THE RETURN OF ACHILLES

INTERVIEWING Lloyd Newson requires a willingness to take a walk on the dark side. Our phone interview covered topics ranging from gang grooming, gang violence, misogyny, rape, homophobia, racism and most of all, male violence. It was all to the purpose of explaining the motivation for his 1995 work, Enter Achilles, which was presented at the Adelaide Festival from March 13 to 15 by England’s Rambert Dance Company.

Newson has never been afraid to tackle difficult subjects. Since forming his company, DV8, in London in 1985, this Australian-born choreographer has developed a repertoire that has delved into AIDS ( (1986); necrophilia (, 1988) and homophobia, intolerance and religion ( (2007-9), to mention a few. He does not go gently, forcing audiences to confront some of the most ugly aspects of human nature and society. Nor does he take