Scotland is particularly blessed with a cohort of companies and choreographers which is willing to take dance seriously: from Janis Claxton's bold use of simian movements through to Christine Devaney's dance theatre, the past decade has been healthy and challenging. David Hughes Dance have been at the front of this trend, annually presenting a piece that pokes at predictable processes and concentrated on controversial content. At the start of the current tour, of The Chinsaki Sessions, Hughes and associate director Matt Foster talked about the company, their vision and how they can use a critic as a marketing promise...
GKV: It seems as if you are intent on challenging audiences to define what dance can be: your ever expanding repertoire of pieces, new choreographers, surprising content - last time it was eating people, this time it's masculine rock. Behind this, is there a David Hughes Dance vision that unites your output?
David Hughes: After 26 years I've been around the block and am easily bored, so am always trying to get something that excites me. If I have the right recipe this will come through to the audience.
The DHD vision is the performers: we don’t provide choreographers with the kinds of performers they are used to working with. These guys are a mixed bag of highly skilled performers from different disciplines, and together with the right choreographer the work transcends beyond technicality and performance: the movement becomes a vehicle for each person to come through. We all have our own different ways and we just get on with it.
Matt Foster: It’s simple really - the artistic vision of the company is to challenge and redefine the boundaries of dance and physical theatre. Every work we produce must in some way attempt to do this, to challenge notions of context, notions of what technique really means and certainly to challenge convention. We aim to try and push Scottish products beyond the conventional, to aspire to the ground-breaking work found in Europe/abroad - this is only possible if you’re willing to take risks and NOT play it safe as so many do.
GKV: What attracted you to Chinaski/Bukowski as a subject? Is it the chance to play with identity and autobiography or the detail of his stories?
DH: It’s not the theme or the narrative that attracts me, it’s the choreographer, and although it’s not a conscious effort, we have a history of supporting strong female choreographers. There are really good choreographers out there who just happen to be women - ferocious women who kick arse at this. It speaks volumes that a female choreographer can take this bunch of male dancers and a rock band and whoop them into shape.
GKV: I am assuming there that you had a say in the content... Which suggests my next question... Once you've got the choreographers on board, do you get much say in what happens in the studio?
DH: I do now get a say in what happens in the studio and the work. I keep an eye on things; in commissioning works I am a client with a commitment to my audience; I want a good product. As a company that likes to take risks, we also have to be clever not to offend our audiences. I am there to support, and within reason there are rules in place to have constructive criticism without knocking the choreographer’s confidence.
MF: That is what we offer as a company - a blank canvas of talent and resources for a choreographer to fully realise their vision. However, we still have to have the last say as we have to protect the integrity of the organisation and the relationships we have forged with our partners and funders.
GKV: I know that you are one for strong narratives... What can we do about all this abstract dance that seems to be replacing choreography that might ... Communicate something?
DH: I believe in the way we work, that you have to be at a phenomenal level to do a solely abstract work. But then some people do just like watching bodies, each to their own!
MF: Abstract dance has its place and certainly, those who obsess over technique advocate it but our journey has led us to realise that audiences enjoy narrative as they feel included - that they ‘get it’ and have something to follow. As a vehicle, narrative shines a light on an individual’s charisma as opposed to just the shapes and forms of that individual. Charisma, character, passion - these make us feel something and that is the strong point of DHD.
GKV: Another leading question there... Forgive me- but finally- what can an audience expect this time?"
DH: Firstly, don’t apologise. This time an audience can expect a full on evening of in your face, relentless testosterone, you get to the end and go ‘what was that!’
If you don’t like the dance, you’ll love the music. If you don’t like the music, you’ll love the dance. If you hate it all Gareth Vile will run down the street nude- or, as a registered charity, we’ll accept donations for him not to!
I'm random and spontaneous, we don’t set ourselves in any category but we exist in the periphery of dance and physical theatre. We are now returning to pure dance, but who can say what will happen next? Get ready for our next couple of years!
MF: As mentioned, this is a charismatic show. It doesn't fall into the conventional realm of dance and that is a conscious choice. This work was created to ‘stomp on the stale ground of contemporary dance’. What you will see is seven guys putting their guts and soul into 80 minutes of rock fuelled madness and only out-of-touch bun-heads with cobwebs in their ears/eyes could fail to appreciate it.
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