of ideas to be, I always know what I want and I’ll always say straight away if something is not me,’ says Bonachela. ‘For example, I worked closely with [designer] Tony Assness on 360°, and I was able to say straight out that some of the proposed costume designs weren’t for me, because I have to see the bodies.’

And see the bodies we do – in all their fast, fit and flexible glory. From ribbed, nude-coloured undergarments with organic lines to skin-tight body suits with black geometric markings, the costumes are intrinsic to the other-worldly aesthetic of the show.

Like the costumes, the movements waver between sensual and fluid to angular, robotic and furious. The video component also embraces that contrast ‘ with footage of natural phenomena like waves or clouds alongside fast-moving clips of built urban environments. They’re projected onto a large backdrop behind the two mirrored walls from which the dancers emerge. ‘The idea with the set was that it’s like a window into our world, which is 360°,’ Bonachela says.

360°
Until August 16
CarriageWorks
245 Wilson St, Eveleigh
Tickets: $38-$59, 1300 136 166 or www.carriageworks.com.au