Rafael Bonachela

Rafael Bonachela is a Spanish-born, Australian choreographer notable for work across a range of art forms, including contemporary dance, art installations, pop concerts, musicals, film, commercials and fashion. He is recognised for his physical movement style of contemporary dance based on communicating emotions through the human form. Since 2009 he has been Artistic Director[1] of the Sydney Dance Company in Walsh Bay, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Rafael Bonachela
BornMarch 29, 1972
La Garriga, Barcelona, Spain
NationalityKingdom of Spain, Commonwealth of Australia
Websitewww.sydneydancecompany.com

Early Years

Bonachela was born in La Garriga, a small town 45 km north of Barcelona in the Catalonia region of Spain, the eldest of four brothers. At the age of 15 he started dance training at Escola de Dansa Cadaqués Centre in Barcelona. At the age of seventeen he joined the Spanish troupe Lanònima Imperial where he performed and toured across Europe in productions of "Castor I Polux" and "Kairos".  In 1990 he relocated to the United Kingdom to train at the London Studio Centre.[2]

Works

For the Sydney Dance Company, Bonachela has created multiple new works, including we unfold (2009),[3] 6 Breaths (2010),[4][5] Are We That We (2010),[5] Irony Of Fate (2010),[6][7] Soledad (2010),[6][7][8] LANDforms (2011),[9] The Land of Yes and the Land of No (2011–12),[10][11][12] 2 One Another (2012), Project Rameau (2012),[13] Project Rameau (joint with Richard Tognetti)(2012–13),[13] 13 Rooms (2013),[14] Emergence (2013),[15] Les Illuminations (2013),[16] 2 in D Minor (2014),[17] Inside There Falls (Installation by Mira Calix)(2014),[18] Interplay (2014),[17] Louder Than Words (2014),[19][20] Scattered Rhymes (2014), Frame of Mind (2015),[21] CounterMove (2016),[22][23] Lux Tenebris (2016), Nude Live (2017),[24] Ocho (2017), Orb (2017),[25] ab [intra] (2018) and Impermanence (2021).[26]

Collaborators

Bonachela has collaborated with many artists across his career at Rambert Dance Company, and as Artistic Director at Bonachela Dance Company and Sydney Dance Company. These include composers Ezio Bosso, Bryce Dessner, Nick Wales;[27] artist Mira Calix,[28] musicians Kylie Minogue,[29] Tina Turner, Sarah Blasko, Katie Noonan; writer Samuel Webster;[30] ensembles Australian String Quartet, Australian Chamber Orchestra; and designers Tony Assness,[31] Benjamin Cisterne, David Fleischer; and venues such as the Art Gallery of NSW,[32] Roslyn Packer Theatre, Sydney Opera House and Carriageworks.

Reception

For his work Soledad, Bonachela won both the Premio Guglielmo Ebreo and the independent critic's prize at the Biennale Danza e Italia in Pesaro in 2006.[8] He received the Australian Dance Award for choreography for 6 Breaths in 2011,[33][34] and again for 2 One Another in 2013.[35]

In 2012, Bonachela was named and one of the (sydney) magazine's Top 100 Most Influential People.

In February 2013, Rafael received the Officer's Cross of the Order of Civil Merit by His Majesty the King of Spain. In the same year, he was named the Dance Australia Critics Survey winner for 'Most Interesting Australian Artist'. He was also named winner of the dance category for The Monthly's 2013 Arts Awards.

Bonachela was nominated for the 2009,[36] and 2014 Helpmann Award for Best Choreography in a Dance or Physical Theatre Production.[37] He won it in 2015.[38]

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rafael Bonachela.
  1. "Artistic Director". Sydney Dance Company. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
  2. "Adlib Internet Server 5 | Details". archival.sl.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
  3. Ashley, Elizabeth. "Australian Dance Reviews Sydney Dance Company's '2 One Another': Power and precision". Dance informa. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  4. Salib, Antonia (5 December 2011). "Rafael Bonachela's 6 Breaths performed by the Sydney Dance Company". Sydney Dance Company. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  5. "New Creations 1: Choreographed by Rafael Bonachela and Adam Linder". Sydney Dance Company. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
  6. "New Creations 2: Choreographed by Rafael Bonachela and Emanuel Gat". Sydney Dance Company. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  7. Sykes, Jill (15 October 2010). "New Creations 2". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  8. "Australian Premiere: Rafael Bonachela's Soledad". Sydney Dance Company. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  9. "Artistic Director". Sydney Dance Company. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  10. "The Land of Yes and the Land of No: Choreographed by Rafael Bonachela". Sydney Dance Company. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  11. Barnes, Frank (14 November 2011). "The land of yes and the land of no". Education. 92 (11): 29.
  12. Jennings, Luke (4 October 2009). "The Land of Yes and the Land of No". The Guardian.
  13. "Project Rameau". Sydney Dance Company. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  14. "Kaldor Public Art Projects 13 Rooms: Choreographed by Rafael Bonachela". Sydney Dance Company. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  15. "Emergence - Chapter One (Order/Chaos)". Sydney Dance Company. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  16. "Les Illuminations: Choreographed by Rafael Bonachela". Sydney Dance Company. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  17. "Interplay: Choreographed by Rafael Bonachela, Jacopo Godani and Gideon Obarzanek". Sydney Dance Company. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  18. "Inside There Falls – a major new mixed media installation from Mira Calix presented by the Sydney Festival announced World premiere January 2015". Mira Calix. 23 October 2014.
  19. "Louder Than Words: Choreographed by Rafael Bonachela and Andonis Foniadakis". Sydney Dance Company. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  20. Sydney Dance Company (20 August 2014). "Sydney Dance Company presents Louder Than Words: Andonis Foniadakis and Rafael Bonachela - Two world premieres" (PDF). Sydney Dance Company Media Release. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  21. "Frame of Mind: Choreographed by Rafael Bonachela and William Forsythe". Sydney Dance Company. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  22. "CounterMove". Sydney Dance Company. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  23. Stephens, Bill (19 May 2016). "Review / Sydney Dance Company's 'Counter Move' at the Canberra Theatre". Canberra City News.
  24. "Nude Live". Sydney Dance Company. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  25. "Orb". Sydney Dance Company. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  26. "Rafael Bonachela: Artistic Director". Sydney Dance Company. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  27. 2 One Another, retrieved 2021-09-22
  28. Calix, Mira. "Inside There Falls – a major new mixed media installation from Mira Calix presented by the Sydney Festival announced. World premiere January 2015 – mira calix". Retrieved 2021-09-22.
  29. "Rafael Bonachela: I'm gonna live for ever". the Guardian. 2011-11-16. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
  30. "Dance masterpiece rocking its 100th performance in Sydney". Star Observer. 2017-10-11. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
  31. "Spotlight on Costume Designer Tony Assness". Dance Informa Magazine. 2012-10-30. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
  32. "Nude Live". Sydney Dance Company. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
  33. Christofis, Lee (April 2012). "Artistic vibrancy among Australia's five major dance companies". Australian Drama Studies. 60: 120–137.
  34. "2011 Australian Dance Awards". Australian Dance Awards. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  35. "2013 Australian Dance Awards winners". Ausdance. 5 August 2013.
  36. "Past nominees and winners". Ausdance. 2009. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  37. "Past nominees and winners". Helpmann Awards. 2014. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  38. "Past nominees and winners". Helpmann Awards. 2015. Retrieved 13 February 2018.

Further reading
  • "Rafael Bonachela interviewed by Martin Portus, 9 June 2016". Manuscripts, Oral History and Pictures Catalogue, State Library of New South Wales. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
  • Pascoe, Jacqueline (Feb–Mar 2009). "Man on the move [The new artistic director of the Sydney Dance Company, Spanish-born choreographer Rafael Bonachela, discusses his plans to re-energise Australia's flagship contemporary company]". Dance Australia. 160: 39–40.
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