Araluen Arts Centre: 
Engine | Sydney Dance Company
Araluen Arts Centre presents Engine by Sydney Dance Company, a triple bill featuring The Journey Itself is Home by Rafael Bonachela, The Mass Ornament by Fran Diaz and Love Lock by Melanie Lane.
Engine unites three extraordinary choreographers; Rafael Bonachela, Fran Diaz and Melanie Lane, for an exhilarating performance that promises bold, fearless dance.
Rafael Bonachela presents The Journey Itself is Home, a new work featuring music by Grammy Award-winning composer Bryce Dessner and inspired by 17th-century Japanese poet Matsuo Bashō.
Bringing The Mass Ornament by remarkable Berlin-based Spanish choreographer Fran Diaz to Australia for the first time, this hypnotic work set to the music of Henryk Górecki reimagines Siegfried Kracauer’s seminal 1927 essay. Diaz compellingly transforms the concept of mass movement into an exploration of connection and collectivity, where individuality coexists, not in opposition, but in dialogue.
Completing the bill is acclaimed choreographer Melanie Lane’s Love Lock, a re-imagined folk dance of the future, drawing upon collective experiences of diverse cultures, an accelerating world and disappearing lands. Love Lock celebrates the binding ability of dance to move, warn and empower, showcasing costume design by celebrated Australian fashion designer Akira Isogawa, layered with texture and colour, and a score composed by UK electronic artist Clark.
★★★★★ “…choreographed with electric intelligence by Melanie Lane.”
– Sydney Morning Herald
★★★★★ “Love Lock is a work of bold genius and unfiltered creativity… It’s a cult I absolutely want to join.”
– BachTrack
★★★★★ “…Love Lock feels exceedingly contemporary. In fact, it feels like a glimpse into the future. You just can’t look away.”
– ArtsHub
★★★★ “Each element of Love Lock is expertly crafted and together creates an unparalleled synergy. Every aspect – choreography, score, costuming and set – synthesises into a spectacular explosion of colour, richness and immersion that leaves the audience craving more.”
– State of the Art
Gallery
The Sydney Dance Company 2026 National Tour has been assisted by the Sydney Dance Company Touring Fund well as the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body, and is supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW.
Engine Tour presenting partner -The Art House, Wyong.
Fran Diaz’s The Mass Ornament is generously supported by Sydney Dance Company’s Visionary Patron, the Clegg Foundation. The Mass Ornament was commissioned by Hessisches Staatsballet and performed in Australia with its kind permission.
Love Lock was originally supported as part of Sydney Dance Company’s TwoFold season, by Visionary Patron, the Clegg Foundation.
Photography: Love Lock - Pedro Greig, Engine - Jez Smith, The Mass Ornament - Hessisches Staatsballet
Dates
Times
7.30pm
Duration
1 hour, 30 minutes
Interval
20 mins
Prices
Genre
Location
Extra information
Online ticketing is available up until one hour prior to the performance.
For ticket purchases after this time, please visit the Araluen Box Office or call us on (08) 8951 1122.
Accessibility
Rating
Suitable for audiences 12 years +
Warnings
Smoke effects, strobe lighting and bright light flashes.
Booking Fee
For this event, a one-off service fee of $2.50 per transaction applies on all purchases online. All ticket prices include GST.
