Sydney Dance Company’s 40 Years at the Wharf
Sydney Dance Company is celebrating four decades at Walsh Bay’s Wharf 4/5 with a 7-week program featuring performances, exhibitions, and community events. The initiative includes the season “Current,” world premieres by Raghav Handa, Jenni Large, and Azzam Mohamed, and a fundraising campaign for future growth. The Wharf has been central to the company’s identity since 1986, with archival materials and oral histories highlighting its evolution as a creative hub.
Celebration Details and Key Events
Wharf Stories Exhibition
Sydney Dance Company’s 40th anniversary at the Wharf is marked by a multifaceted celebration running from 22 August to 16 October 2026. The program includes the season “Current,” staged in the Neilson Studio from 3–20 September, featuring three world premieres by Raghav Handa, Jenni Large, and Azzam Mohamed, alongside the Australian premiere of Rafael Bonachela’s “E2 7SD.” The event also includes an Open Day on 22 August with free dance classes, Pilates sessions, and performances by the Primary Youth Ensemble.
Historical Context and Exhibitions
Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela’s Statement
The celebration includes an exhibition titled “Wharf Stories,” developed with Museums of History NSW and the State Library. It features archival photographs, oral histories, and historical season posters, tracing the Wharf’s transformation into a hub for Australian contemporary dance. The display brings together historical photographs, interpretation, and archival material to explore the people, stories, and spaces that have shaped both the company and Walsh Bay over time. Historical images from the Museums of History NSW archives, and on loan from the State Library collections, including works by celebrated photographer Max Dupain, will be displayed throughout the foyer alongside earlier company season posters.
Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela emphasized the Wharf’s role beyond a physical space, stating, For forty years, the Wharf has been much more than our location. It is where ideas are born, where artists come together to take creative risks, and where audiences become part of our story. The exhibition also highlights the Wharf’s role as a living creative hub, where Australian contemporary dance continues to evolve. A series of newly captured oral history films will also be presented throughout the foyer, presenting the voices of dancers, staff, students, and long-time class participants whose experiences reflect the creativity, community, and connection that have defined the space.
40 Years at the Wharf: The Next Steps
Special Performances and Community Engagement
The celebration includes site-specific improvisations by 40 Pre-Professional Year students during the Current season, described as an offering of gratitude and acknowledgment to the land, waters, and history of the place. The Open Day will include an open rehearsal of E2 7SD led by Bonachela, a performance by the Primary Youth Ensemble with Gondwana’s Junior Performing Choir, and a live recording of the Life Academy podcast at a location featured in the TV series Dance Academy. The company’s Pre-Professional Year students will also participate in the celebration, presenting a series of 40-minute site-specific improvisations across the wharf.
Fundraising and Future Goals
Complementing the celebrations, Sydney Dance Company has launched 40 Years at the Wharf: The Next Steps, a fundraising campaign to support future productions, artist investments, and expanded national and international engagement. The fundraising initiative builds on the NSW Government’s support and the contributions of capital campaign donors, which enabled the company’s enduring presence at Walsh Bay. The campaign underscores the company’s vision to create and commission ambitious new work, invest in artists over the long term, expand their reach across Australia and internationally, and deepen their engagement with community and future audiences.
The Wharf’s role as a living creative hub remains central to this mission, reflecting its enduring impact on Australian contemporary dance. The celebration invites audiences to experience the Wharf not only as a rehearsal and performance space but as a place where generations of dancers, choreographers, artists, students, and audiences have gathered to create, learn, and connect on the land and over the water of the Gadigal. Through performances, workshops, community events, historical displays, and newly commissioned oral histories, the program embodies the company’s commitment to fostering new choreographic voices and creating ambitious contemporary dance from its home at the Walsh Bay Arts Precinct.
