Artistic director Rafael Bonachela will step down from Sydney Dance Company, bringing to a close a transformative era that has reshaped the company’s national and international profile.

Bonachela, who has led the company since 2009, said the decision followed “deep reflection” and would mark the beginning of a new professional chapter, while allowing time for a carefully managed transition.

“I will always be forever grateful and so proud to have led Sydney Dance Company,” he said. “Together, we have cultivated a company defined by collaboration, courage and generosity.”

His final full year as artistic director is expected to be 2027, with 2028 set aside for a planned leadership handover. The board will begin a global search for his successor in mid-2026.

Rafael Bonachela. Photo © Sydney Dance Company

During his tenure, Bonachela has overseen an ambitious program of commissions and collaborations, while expanding the company’s reach through extensive touring across Australia and to major international venues including Paris’s Chaillot – Théâtre national de la Danse, London’s Royal Opera House and New York’s The Joyce Theater.

For Sydney Dance Company, Bonachela created a prolific body of work spanning more than a decade, with key titles including we unfold (2009), 6 Breaths (2010), LANDforms (2011), Project Rameau (2012), Emergence (2013), Louder Than Words (2014), Frame of Mind (2015), CounterMove (2016), Ocho (2017), ab [intra] (2018) and Impermanence (2021).

He also led the development of key artist pathways, including the Pre-Professional Year program, the New Breed initiative for emerging choreographers and INDance, alongside education programs for young audiences.

Bonachela highlighted the successful capital campaign to redevelop the company’s Walsh Bay home, securing what he described as “a world-class dance hub and a cutting-edge, artist-centred space”.

His work has been recognised with numerous honours, including Helpmann and Green Room awards, New York Festival Gold Awards and Spain’s Cruz de la Orden del Mérito Civil.

Rafael Bonachela in rehearsal. Photo © Pedro Greig

Sydney Dance Company chair Emma-Jane Newton said Bonachela’s leadership had “cemented its standing nationally and globally”.

“Rafael’s vision has reshaped the Sydney Dance Company,” she said. “Under his leadership the company has broadened its artistic ambition, invested in the next generation of artists, and ensured an enduring reputation of significance.”

Bonachela said he would remain focused on leading the company “with ambition and care” through its next phase, including new commissions and initiatives such as ORBIT, a pilot touring program in partnership with Australian Dance Theatre and Dancehouse.

“This transition will be a new and exciting time for the company, and a new step for me professionally,” he said.