The Sydney Dance Company is heading to Perth to perform Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela’s full length work We Unfold.
Filled with powerful, twisting and energetic choreography the show has received rave reviews on the east coast. Amongst its cast is former Perth dancer Richard Cilli who will be making his first appearance in Perth since joining Sydney Dance after graduating from WAAPA a few years ago.
‘It’s a very athletic, very beautiful work. Unlike a classical ballet obviously it doesn’t have a strict narrative, but the feeling you get from the audience is definitely one of joy, freedom and liberation.’ Cilli told us during a break from rehearsals, ‘It’s quite rigorous to dance but really rewarding.’
Dance is an art form that requires an extreme amount of fitness from its artists, the ability to leap, twist and turn, not to mention catch and lift other performers is no easy feat, but Cilli explained that each show is different.
‘The biggest challenge before you start performing it is getting the fitness to perform it. It’s very intense, you can’t just bash it out. You’ve got to build up to the fitness level to be able to do the one hour show.
‘We’re constantly working on our bodies, but you have a specific fitness for each show, they require you to do different things, at different times, so you’ve got to know where to put in effort. Also the emotional journey of the piece can be quite intense.
Cilli’s journey began when he started high school and joined Perth’s Youth focused Steps Dance Company. After school he studied law but kept up dance classes until he reached a point where he had to choose between the two. He was accepted into the prestigious dance program at the WA Academy of Performing Arts at ECU and also spent some time on exchange studying in Taiwan. Once he graduated he was snapped up by the Sydney Dance Company.
While dance used to be a rare industry where men were in short supply, today many more boys are studying dance. Cilli highlighted the drivers of change,
‘Things like So You Think You Can Dance and this whole hip hop revolution that’s going on in Australia at the moment… it suddenly becomes a lot more accessible and acceptable for men to dance, to be artists and express themselves in a physical way.’
We Unfold opens at His Majesty’s Theatre on July 27th for five performances only.
Graeme Watson
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