It was devastating to hear Lloyd Newson announce his retirement and the closure of DV8 in April 2022. Newson formed DV8 Physical Theatre in 1986 with a small collection of dancers who wanted to challenge the meanings created by traditional dance forms and confront the aesthetically driven work dominating the field. With a background in psychology and social work in Melbourne, he was lured to England by a scholarship at the London Contemporary Dance School. This training and experience inspired his style of work, ‘DV8 is dance about something… I feel genuinely frustrated by most contemporary dance’ (Newson, 2015).
Influences
DV8 are a perplexing company within the performing arts curriculum, referred to as dance, dance-theatre, and physical theatre, with Newson regularly being categorised as a choreographer. This is complicated further as he openly acknowledges Pina Bausch as his principle influence (Evans, 2019; Murray and Keefe, 2007). Dance theorists also problematise the style, ‘DV8 Physical Theatre, has pushed dance-theatre into areas previously unexplored by dance’ (Bremser, 1999, p. 173). Whichever field you situate them in, it cannot be denied that their body of work changed contemporary performance forever.
Newson's form of physical theatre is centred around personal narratives, tackling issues of hegemony, homophobia, disability, sexism and gender politics
Key features
Despite often appearing athletic and physically impossible, the work of DV8 can be incredibly personal and intimate, placing the performer's body at the nucleus of the narrative and storytelling. This style had already been explored by Steve Paxton with contact improvisation, a form that features heavily in Newson's practice. In Can We Talk About This? Ann Cryer gracefully holds her cup of tea with an iconic polite Britishness, whilst smoothly being maneuvered by her male partner. Her explanation of the topic of forced marriage being presented in parliament, in conjunction with the movement, seems to symbolise the precarious world of politics that barely supports or acknowledges underrepresented or victimised groups in society. All DV8 movements have significance, and nothing is superfluous or for aesthetics.
Newson's form of physical theatre is centred around personal narratives, tackling issues of hegemony, homophobia, disability, sexism and gender politics. It was a place to reflect the persecution and ignorance many people encounter.
I feel licensed through theatre to do things I wouldn't do in real life. I speak my – my anger comes out. It allows me the anger to fight and yell, and maybe that's why I get so passionate about the work. It is inextricably linked to, you know, feeling oppressed. (Newson in Carter, 1993, p. 8)
This is beautifully encapsulated in the controversial To Be Straight With You as the Christian Protestor proclaims his bigotry towards homosexuality, whilst leading an intricate seated routine that resembles cowboys in a line dance, to old time piano, clown like circus music. An incredible juxtaposition of meaning using verbatim words.
Exploratory exercise
There is often a pedestrian or simple way into the work of DV8. During rehearsals Newson would exhaust a movement until there is nothing to milk from it anymore. Gesture can also be an excellent way of exploring or making (see Can We Talk About This? with Roy Brown). Music should add to the meaning created or be in juxtaposition.
- Find a verbatim narrative that has a socio-political context.
- In groups of 4/5. One person reads the text aloud whilst the others individually simultaneously improvise still images/gestures that fit with this narrative. They must go with instinct and impulse. Chairs could be used if they fit the text.
- The next person reads the text whilst the others repeat the same task, generating more ideas, or repeating those that they like. Everyone should get a chance to read and physically explore. In essence, they understand the narrative by responding to it without analysing it first; the body MUST drive the exploration.
- They collectively choose 5/6 of the gestures/images and teach them to each other so they are working together as a movement chorus. One person could read over this, or they could take short extracts to spread the voices heard. Repetition could be introduced.
- Finally, they could ‘grain’ the movement. If it is gestural they could move it from level one (small and restrained) to level five (a larger version of the same movement). Imagine the circles within a tree trunk, they move from the central grain to the larger ones encircling this. This way the movement becomes more expressionistic or symbolic.
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Hannes Langolf in John