Annual Report 2010 1 Contents 3. Chair’s Report 4. Executive Director’s Report 6. Artistic Director’s Report 8. Corporate Governance 11. 2010 Performance Schedule 12. Key Performance Indicators 13. Financial Statements 41. The Company 42. Collaborators 43. Donors 45. Sponsors 2 Chair’s Report 2010 was a year of ongoing consolidation and recovery for Sydney Dance Company. The company undertook a significant touring program as well as creating and premiering works in Sydney. We undertook a total of 65 performances and embarked upon the early stages of developing an education program. There were commissioned works by Australian and international choreographers as well as two commissioned music scores and two creative development periods. After a period of significant change in personnel at all levels of the company, 2010 was a year for the new team to settle in and continue rebuilding for future success. In February 2010 Anne Dunn joined the Company as Executive Director taking over from Noel Staunton, while Rafael Bonachela began his second year as Artistic Director of the company. The Company achieved an operating surplus for the year of $148,549, which was a significant increase on the previous year’s surplus. This was achieved through a mix of changes to the structure of our touring model, self-generated revenue streams and careful cost controls. In 2010 we said goodbye to longstanding board member Derek Denton who had served as a Company Director for 16 years. His contribution to the Company, particularly though his standing in the Melbourne cultural community, his knowledge, dedication and love of the art form proved to be an invaluable asset across those many years. We also said goodbye to Professor Elizabeth More (4 years service) and David Wenger (2 years service). We welcomed Andrew Messenger and his legal expertise to the Board in April 2010. I would like to thank my fellow board members current and past, for their commitment and leadership throughout 2010. Board strategies for managing change and rebuilding the brand of this longstanding Company have begun to bear fruit and we look forward to continued growth in the coming three year business cycle. Having now been on the Board since late 2006 and served as Chairman for three years it still gives me great pleasure and pride to watch and be involved in the amazing work of the artistic team and the dancers. Their skill and dedication to their art is an ongoing inspiration and I was immensely proud to be in Venice to watch the Company perform to rapturous applause in a 400 year old theatre. In many ways, 2010 was the year the Sydney Dance Company relaunched on the world stage and that pathway is getting stronger and stronger. Julian Knights Chair 3 Executive Director’s Report I joined the Company as Executive Director in February 2010 at an exciting point in the Company’s long history. Rafael Bonachela’s appointment as Artistic Director just one year earlier, was reflected in the breadth of work being commissioned and the number and diversity of touring invitations the Company received for the year. Under his artistic leadership the Company continues to consolidate its position as the leading contemporary dance company in the country with a core ensemble of dancers of the highest calibre. 2010 marked a return to both regional touring within Australia and international touring for the Company. We presented performances in Newcastle, Albury, Wagga Wagga and Griffith as well as capital city touring to Canberra, Melbourne and Brisbane. It was the first opportunity many of these audiences had to engage with the Company under Rafael’s leadership and we were delighted to be able to present the same award winning work we unfold to those regional audiences as well as international audiences. Our regional touring was supported by Playing Australia – the Federal Government’s performing arts regional touring program. A particular highlight for the year was our performances at the Venice Biennale di Danza where we presented two programs of work before travelling on to Shanghai to perform at World Expo as part of the Australia/China Cultural friendship gala. This international tour was supported by our sponsor QANTAS and a group of leading private donors – some of whom travelled with us to see the Company perform in the beautiful 400 year old Malibran theatre in Venice. A number of initiatives were developed throughout the year in order to contribute both towards audience development and/or financial stability. One such initiative was the introduction of a ‘Sneak Preview’ performance program as part of our regional touring model. This program was delivered in theatre and designed to give students a ‘behind the scenes’ look at a day in the life of a professional dancer, as well as exposing them to the completed choreographic touring work. The artistic team and the dancers of Sydney Dance Company invested time and energy in fostering dance talent with a range of workshops and master classes for both school students and dancers in vocational training and we have strengthened our relationships with training institutions such as WAAPA and UNSW by offering secondment placements to senior dance students. Our principal sponsor FOXTEL worked closely with us throughout the year and with them we were able to deliver the inaugural FOXTEL Sydney Dance Company apprenticeship. This was a three month program of full employment for a young dancer. Chosen from over 350 applicants Alana Sargent travelled from New Zealand for the audition process and worked with the Company over the development and performance of the world premiere of Emanuel Gat’s Satisfying Musical Moments. Thanks must go to FOXTEL for their generous support of this important program and their ongoing support of Sydney Dance Company which presents itself in many ways. Our school holiday workshops program continued to be very popular with all classes selling 4 out. Now in their tenth year they have seen around 10,000 young people have the opportunity to participate in an intensive program that is both fun and enriching. Our dance classes continue to attract large attendances and are an important mechanism for allowing adults of all ages to engage with dance by providing a participatory avenue. From hip hop to seniors tap and everything in between, our dance classes attracted over 67 000 attendees in 2010. Our corporate dance classes continue to grow. This area of our business is a great example of the ways in which businesses are reaching out to the Arts for inspiration and new approaches to their own business environments. A stunning solo performance by Amy Hollingsworth at the Women in Banking and Finance Forum was supported by our platinum sponsor Deutsche Bank and we thank them for that and their ongoing support. Operationally the Company invested in the install of a new IT system. The changeover process was made significantly easier due the presence of our very own ‘geek in residence’ as part of the Australia Council for the Arts innovative program. Our ‘geek’ has been working with the Company on a number of fronts including up-skilling staff, digital content creation and artistic innovation. This has contributed to a significant increase in people accessing our digital outputs and we still have 9 months of the program to run. The support we receive from our funders, sponsors and donors allows us to continue to produce contemporary dance of the highest quality and I thank each and every one of them. I particularly thank those individuals and companies who invest in us – knowing they do so because they believe in the Company and have faith in the future of it. We very much appreciate the donations and support that enable us to create, perform and tour. My personal thanks must go to the Board of Directors who have welcomed me into my new role and worked closely with me through the year. Their guidance and support has been invaluable. I would also like to acknowledge the dedicated work of the Company’s administrative and artistic staff and the dancers. The combined efforts of this remarkable group of individuals results in something unique and special and I look forward to continuing the journey. Anne Dunn Executive Director 5 Artistic Director’s Report 2010 was an amazing artistic year in which we presented five works, new to the repertoire, including three commissioned world premieres and toured the highly acclaimed we unfold to eight venues across Australia and internationally. Sydney Dance Company’s first European performances in 6 years, at the Biennale di danza in Venice, as well as our appearance at the Australia/China friendship Gala in Shanghai at the invitation of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, represented both a return to the world stage for the Company and a very satisfying step in showing the depth of skill and talent that our dancers possess to the widest possible audiences. The first Sydney Season for 2010 New Creations 1 (20 March–10 April) marked the beginning of a year of collaboration, exploration and artistic growth. As part of the program, I choreographed 6 Breaths and it was realised for the stage through collaborations with Composer Ezio Bosso, Video Artist Tim Richardson, Costume Designer Josh Goot and Lighting Designer Nick Schlieper, who also lit the other part of the program, Adam Linder’s work Are We That We Are. The beautiful score for 6 Breaths by Ezio Bosso, for piano and six cellos, was a commissioned piece and we were very proud to present its world premiere. The film component that Tim Richardson brought to the project was exquisite in its detail and added a beautiful timeless feel to the work.