Lloyd Newson (1957-). Australian-born dancer, director and choreographer

Lloyd Newson was born in Albury, New South Wales, Australia. He studied psychology and social work at the University of Melbourne, but after his graduation moved into dance. At first he danced in New Zealand, then travelled to Britain to study at London Contemporary Dance School from 1980 to 1981. He performed with Extemporary Dance Theatre from 1981 to 1985.

Becoming dissatisfied with what he saw as the failure of dance to respond adequately to social and political themes, in 1986 Newson founded DV8 Physical Theatre, which continued with success until 2016. Newson choreographed the bulk of its repertoire, notably Dead Dreams of Monochrome Men, Enter Achilles, The Cost of Loving and To Be Straight With You. In many of its works, DV8 incorporated text and film as well as dance, and tackled themes such as sexuality, criminality, the cost of living, love and betrayal, press freedom, tolerance and intolerance, religion and multiculturalism. DV8’s works have been presented in many venues, including Tate Modern and the National Theatre in London, as well as internationally in Europe, North America, Australia and Japan. In 2016 Newson decided to pause DV8’s work for a period of reflection. Newson was appointed an OBE for his services to contemporary dance in 2013.