Frame of Mind presents Quintett for the first time in the Southern Hemisphere

WILLIAM Forsythe’s Quintett will be performed for the first time in the Southern Hemisphere when the Sydney Dance Company hosts its premiere on March 6.

The contemporary dance performance was created in 1993 in collaboration with Ballet Frankfurt dancers Dana Caspersen, Stephen Golloway, Jacopo Godani, Thomas McManus and Jone San Martin.

Quintett has been acknowledged as a poignant masterpiece, and it is rarely performed without the supervision of Forsythe.

Since its creation 22 years ago, seven companies around the world have had permission to present the piece, and Sydney Dance Company is the latest to secure the show.

Rafael Bonachela, Sydney Dance Company’s Artistic Director, said seeing Quintett for the first time when he was living in London in 1998 was a turning point in his career, changing his way of thinking and working.

“I was there, living and dancing, and this was my first experience of William Forsythe, the choreographer who re-orientated classical ballet,” he recalled.

“Forsythe broke the rules by using dancers in an abstract way.

“Using their amazing bodies and incredible technique, he transformed dance into a dynamic 21st century art form.”

Bonachela added that he was “inspired in every way” by Quintett.

“As a dancer and choreographer I have always really engaged and connected with dance that pushed the dancers, that was extremely physical and technical, and Quintett is both of those things,” he said.

“But when you see people being brave and bold with their decisions, it’s a way of allowing you to be bold and brave also.

“[Quintett] has had such a profound impact on me, I can’t wait to share it with Australian audiences.”

Two sets of five dancers will perform Quintett, which is part of Sydney Dance Company’s premiere 2015 season, Frame of Mind and alongside a production of the same title by Bonachela.

After Sydney, Frame of Mind will tour to Canberra and Melbourne.

For details, visit: https://www.sydneytheatre.org.au/whats-on/productions/2015/sdc-2015-packages

For Canberra: www.canberratheatrecentre.com.au/site/what-is-on.php?detail=frame-of-mind-0807

Melbourne: http://www.mtc.com.au/plays-and-tickets/other-companies-2014/frame-of-mind/