“an intensely theatrical work that cries out to be seen by dance lovers and anyone interested in the way movement can tell stories in modern society.” Limelight
Info & Dates
Dates: Resound 28 October – 5 November 2022
Venue Roslyn Packer Theatre Walsh Bay
Rafael Bonachela’s acclaimed work Ocho makes a welcome return to the stage as the first part of the Resound program.
Featuring a driving score by Nick Wales, with the haunting vocals of Aboriginal artist Rrawun Maymuru and powerful set design by David Fleischer, Ocho won rave reviews from audiences and critics alike when it premiered in 2017. Set in a glass room, eight dancers search for salvation and connection, finding a salve for the troubles of the world.
Watch Ocho’s premiere season (2017)
Resound Triple Bill at the Roslyn Packer Theatre, 2022
Fri 28 October, 7.30pm Opening Night
Sat 29 October, 2.00pm
Sat 29 October, 7.30pm
Tues 1 November, 6.30pm
Wed 2 November, 6.30pm
Thur 3 November, 7.30pm
Fri 4 November, 7.30pm
Sat 5 November, 2.00pm
Sat 5 November, 7.30pm
The Creative Team
Choreographer: Rafael Bonachela
Composer: Nick Wales featuring vocals by Rrawun Maymuru used with permission of the Mangalili Clan
Lighting: Damien Cooper
Costumes and sets: David Fleischer
Behind the Scenes: the creation of Ocho (2017)
Behind the Scenes: the music of Ocho (2017)
Ocho Insights
“I was interested in exploring the virtuosity of the solo performer and working closely with each dancer and their uniqueness. As a choreographer, I am often drawn to the physical contact between dancers, but for Ocho, I set myself the task of holding back on that physical contact and allowing the individual dancers to explore their physical personality among the group, leading up to an eventual connection.”
Rafael Bonachela is originally from Barcelona and has been the Artistic Director for Sydney Dance Company since 2009. His internationally recognised talent has seen him work not only within contemporary dance at the highest level but also with artists from popular culture, such as Kylie Minogue, Tina Turner, Sarah Blasko and Katie Noonan, as well as leading fashion designers Bianca Spender, Dion Lee and Toni Maticevski.
“I was particularly drawn to the idea of 8 being a number of balance between different forces; the material world, authority and personal power balanced with the spiritual dimensions and eternal freedom.”
Ocho is Nick Wales' eighth collaboration with Sydney Dance Company. Nick works across contemporary dance, film, theatre, and popular and new classical music. He collaborated with Aboriginal vocalist Rrawun Maymuru on the music for Ocho.
The end of Ocho’s soundtrack features a vocal highlight from Aboriginal singer Rrawun Maymuru of the Mangalili clan. Having penned Gurrumul’s first No. 1 ARIA chart single, Bayini, Rrawun comes from a long line of songmen from Yirrkala in North East Arnhem Land, and sings in both English and Yolngu Matha. The songline you’ll hear Rrawun sing stems from his paternal side of the Mangalili clan and is called Nyapillilingu – the Spirit Lady. In Yolngu culture, Nyapillilngu is the spirit lady who protects the passage between the Earth and the Milky Way.
Ocho Fact: The soundtrack is electronic and in three sections. Listen out for the trumpet and the ancient Persian flute, the ney, that is an important instrument in mystical Middle Eastern traditions.
Ocho Fact: Rrawun is the grandson of Dr. M Yunupingu, the lead singer of Yothu Yindi.
The Ocho set is surreal yet architectural, with a glass box inside concrete walls. The set designer, David Fleischer, worked closely with Rafael in rehearsals to design a constricted space for the dancers to work within, creating a sense of intense scrutiny. The dancers break out of this box to move through an urban environment.
Ocho Fact: The Ocho set weighs 2.7 tonnes, has 28 wheels and 350 screws, and took 1,400 hours to build.
"For Ocho, I set myself the task of holding back on that physical contact and allowing the individual dancers to explore their physical personality among the group." - Rafael Bonachela
"The set houses the eight dancers in a space as they show off their stamina, virtuosity and strength. The set defines the tension between the individual and the group." - David Fleischer
Media Reviews
“★★★★ Bonachela creates perfectly choreographed chaos in Ocho.” – Dance Australia
“★★★★ Bonachela has done Sydney Dance Company proud with this thrilling, visceral piece, exploiting every inch of his precise, virtuosic dancers. I can’t think of a better introduction to his abstract yet dramatically conceived world than Ocho, an intensely theatrical work that cries out to be seen by dance lovers and anyone interested in the way movement can tell stories in modern society.” – Limelight
“Ocho showcases eight unique individuals… we watch each one explore who they are alone, and who they become in relation to others. In time, they connect intimately, never losing the integrity of each.” – Sydney Arts Guide
“Ocho again reaching a climax of perfection in performance, music, costuming and lighting” – That Show Blog
“★★★★ It was physical, aggressive, but exhilarating…” – The Music
“Sexy, athletic choreography…” – Time Out Sydney
“Each dancer is able to escape briefly ‘outside’ the ominous room to perform a spectacular solo.” – Dance Informa
“The dancers’ brave heartedness inspires each one’s self-revelation. Among them, Chloe Leong’s soulful moves arises, as if from the depths of the earth.” – Sydney Arts Guide
Performance History
29 April – 13 May 2017
Roslyn Packer Theatre Walsh Bay, Sydney
17 – 20 May 2017
Art Centre Melbourne, Melbourne
25 – 27 May 2017
Canberra Theatre Centre, Canberra
Info & Dates
Dates: Resound 28 October – 5 November 2022
Venue Roslyn Packer Theatre Walsh Bay
Rafael Bonachela’s acclaimed work Ocho makes a welcome return to the stage as the first part of the Resound program.
Featuring a driving score by Nick Wales, with the haunting vocals of Aboriginal artist Rrawun Maymuru and powerful set design by David Fleischer, Ocho won rave reviews from audiences and critics alike when it premiered in 2017. Set in a glass room, eight dancers search for salvation and connection, finding a salve for the troubles of the world.
Watch Ocho’s premiere season (2017)
Resound Triple Bill at the Roslyn Packer Theatre, 2022
Fri 28 October, 7.30pm Opening Night
Sat 29 October, 2.00pm
Sat 29 October, 7.30pm
Tues 1 November, 6.30pm
Wed 2 November, 6.30pm
Thur 3 November, 7.30pm
Fri 4 November, 7.30pm
Sat 5 November, 2.00pm
Sat 5 November, 7.30pm
The Creative Team
Choreographer: Rafael Bonachela
Composer: Nick Wales featuring vocals by Rrawun Maymuru used with permission of the Mangalili Clan
Lighting: Damien Cooper
Costumes and sets: David Fleischer
Behind the Scenes: the creation of Ocho (2017)
Behind the Scenes: the music of Ocho (2017)
Ocho Insights
“I was interested in exploring the virtuosity of the solo performer and working closely with each dancer and their uniqueness. As a choreographer, I am often drawn to the physical contact between dancers, but for Ocho, I set myself the task of holding back on that physical contact and allowing the individual dancers to explore their physical personality among the group, leading up to an eventual connection.”
Rafael Bonachela is originally from Barcelona and has been the Artistic Director for Sydney Dance Company since 2009. His internationally recognised talent has seen him work not only within contemporary dance at the highest level but also with artists from popular culture, such as Kylie Minogue, Tina Turner, Sarah Blasko and Katie Noonan, as well as leading fashion designers Bianca Spender, Dion Lee and Toni Maticevski.
“I was particularly drawn to the idea of 8 being a number of balance between different forces; the material world, authority and personal power balanced with the spiritual dimensions and eternal freedom.”
Ocho is Nick Wales' eighth collaboration with Sydney Dance Company. Nick works across contemporary dance, film, theatre, and popular and new classical music. He collaborated with Aboriginal vocalist Rrawun Maymuru on the music for Ocho.
The end of Ocho’s soundtrack features a vocal highlight from Aboriginal singer Rrawun Maymuru of the Mangalili clan. Having penned Gurrumul’s first No. 1 ARIA chart single, Bayini, Rrawun comes from a long line of songmen from Yirrkala in North East Arnhem Land, and sings in both English and Yolngu Matha. The songline you’ll hear Rrawun sing stems from his paternal side of the Mangalili clan and is called Nyapillilingu – the Spirit Lady. In Yolngu culture, Nyapillilngu is the spirit lady who protects the passage between the Earth and the Milky Way.
Ocho Fact: The soundtrack is electronic and in three sections. Listen out for the trumpet and the ancient Persian flute, the ney, that is an important instrument in mystical Middle Eastern traditions.
Ocho Fact: Rrawun is the grandson of Dr. M Yunupingu, the lead singer of Yothu Yindi.
The Ocho set is surreal yet architectural, with a glass box inside concrete walls. The set designer, David Fleischer, worked closely with Rafael in rehearsals to design a constricted space for the dancers to work within, creating a sense of intense scrutiny. The dancers break out of this box to move through an urban environment.
Ocho Fact: The Ocho set weighs 2.7 tonnes, has 28 wheels and 350 screws, and took 1,400 hours to build.
"For Ocho, I set myself the task of holding back on that physical contact and allowing the individual dancers to explore their physical personality among the group." - Rafael Bonachela
"The set houses the eight dancers in a space as they show off their stamina, virtuosity and strength. The set defines the tension between the individual and the group." - David Fleischer
Media Reviews
“★★★★ Bonachela creates perfectly choreographed chaos in Ocho.” – Dance Australia
“★★★★ Bonachela has done Sydney Dance Company proud with this thrilling, visceral piece, exploiting every inch of his precise, virtuosic dancers. I can’t think of a better introduction to his abstract yet dramatically conceived world than Ocho, an intensely theatrical work that cries out to be seen by dance lovers and anyone interested in the way movement can tell stories in modern society.” – Limelight
“Ocho showcases eight unique individuals… we watch each one explore who they are alone, and who they become in relation to others. In time, they connect intimately, never losing the integrity of each.” – Sydney Arts Guide
“Ocho again reaching a climax of perfection in performance, music, costuming and lighting” – That Show Blog
“★★★★ It was physical, aggressive, but exhilarating…” – The Music
“Sexy, athletic choreography…” – Time Out Sydney
“Each dancer is able to escape briefly ‘outside’ the ominous room to perform a spectacular solo.” – Dance Informa
“The dancers’ brave heartedness inspires each one’s self-revelation. Among them, Chloe Leong’s soulful moves arises, as if from the depths of the earth.” – Sydney Arts Guide
Performance History
29 April – 13 May 2017
Roslyn Packer Theatre Walsh Bay, Sydney
17 – 20 May 2017
Art Centre Melbourne, Melbourne
25 – 27 May 2017
Canberra Theatre Centre, Canberra
Gallery
