Sydney Dance Company – 'Quintett'

[caption id="attachment_8968" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="SDC Dancers Petros Treklis and Josephine Weise in rehearsal for "Frame". Photo credit Peter Greig"] [/caption]

Sydney Dance Company presents the

Australian premiere of FORSYTHE’S MASTERPIECE

QUINTETT

Part of FRAME OF MIND Sydney | Canberra | Melbourne

One of the most renowned contemporary dance works of the 20th Century, William Forsythe’s Quintett was created in 1993 in collaboration with Ballet Frankfurt dancers Dana Caspersen, Stephen Galloway, Jacopo Godani, Thomas McManus and Jone San Martin.

Acknowledged as Forsythe’s most poignant masterpiece, Quintett sheds light on a side of Forsythe that audiences don’t often get to experience - delicate, tender, sublime, lyrical, heart-wrenching.

The work is set to renowned UK composer Gavin Bryars’ hauntingly beautiful 1971 composition, Jesus's Blood Never Failed Me Yet , an iconic piece of music inspired by a chance recording, in which a homeless man sings a single line of words, searing with hope and trust in his salvation.

One of Forsythe’s most closely guarded dance works, Quintett has rarely been performed outside of his direct supervision. In 22 years since its creation, only seven companies around the world have been permitted to present the piece. Sydney Dance Company is honoured to be the first in the Southern hemisphere.

Sydney Dance Company Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela says it has been his long‐held dream to bring Quintett to Australia.

“I first saw Quintett in November 1998 at Sadlers Wells in London. I was there, living and dancing, and this was my first experience of William Forsythe, the choreographer who re‐orientated classical ballet,“ Bonachela comments.

“Forsythe broke the rules by using dancers in an abstract way. Using their amazing bodies and incredible technique, he transformed dance into a dynamic twenty‐first century artform.”

“For me, seeing that performance of Quintett was a turning point, that changed my way of thinking and working.

“As a dancer and choreographer I have always really engaged and connected with dance that pushed the dancers, that was extremely physical and technical, and Quintett is both of those things. But when you see people being brave and bold with their decisions, it’s a way of allowing you to be bold and brave also.

“I was inspired in every way by Quintett, to embody what it means to be a great choreographer. This work has had such a profound impact on me, I can’t wait to share it with Australian audiences,” Bonachela concludes.

Quintett is currently in rehearsals at the Sydney Dance Company studios, under the watchful eyes of former Ballet Frankfurt dancers Ana Catalina Roman Horcajo and Thomas McManus, one of the original Quintett cast who, alongside Willam Forysthe, are credited for the creation of the dancework.

Two casts of five dancers each will perform the piece, which will enjoy its Australian premiere at Sydney Theatre on Monday March 9.

Sydney Dance Company presents the Australian premiere of Quintett as part of their premiere 2015 season, Frame of Mind , alongside a new work by Rafael Bonachela, set to a stunning soundtrack by Bryce Dessner, best known as a member of hit rock band The National, recorded by internationally renowned Kronos Quartet .

Frame of Mind opens at Sydney Theatre on March 6, ahead of seasons at Canberra Theatre Centre, opening April 30, and Southbank Theatre, Melbourne, opening May 6.