ENGINE

6 August 2026

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I’ve run a couple of contemporary dance companies in my time. Which is why it’s somewhat embarrassing to confess at this late stage in my career that I don’t always “get” the art form. There are pieces where the beauty of the stage image will entrance me. There are works where the sheer physicality of the dancers will enthral me. But often there’ll be pieces where I’m just not sure what I’m looking at or why. But that wasn’t the case with Sydney Dance Company’s recent season in Perth. Called Engine, it consisted of three pieces that vibrated, albeit it differently, with an extraordinary energy. The ensemble of dancers, of varying backgrounds and heights and sizes, moved with precision and passion.

1.  Love Lock by Australian choreographer Melanie Lane (of Indonesian-Anglo heritage) with costumes by Akira Isogawa and music by Clark. It was performed by the whole company and had some magical movement moments in it. I also loved the way flowing costumes of colour were subtly added to the basic black outfits. It was described as “a feast for the senses, full of folklore, full of love” and although I didn’t get the “folk” feel and found some of the initial vocalisation irritating, it was a stunning work and my favourite.


2.   The Mass Ornament by Fran Diaz, a Spanish choreographer based in Belin. It’s described as “physical, sculptural and explosive with no-stop action” with all the dancers in silky green pyjama-like costumes. It pulsed with energy.




3.   The Journey Itself is Home by the company’s Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela. This was my least favourite piece because at the beginning, it felt messy and rather too ballet-like with the boys in tight white shorts and the music, written by Grammy Award-winner Bryce Dessner, didn’t particularly appeal but when it moved onto a series of duets, I become more engaged/impressed.




The audience clearly loved the event as much as I did. The physical daring and collective work of the ensemble across the choreography of three different artists made for the best night of contemporary dance I’ve seen for a long time.

https://issuu.com/sydneydancecompany/docs/engine_national_tour

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