New breed choreographers celebrate 10 years at Carriageworks

The choreographers from New Breed at the Sydney Dance Company will celebrate a decade of accomplishments at Carriageworks. Since its establishment, New Breed has seen 35 emerging dance artists present world-premiere contemporary works.

“New Breed has been instrumental in helping to support the early careers of some of Australia’s most exciting emerging dancemakers, many of whom are now acclaimed, internationally recognised choreographers, who continue to push the boundaries of contemporary dance and champion progressive ideas”, said Artistic Director of the Sydney Dance Company, Rafael Bonachela.

Australian choreographers for the 2023 performance have the invaluable opportunity to showcase fresh ideas and talent for a newly commissioned piece. Strongly supported by The Balnaves Foundation, this year’s program will feature works from four talented choreographers: Tra Mi Dinh, Beau Dean Riley Smith, Eliza Cooper, and Riley Fitzgerald.

Tra Mi Dinh is an Australian dancer and choreographer currently working across Sydney and Melbourne. She is a recent recipient of the Keir Choreographic Award for one of her 2022 works and has received a fellowship from Lucy Guerin Inc. Dinh has also worked as a dancer with other artists and companies, including Chunky Move, Stephanie Lake Company, Dance Makers Collective, Victoria Chiu, and more.

Beau Dean Riley Smith is a Wiradjuri and Gamillaraay man from Dubbo NSW, now living on Gadigal land. He is an award-winning dancer, choreographer, and actor, having graduated from NAISDA Dance College with a Diploma in Dance. Smith has performed over 22 major productions at the dance company and has featured in films such as SPEAR by Stephen Page and Moving Targets by Tony Albert. Smith aims to empower First Nations stories across various artistic disciplines in his upcoming debut for the Sydney Theatre Company.

Eliza Cooper works as a fashion movement director for leading designers and is a freelance costume designer and maker. She has studied with the Sydney Dance Company and Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company. Since 2018, Cooper has worked as a seasonal dancer for Opera Australia, Dance Makers Collective, and Pepa Molina’s Las Flamenkas flamenco ensemble. She has presented a range of short choreographic works at theatres across Sydney.

Riley Fitzgerald started dancing at an all-boys hip-hip class when he was 10 years old and quickly progressed to training with the Anita Coutts School of Dance. Fitzgerald then moved to Victoria and studied there for three years before making his professional debut in The White Prince by Stephan Agisilaou. He began his professional career at the Sydney Dance Company in 2019. Under the direction of Rafael Bonachela, Fitzgerald performed national and international soloist roles. Following this, he moved to France and joined the Ballet National de Marseille, touring performances through France and Europe.

New Breed is a thrilling dance program that will showcase the extraordinary talents of these four choreographers.

December 6 – 16

Carriageworks, 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh

carriageworks.com.au