Movement, emotion and magic: Sydney Dance Company’s Ascent

Posted on 23 February, 2023

If anything can help us forget about snap lockdowns, a toilet paper crisis and three years of a Groundhog Day whirlwind it’s Sydney Dance Company’s latest production, Ascent.

Brought to life on stage at Canberra Theatre Centre from 9 to 11 March, this three-part production of contemporary dance effortlessly moves the audience as one, each chapter asserting its own meaning.

Shifting between themes of life, hope and uplifting euphoria, audiences will find themselves exploring themes such as order, chaos, popular culture, and human behaviour, guided by the beautiful dancers and renowned choreographers Antony Hamilton, Marina Mascarell and audience favourite, SDC Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela.

But perhaps what makes Ascent such an inspiring climb is its ability to push the genre of contemporary dance into unexpected realms, such as the futuristic experimentation, delicate classical ballet influences and striking electric movements seen in Antony Hamilton’s’s Helpmann award-winning body of work ‘Forever and Ever’, one of the three performances that form Ascent.

Antony created Forever and Ever in 2018, receiving praise for its creative critique of pop culture and consumerism. Eerily, five years later it’s still just as relevant.

“I was just feeling at the time that there is kind of like this endless cycle of media and ideas and entertainment,” reflects Antony.

“Arts companies, performance companies and dance companies, we’re all kind of on this treadmill of continuing to produce and make and put things in front of audiences, but it’s all kind of disposable in a way.”

“People go to the show, and then two days later, they’ve forgotten all about it. So, I guess it was quite a reflective piece in a way for me to think about this cycle of production of ideas and entertainment.”

Credit: Pedro Greig.

The costuming and visual elements within Antony’s work continues these themes, asking audiences to question the very nature of fashion and the uncomfortable speed at which it is produced.

“The costumes are actually layered up over the dancers and each dancer has three or four costumes and the larger costumes have this bigger kind of sculptural aesthetic,” explains Antony. “Then during the work, what they do is very quickly strip off the first layer of costumes to reveal another look underneath. That’s all part of the choreographic reveal, which has the same sense of disposability of the catwalk and fast fashion.”

The beating heart of this triple-bill show is, of course, the talented dancers of Sydney Dance Company, a creative force that continues to raise the bar for dance in Australia and around the world. From the emotional depth of their movements to effortless execution of choreography, Antony not only had the talent needed to bring his vision to life, but even found an unexpected muse.

“My experience working with Sydney Dance Company has been really inspiring. You really have this carte blanche on people’s physical prowess and capacity because they can do anything.”

“I became really interested in what Sydney Dance Company represents to me, which is this kind of celebrity status in a way—they have that kind of presence when it comes to contemporary dance. And I wanted to lean into that, and go, alright, let’s make a show that’s very dynamic, very forward, very frontal—even eyeballing the audience,” explains Antony.

Credit: Pedro Greig.

Beyond stunning choreography, Forever and Ever is proof that creativity runs deep within Antony’s family. His talented brother Julian Hamilton makes up one half of trailblazing, electronic Australian duo The Presets and has collaborated with Antony in creating a unique score for this piece.

“The music for Forever and Ever is actually made by my brother and it has this really incredible beat groove that builds, and you anticipate that it’s going to have this big drop—and then often the drop doesn’t come. So, it’s kind of like teasing you the whole time, playing with expectations, and pulling the rug out from under your feet.”

As the audience experiences the dynamic Forever and Ever, the very nature of Ascent means we are never left to pause for too long.

While the pandemic has, in the blink of an eye, changed our world forever, Sydney Dance Company reminds us of all the power in moving forward and finding hope admits the chaos. And for Antony, that’s what makes this production so special.

“It’s our job as artists to enter the memory of our audiences and create these incredible experiences…we make it our business to give people a really special time…and companies like Sydney Dance Company have an incredible track record of doing that.”

“That theatre experience does have the ability to pull us out of that slump. That moment when the lights go down…there’s just a magic to it.”

Feature image: Pedro Greig.