Sydney Dance Company’s Artistic Director turned a hellish experience into the dance triumph of the year. But what comes next?

It’s been seven years since Rafael Bonachela took the reins of Australia’s leading modern dance ensemble, Sydney Dance Company, and even after all that time there is still an air of giddy excitement and almost disbelief about the award-winning choreographer. Whether or not Bonachela can allow himself to accept it, the Spanish-born Artistic Director has more than proven his credentials during his tenure as the creative leader of SDC, but the past twelve months have perhaps pushed that reputation to a new height, cementing Bonachela’s position as the most important dance maker in Australia today.

Earlier this year the company’s opening programme of 2015, Frame of Mind, was not only dubbed a critical smash-hit with a string of radiantly glowing reviews and packed houses in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne, but was also one of the biggest success stories of the 2015 Helpmann Awards. Winning every ‘Bobby’ it was nominated for – four in total including Best Dance Production and a Best Choreography gong for Bonachela – this double bill, which also featured the Australian...