Sydney Dance Company's first show of the season presents its dancers at their most open, honest and mindblowingly athletic yet. In the words of choreographer Rafael Bonachela, ab [intra], which is Latin for "from within", is an exploration of our "primal instincts, our impulses and our visceral responses".
Rather than beginning with a script, Bonachela worked backwards. While improvising and experimenting in the studio, he asked dancers to anonymously write down their emotions, ideas and questions on hundreds of yellow Post-It notes and created a narrative from them.
Throughout the piece, dancers shift from portraits of intense intimacy to explosions of dynamic interaction and moments of stillness. Costumes are minimal, exposing an unsettling mix of vulnerability and power, and the original score, composed by Nick Wales, combines both classical and electronic influences.
ab [intra] is Bonachela's first full-length work since 2012, when 2 One Another and a collaboration with the Australian Chamber Orchestra called Project Rameau both took the stage. This is his tenth year as artistic director of the Sydney Dance Company.
Images: Pedro Greig