“Rafael Bonachela, the new artistic director of the Sydney Dance Company, has taken a knife to the company, shedding seven dancers [out of 17] and seeking to put two more on contracts lasting less than a year. The SDC also sacked four administrative staff and wants to move four full-time members of its production team onto casual contracts in response to the economic downturn… The changes cap off a horrendous period in the company’s history. In the past two years, the SDC has endured financial troubles, plummeting morale and the tragic death of Tanja Liedtke, its artistic director-designate.”