Sydney Dance Company will mark the end of an era this December as its acclaimed New Breed program takes its final bow at Carriageworks. Running from 3 to 13 December 2025, the twelfth and final season will feature four world premieres by Emma Fishwick, Ngaere Jenkins, Harrison Ritchie-Jones and Ryan Pearson, performed by Sydney Dance Company dancers.
First conceived through conversations between the late Neil Balnaves AO and Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela, New Breed has become a cornerstone of contemporary dance in Australia, co-presented by Carriageworks and made possible through the enduring support of The Balnaves Foundation. Across twelve seasons, the program has commissioned 49 new works by 47 choreographers, many of whom have gone on to shape the landscape of Australian dance.
“New Breed has been an anchor of Sydney Dance Company’s vision to nurture and platform the voices of emerging choreographers,” said Bonachela. “Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of The Balnaves Foundation, we’ve experienced thrilling, compelling and deeply original works that have left a lasting impact. While 2025 marks the final season, it is not an ending but an interval.”
Carriageworks CEO Fergus Linehan described the program as “one of the most joyous and impactful events in the Australian cultural calendar,” while Victoria Balnaves reflected that “we never imagined the powerful and lasting impact it would have on choreographers and the dance sector as a whole.”
This year’s four choreographers each bring distinctive perspectives to the stage. Fishwick’s marathon, o marathon plays with repetition and endurance, questioning the persistence of conviction in times of fatigue. Jenkins makes her choreographic debut with From the horizon thereafter, an homage to her Aotearoa homeland and its ancestral resonance. Ritchie-Jones returns with Pigeon Humongous, a punk-infused dystopian vision of a post-human world, while Pearson’s Save Point draws from video game nostalgia, blending combat choreography and reflection.
As the curtain closes on New Breed, Sydney Dance Company will continue to champion choreographic innovation through initiatives such as The Balnaves Foundation Artist in Residence program, with Jenni Large announced as its next recipient.
Tickets for New Breed at Carriageworks are on sale now via sydneydancecompany.com.