Founded in 1969 Sydney Dance Company is one of Australia’s leading contemporary dance companies and performs internationally under the Artistic Direction of Rafael Bonachela. The Land of yes and The Land of No is the product of Bonachela’s choreography, Ezio Bosso’s musical composition, Alan McDonald’s production design, Theo Clinkard’s
costume design.

The original production of this work opened at the Ludwigsburg Festival, Germany in 2009 to critical acclaim. This year the Company presented the Australian premiere of this revival production at the Brisbane Festival
in September.

Wrought from the world of signs and symbols in our everyday lives, Bonachela’s choreography was inspired by the “way signs reflect the decisions that we make, the paths we take, turning points, risks and adventures.” He intends to trigger memories and stimulate soulful emotion. According to the choreographer, the title of the production was inspired
by one of Ezio Bosso’s earliest childhood memories: his house in Italy was divided by his mother into areas where he was allowed to play and areas where he was not; the areas where play was allowed was discerned,
‘the land of the yes.’

Bosso’s composition style is based on the concept of emotional exploitation. He has focused on creating compositions that speak to the human psyche,
and the essence of his music and resonates fantastically with audiences. Bosso excels at producing unconventional melodies that have an easy listening contemporary appeal.

The performance begins calmly and builds momentum throughout 70 minutes;
the dancers exhibit intense control, and according to Bonachela,
“not a moment is improvised.” With every exquisite movement there
is great intention, creative precision and abundant energy. Bosso’s composition for strings and piano consistently builds tempo and leads
to a frenetic and exhilarating finale.

Alan McDonald produced an abstract façade of a general building that, according to him, is “fundamentally about crossing a threshold.” 
Guy Hoare’s lighting uses flickering fluorescent strips and neon tube
lights to symbolize doorways as undisclosed entrances and exits.
As his inspiration, costume designer Theo Clinkard cites the Frankfurt Ballet of the 1980’s. He sought sculptural structure in order to compliment the architectural focus of the production, but shied away from the lycra cloud that typically dominates dance apparel. Clinkard has designed
costumes that are composed of white light-weight fabric,
and has incorporated pleats for optimal movement.

The Land of yes and The Land of No will likely be performed for years
to come. Tis true that the world is increasingly complex, but no matter
how globalization effects us we will continue to navigate basic partitions: the land of possibility, and land of the forbidden.

- Elizabeth Katharine James