The Journey Itself Is Home, is a new work featuring music by Grammy Award-winning composer Bryce Dessner and inspired by 17th-century Japanese poet Matsuo Bashō.
The world premiere took place on 24 June as part of Sydney Dance Company’s programme entitle ENGINE.
Bonachela and Dessner have collaborated in several works and this latest can be seen at Sydney Opera House until July 12.
Bonachela writes:
During Sydney Dance Company's European tour in 2025, I travelled to France to spend a few days with composer Bryce Dessner imagining what our next collaboration might become. We spent our time talking about life, music, books, poetry, art, nature, memory and the things that move us. Somewhere between those conversations, long walks and sunsets, a simple idea emerged: the journey itself is home.
Matsuo Bashō's 17th-century travelogue The Narrow Road to the Interiorcame up in our discussions a lot. It is a collection of writings and haiku born from a journey through landscapes both physical and spiritual. It felt connected to the landscape we found ourselves in, and the work we wished to create. In particular, Bashō's reflections on solitude, impermanence and nature as a mirror of emotion became a powerful point of departure for us.
Soon after this trip, the work began to take shape through exploration of growth and decay; an ever-changing outpouring of emotion. I leant into choreography that felt open-hearted, emotional and presented new challenges.
What emerged was a work in four movements. filled with moments of longing. uncertainty. and ultimately connection. Under the reflect ed tight of a setting (or rising) moon, the dancers grapple with solitude and togetherness. To me the work champions the tenacity required to coexist. To be fiercely unique and in the same breath totally unified. It feels like a prayer to the community of humanity.
The title also resonates deeply with where I find myself in life. It comes from a growing understanding that home is not necessarily a destination waiting to be reached. Rather, it is something we create through the act of living through the people we meet, the work we make, the experiences we share and the journeys we undertake together.
The journey itself is home
- Rafael Bonachela
Find out more about the production at Sydney Dance Company's website here.
