Work commissioned by Dance Works Rotterdam: January 2004
Born in La Garriga, Barcelona, Rafael trained at the London Studio Centre and danced with Lanonima Imperial before joining Rambert Dance Company in 1992. In 2003, he was appointed Rambert’s Associate Choreographer. Also in 2003, he was a finalist in the Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards in the Best Contemporary Choreography category.
His first dance work for Rambert, Three Gone, Four Left Standing was premiered in May 1999 at Sadler’s Wells, London. To date, he has choreographed nine works for Rambert dancers, including his most recent commission, 21, a multi-media work produced in collaboration with Kylie Minogue and her creative team.
In 2002, his career took an interesting turn when he was commissioned to choreograph Kylie Minogue’s routine at the Brit Awards. His unique approach to choreography, combining contemporary dance within a more mainstream context, was so highly acclaimed that he went on to work extensively with Ms Minogue, choreographing her award-winning Fever tour, the Top of the Pops Awards and the World Music Awards. He later went on to create work for Primal Scream’s Miss Lucifer video, which was nominated for Best Video at the MTV Europe Music Awards in May 2002. Rafael has also created a wide-range of dance performance and film works for clients such as MTV, Jaguar Automobiles and Siemen’s Mobiles.
Recent commissions include works for: Transitions Dance Company, Rotterdam Dance Group, Hip, Bath Music Festival, Cheltenham International Festival of Music, English Chamber Orchestra and the Clore Studio, as part of the Snagged and Clored Season at the Royal Opera House.
He has completed four dance films: Nowhere Better Than This Place in collaboration with director Livia Russell, The Kreutzer Sonata, Muse with director Tim Meara, and 21, a seven minute film featuring and inspired by Kylie Minogue.
Rafael has won a place in Dance Film Academy, a new collaboration between the BBC, Arts Council England and the Scottish Arts Council. During the two-week residency, five teams will develop a pitch for a 30-minute dance film for television. The residency will be filmed for a one-hour documentary, which will be aired on BBC4, followed by the winning film.
Rafael is one of twenty choreographers selected out of 198 entrants to take part in the first ever ‘The Place Prize’, a choreography competition that will run every two years.
Work commissioned by Dance Works Rotterdam: E2 7 SD, 3 November 2005 (program Bonachela/ Simons)
For more information please visit www.rafaelbonachela.com
