Sydney Dance Company To Celebrate 40 Years At The Wharf

Sydney Dance Company will commemorate four decades at its Walsh Bay home by opening the doors of Wharf 4/5 to the public. The seven-week celebration, running from 22 August to 16 October, will include performances, exhibitions, workshops, and community events honouring all the company has created from the historic waterfront building.

The centrepiece of the 40 Years at the Wharf will be Current, a contemporary dance season running from 3 to 20 September in the Neilson Studio. The season will present world premieres by choreographers Raghav Handa, Jenni Large and Azzam Mohamed, alongside the Australian premiere of Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela‘s E2 7SD.

“For forty years, the Wharf has been much more than our location,” said Sydney Dance Company Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela. “It is where ideas are born, where artists come together to take creative risks, and where audiences become part of our story.

“Whether you’re joining us for Current, taking a class, exploring our history or simply visiting for the first time, we hope audiences and participants experience the creativity, generosity and sense of belonging that has made this our home for four decades.”

An Insider’s Look Into Sydney Dance Company’s History

The celebration will also highlight the wharf’s history, with an exhibition developed in partnership with Museums of History NSW and the State Library. The exhibition will feature archival photographs, interpretive displays, and historical Sydney Dance Company season posters, all tracing the evolution of Wharf 4/5 as a centre for Australian contemporary dance.

Alongside these exclusive collections, including photographs by Australian black and white photographer Max Dupain, visitors will be able to enjoy newly recorded oral history films featuring dancers, staff, and students.

The celebrations will begin with a free Open Day on 22 August, offering dance classes, Pilates sessions, family activities, and performances. Visitors will be able to attend an  open rehearsal of E2 7SD led by Bonachela, and a performance by Sydney Dance Company’s Primary Youth Ensemble with Gondwana‘s Junior Performing Choir. 

As for the Dance Academy aficionados out there, visitors will be able to watch a live recording of the Life Academy podcast at one of the Wharf locations featured in the hit Australian teen drama series.

The company’s Pre-Professional Year students will also participate in the celebration, presenting a series of 40-minute site-specific improvisations across the piers during the Current season. The unstaged performances will be considered an offering of gratitude and acknowledgement to the land, waters and history of the place.

Alongside the public program, the company has launched 40 Years at the Wharf: The Next Steps, a fundraising campaign aimed at supporting future productions, investing in artists, expanding national and international engagement, and growing audiences for Australian contemporary dance.