Sydney Dance Company’s Somos in Sydney and Melbourne

The title of Sydney Dance Company’s Somos translates as “we are” in Spanish. This declaration of communal identity might speak to the intimate collaboration and connection between dancers in this landmark production. Or it could refer to the fact that in this piece, audience and performers merge, muddying the boundaries of where dancer ends and viewer begins. It also evokes the interpersonal entanglements at the work’s core – feelings of love, despair, passion, hatred and longing.

Somos comes from the mind of Sydney Dance Company artistic director Rafael Bonachela, and features a series of solos, duets and trios, all performed in the round. That means an unusually personal experience for the audience, who will feel the grace and physicality of dance up close. Bonachela’s choreography is inspired by the culture and people of his homeland, Spain, and takes special influence from famed director Pedro Almodóvar’s “cinema of women”, and his bold visual and narrative style.

The work is about to have its Melbourne debut, with 19 performances scheduled over 10 days in March at the Arts Centre’s Show Room theatre. It then goes to Sydney for a further 17 appearances at the company’s Neilson Studio. The latter can be regarded as a kind of homecoming for Somos, as it was for this specific space that the work was initially created in 2023.

Having sold out its world premiere run in that year, the production has been revitalised for the upcoming shows. Bonachela’s vision will be reinterpreted by a whole new cast of dancers, with additional choreography and a new soundtrack featuring a range of women artists from Spain and South America, all singing in Spanish. The 50-minute performance is a heady and visceral display of contemporary dance that’s as enthralling for dance connoisseurs as it is for newcomers to the art form.

Somos runs at Arts Centre Melbourne from March 13 to 23 and at the Neilson Studio, Sydney Dance Company from March 27 to April 6.

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