For those in the know when it comes to dance, the Sydney Dance Company and its choreographer, Rafael Bonachela are two names to know.
The latest production, [ab]intra, is Bonachela’s first full-length work in six years and is a dazzling return to the limelight as the production held its world premiere in Sydney recently.
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From the Latin meaning ‘from within’, [ab]intra explores the concept of the shared instincts as humans that drive us apart and bring us back together.
A writhing, dramatically lit and scarcely propped dancing spectacular, [ab]intra is an absorbing journey through human nature.
Set in a dramatically stark space of nothingness whereby the emptiness becomes a part of the production itself, complete with strong light work that accentuates moments in time and hints of colour to indicate the human condition, the production is nothing short of engrossing.
Given we know we all – relatively speaking – inherently feel, think, hurt, move and exist in the same way – emotions and socio-political views aside – but seeing what drives our relationships and ignites our ambitions and desires is quite the encapsulating rollercoaster.
As Bonachela says, they had been talking about and thinking about [ab]intra for a long time and being able to finally share the project with the world is a terribly exciting time.
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Crafted at first with nothing but an idea and a request for the participating dancers to construct emotions, feeling and movement through natural expression, the piece was born and worked on for months to achieve what can only be described as a contemporary movement work of art.
From hunting his “masterpiece” musical accompaniment by Nick Wales to chasing down the ideal costumery by costume and set designer, David Fleischer, [ab]intra was an ‘all-hands’ project that is a sumptuously moving and impressive dance piece that should be seen before it embarks on its world tour.
[Ab]intra can be seen until 1 September between Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra.
