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Photo credit: Hugo-Glendinning
Lloyd Newson is best known as the founder and artistic director of DV8 Physical Theatre, in London.
Photo credit: Fiona Cullen
Born in Albury, Australia, Lloyd studied psychology and social work at Melbourne University, becoming interested in dance. This interest continued to deepen when he attended the London Contemporary Dance School on a full scholarship. He started DV8 Physical Theatre in 1986.
DV8 as a company has had a profound impact on shaping perceptions of dance and physical theatre, with performers of a range of backgrounds, and different types of bodies all having a place in different performance works. Lloyd has tackled a range of issues in his works including male violence and homophobia. In 2007, Lloyd placed an increased focus on the role of text alongside movement in his pieces, seeing him make works such as Can We Talk About This? and JOHN.
DV8’s work is highly acclaimed and has won countless international awards. In 2013 Newson was awarded an OBE from the Queen for services to contemporary dance. He has been cited by the Critics Circle as being one of the hundred most influential artists working in Britain during the last one hundred years.
In 2016, after 30 years of running DV8, Lloyd made the decision to step back from the company and to reflect on both the achievements and what he still wanted to say with the company. Running a company for 30 years is no easy task, with a small core team supporting an extensive output.
2020 sees the return of DV8 with the seminal work Enter Achilles, produced by Rambert and Sadler’s Wells. The work is touring internationally, with its first season outside Europe for Adelaide Festival. This is the first-ever remount of a DV8 production, first made in 1995. Enter Achilles set in a British pub, explores themes related to masculinity, stereotypes around men, male violence and men’s insecurities.
Lloyd doubts that he will ever make another full length work, and has found a sense of freedom outside the daily operation of arts company.
You can find a written transcript of this episode here. Delving into Dance is supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria and the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body. If you enjoy Delving into Dance please consider leaving a contribution. Contribute here.
