IN CONVERSATION WITH DAVIDE DI GIOVANNI OF NEW OLD NOW
'FEELINGS AND CREATIVITY IS THE MAIN GOAL FOR A DANCER. MOVEMENT IS JUST A BRUSH THAT MAKES THOSE FEELINGS VISIBLE.'
​
​
SPEAKING WITH ACCLAIMED DANCER AND CHOREOGRAPHER, DAVIDE DI GIOVANNI, THE EDITION HEARS ABOUT HIS NEW AND MOST PERSONAL PROJECT TO DATE, NEW OLD NOW. SELF DESCRIBED AS AN EMERGING ARTISTIC COLLECTIVE, DAVIDE DRAWS ON IDEAS OF THE PAST, TRANSLATING THROUGH MOVEMENT INTO FRESH VIEWS FOR THE PRESENT.
DELVING INTO THE COLLECTIVE'S INCEPTION, TO COSTUME COLLABORATION WITH CHRISTOPHER ESBER, THE NUANCES OF HIS CREATIVE PROCESS, AND HIS HOPES FOR THE FUTURE OF DANCE, STEP INTO DAVIDE'S WORLD HERE.
DESIGNED TO PUSH THE BOUNDARIES OF CONTEMPORARY DANCE PERFORMANCE, TELL US ABOUT THE CATALYST THAT LED TO NEW OLD NOW'S INCEPTION.
​
​
AFTER MANY YEARS OF DANCING AND WORKING WITH ARTISTS, CHOREOGRAPHERS AND DIRECTORS I HAVE FELT THE NEED TO SAY THINGS IN MY OWN WAY AND TO BRING MY THOUGHTS AND DREAMS ALIVE. IT WAS DURING COVID THAT I STARTED PUTTING DOWN IDEAS THAT NATURALLY LED ME TO NON. WHILE IN THE PROCESS OF MAKING A DANCE I CAN’T STOP TAKING INSPIRATIONS FROM THE PAST, THE OLD AND THE CLASSICS. BUT ONE VERY IMPORTANT THING IS HOW I CAN REFLECT THAT THOUGHT TO THE NOW AND WHAT IS NEW AND FRESH IN WHAT I DO. FINALLY, WHAT MAKES ME HAPPY IS WHEN I DANCE . THIS IS THE FIRST THING I WANT PEOPLE TO SEE AND MY DANCERS TO EXPERIENCE WHILE THEY MOVE. FEELINGS AND CREATIVITY IS THE MAIN GOAL FOR A DANCER. MOVEMENT IS JUST A BRUSH THAT MAKES THOSE FEELINGS VISIBLE.
​
DESCRIBE YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS IN THE CREATION OF ‘HOW WE TAKE EACH OTHER’S LOVE’, AND THE MESSAGE YOU ARE CONVEYING IN ITS PERFORMANCE.
​
​
NORMALLY IT ALL STARTS BY SIMPLY MAKING MOVEMENT IN STUDIO AS THEY NATURALLY COME, WITHOUT ANY SPECIFIC IDEA RELATED TO THE MOVEMENT ITSELF. I JUST PUT SOME MUSIC THAT INSPIRES ME AND I MOVE WITH IT TRYING TO FIX WHAT I LIKED AND REMEMBERING THE FEELING. MOST OF THE TIME IT IS A PARTICULAR MUSIC THAT LED ME INTO THE MOVEMENT, THE DANCE. IN HWTEOL I USED A VERY BEAUTIFUL SONG FROM NINA SIMONE,'ISN'T IT A PITY'. SINCE THE MOMENT I HEARD IT, WHILE DRIVING IN THE CAR FROM THE CITY TO NEWPORT (WHERE I HAVE LIVED FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS), IT CAME INTO MY HEART WITH THE MEANING OF THE DANCE ALREADY IN MY HEAD. IT IS ABOUT LOVE AND PEOPLE AND I KNEW I HAD TO MAKE A DUET WITH IT AND SO THE SHOW HWTEOL ENDS WITH THIS VERY SPECIAL DUET OF CHLOE (LEONG) AND I, DANCING OVER THE WORDS OF NINA. EVEN THE TITLE OF THE SHOW IS A PHRASE THAT THE SINGER REPEATED IN THE SONG A FEW TIMES. A VERY SPECIAL WORDING THAT I COULDN'T STOP THINKING OF: HOW WE TAKE EACH OTHER'S LOVE.
​
THE PERFORMANCE FOLLOWS SIX DANCERS LEADING TO THE MEANING OF LOVE. I WANTED TO HAVE DIFFERENT AGES AND EXPERIENCES AND SO I WORKED WITH A 72 YEARS OLD MAN AS WELL AS A 19 YEARS OLD STUDENT AND SO ON. I FELT VERY INSPIRED BY THE IDEA OF TIME AND HOW THIS DOESN’T PLAY A MAJOR ROLE WHEN WE TALK ABOUT LOVE AND CONNECTION.
​
MY OTHER BIG INSPIRATION IS CINEMATOGRAPHY AND THIS PERFORMANCE FOR ME IS ALSO A SERIES OF SCENES THAT STAY VERY STRONG IN MY HEAD. ALMOST LIKE A MOVIE, WHERE EACH SCENE HAS A VERY STRONG IMPACT ON ALL OF US AND A SPECIAL MEMORY. THERE IS A MOMENT IN THE SHOW WHERE I DANCE ON THE NOTE OF ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL LOVE TRACKS OF ALL THE MOVIES, CINEMA PARADISO. IT IS A SONG THAT CONNECTS ME TO MY MUM CAUSE WE USED TO WATCH THE MOVIE A LOT WHEN I WAS A KID AND IT TELLS A STORY OF A BOY WHO IS FORCED TO LEAVE HIS OWN VILLAGE TO PURSUE HIS DREAMS OF MAKING MOVIES, SO PRETTY MUCH THE STORY OF MY LIFE WITH DANCE.
​
I WANTED TO DO IT IN A CARPARK BECAUSE IT IS A SPACE IN BETWEEN, A PLACE WHERE WE ONLY PARK OUR CAR BETWEEN MOMENTS IN LIFE. IT HAS A BRUTAL FEELING THAT BALANCES WITH MY ROMANTIC AND NOSTALGIC CHOREOGRAPHY. WITH THE RIGHT LIGHT IT ALSO HAS A VERY CINEMATIC SCENE AND I LOVED THE IDEA OF USING A CAR AS A SPOTLIGHT FOR A SPECIAL MOMENT DURING THE SHOW.
​
THERE IS NO SPECIFIC MESSAGE IN THE SHOW. I JUST WANTED PEOPLE TO EXPERIENCE SOMETHING IN THEIR OWN WAY, AND LEAVE WITH THE MEMORY OF IT. I BELIEVE THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO FEEL WHEN I WATCH DANCE OR ANY OTHER KIND OF PERFORMANCE.
​
COLLABORATING WITH DESIGNER CHRISTOPHER ESBER ON THE COSTUMES FOR NON'S DEBUT PRESENTATION, HOW DO YOU APPROACH THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CLOTHING AND DANCE AND HOW IT ACTS TO FURTHER AMPLIFY YOUR CREATIVE VISION?
​
​
I BELIEVE THAT COSTUME HAS A VERY IMPORTANT ROLE IN DANCE. AS MIUCCIA PRADA SAYS : FASHION IS AN INSTANT LANGUAGE AND SO IF WE CAN’T SPEAK I PERSONALLY THINK THAT IN DANCE IT BECOMES EVEN MORE IMPORTANT. MY DANCE IS ALWAYS QUITE ROMANTIC AND FEMININE, BUT ALSO SENSUAL AND WITH A LOT OF FLUID MOVEMENTS, SO AFTER FOLLOWING CHRIS' WORKS FOR A WHILE I THOUGHT THAT THERE WAS NO ONE BETTER THAN HIM TO MATCH MY THOUGHTS AND VISION. SINCE WE SAT DOWN FOR A COFFEE AND STARTED TALKING ABOUT IDEAS I SOON FELT THAT IT WAS THE RIGHT DIRECTION. HE MADE COSTUMES THAT ARE ALMOST ANOTHER SKIN ON THE BODY OF THE DANCERS, THEY MOVE PERFECTLY WITH THEM AND THEY EMBRACE ALL THE IDEAS I HAD IN MY MIND. A STRONG WOMAN, A CLASSIC MAN, A LOVE STORY, A FOETUS AS THE BEGINNING OF LIFE AND EVERYTHING. THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVOURITE COSTUMES (LOOK SIOBHAN LYNCH WEARING THE SKIN TONE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SHOW). ALSO THE ELEMENT OF THE WIRE IN BETWEEN THE FABRIC GIVES ME THE IDEA OF PAIN AND STRUGGLE, THIS IS ANOTHER IMPORTANT ELEMENT OF THE SHOW. BUT WITH ITS BEAUTIFUL MOVEMENT ON THE BODY IT BECOMES SOFT AND DREAMY.
​
LASTLY I FEEL I COULDN’T ASK FOR A BETTER RESULT IN TERMS OF STYLE, COLOURS AND FABRIC. THE FEELING OF THOSE COSTUMES BLEND INTO THE DANCE. AND THAT WAS OUR GOAL.
​
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO YOU THAT NON SITS OUTSIDE THE TRADITIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE AUSTRALIAN DANCE COMMUNITY AND WHAT ROLE DO INCLUSIVE AND COLLABORATIVE STORIES PLAY?
​
​
I BELIEVE THAT COSTUME HAS A VERY IMPORTANT ROLE IN DANCE. AS MIUCCIA PRADA SAYS : FASHION IS AN INSTANT LANGUAGE AND SO IF WE CAN’T SPEAK I I THINK THAT NOWADAYS MORE THAN EVER WE NEED TO PUSH OUR LIMITS AND WITH NON I WANT TO SEE ARTISTS TO EXPLORE NEW WAYS OF MAKING DANCE, IN NEW PLACES AND NEW STAGES. CREATING SOMETHING DIFFERENT IS GOOD BUT ALSO LOOKING AT THE PAST WITH A CRITICAL EYE AND SEEING WHAT PEOPLE HAVE CREATED IS IMPORTANT TO MAKE THE DIFFERENCE TODAY. I BELIEVE THAT THE BEST FUTURE IS TO LEARN FROM THE PAST. I DON’T KNOW IF NON SITS OUTSIDE OF TRADITIONS IN AUSTRALIA BUT I KNOW THAT EVERYTHING I DO IT NEEDS TO FEEL DIFFERENT TO ME AND MOST IMPORTANTLY TRUE TO MY VALUES. THIS IS THE GOAL.
​
WHAT ARE YOUR HOPES FOR THE FUTURE OF CONTEMPORARY DANCE?
​
​
THAT WE CAN ALWAYS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITIES TO SAY THINGS ON OUR WAY. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY IS THAT WE KEEP LOOKING AT WHAT IS CURRENT AND WHAT INSPIRES US TO WATCH AND FEEL IT 100%. DANCE IS A VERY STRONG LANGUAGE SO I BELIEVE THERE SHOULD BE MORE OF IT EVERY DAY AT ANY TIME. MORE DANCE FOR THE FUTURE, THIS IS MY HOPE.
WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO DAVIDE DI GIOVANNI @ LIMINAL REP
VIDEOGRAPHY BY GEMMA DE MARIA
STILLS IMAGERY BY VLADIMIR MENDIGORIN AND SEAN SLATTERY
COSTUME DESIGN BY CHRISTOPHER ESBER
