Match Made In Heaven

Pairing two of Australia's most renowned arts companies together, Project Rameau is the culmination of a collaboration that many believe to be long overdue between the Australian Chamber Orchestra and Sydney Dance Company. Both have extensive résumés when it comes to collaboration; the ACO with everyone from the Hilliard Ensemble to photographer Jon Frank in recent memory, and SDC/Bonachela with the likes of video artist Daniel Askill, composer Ezio Bosso and designer Tony Assness.

“When I was a young dancer that was something that I felt connected with, the fact that two or three artists could come together and be part of something,” says Bonachela. “When it comes to choreographing, there's so much that you can learn from other artists, and there's so much insight that other people can bring into what you want to do, so whenever I have an idea of a dance that I want to make, I like to think of who's going to help me to convey that idea even better and to explore that idea even better. And also who's going to excite me!”

As they met over dinner, the ACO's artistic director Richard Tognetti proved to be one such individual for Bonachela, who was eager to meet with the violin-wielding tour de force almost immediately after his relocation to Australia.

“He was really adventurous, really daring, and could speak his own mind in a way that makes a lot of sense. A lot of that energy – let's translate it to energy and passion and determination and belief in music and the arts – it was like, 'Yes, we can do it together'; it captivated me,” Bonachela recalls, sounding as inspired by the thought now as he insists he was then.

“We don't remember who mentioned it first,” Bonachela jokes, “It was one of the things where it just happened and we thought we should do something together. I can't remember if it was me, or it was him – it doesn't really matter; we planted that seed and within two years we got it together.”

That seed has grown into Project Rameau; an extensive production that will see Tognetti leading 22 of the country's best musicians through a programme of 19 movements taken from eight of Jean-Philippe Rameau's 18th century operas (alongside interludes from Vivaldi and Bach), as 17 dancers move around them onstage, guided by Bonachela's choreography.

“For me, the centre of the inspiration, the trigger for the dance and for my decisions, was going to be the music. It wasn't about the weather, or global warming, or anything like that, we decided to go with Rameau. I don't think dance has to serve anything, I think dance can be dance, and I've always thought that. Dance for the sake of dance, in this case, that was what it was about: me pushing my own craft choreographically, because the music is so amazing anyway – I love hearing Richard talk about Rameau!” Bonachela himself interjects, the strength of the collaboration immediately apparent, before proceeding, “And this is not just music, any music.”