QL2 Patrons

Rafael Bonachela

Rafael Bonachela is a Choreographer, Artistic Director and Curator whose career has seen him successfully span high art and popular culture, working across a range of art forms, including contemporary dance, art installations, pop concerts, musicals, film, commercials and
fashion.

Bonachela’s appointment as Artistic Director of Sydney Dance Company in 2009 made international headlines and heralded a new era in Australian contemporary dance. His vision for the Company embraces a guiding principle that sees commissioned dance works by Australian and International choreographers alongside his own critically acclaimed creations.

Rafael Bonachela has been a patron of QL2 since 2018.

Julie Dyson AM

Julie works in a voluntary capacity as an arts advocate across several national and international organisations, including as immediate past Chair of the National Advocates for Arts Education and as Secretary of the World Dance Alliance Asia Pacific. She is the former national director of Ausdance, where her work included policy development, advice to funding bodies, government departments, companies and individual artists, and the initiation of innovative partnerships to promote and support contemporary dance, performers and educators.

Julie has worked as a volunteer on the dance collections of the National Library of Australia and Ausdance National, and has edited many publications, including Dance Forum, Shaping the Landscape – Celebrating Dance in Australia and Shifting Sands: Dance in Asia and the Pacific. She was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Award for Administration in 1994, the Ausdance 21 Award for outstanding service to the organisation in 1998, the Australian Dance Award for Services to Dance in 2000 and the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004. In 2007 Julie was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).

Julie continues her work with Ausdance National as a board director, and remains particularly focused on dance advocacy at the federal level. She has also been nominations coordinator of the Australian Dance Awards, and currently mentors several Australian dance artists.

Julie Dyson became a patron of QL2 in 2023.