CPPM OPEN CLASS: Hannes Langolf (DV8 Physical Theatre)

MA in Contemporary Physical Performance Making (CPPM) is a ground-breaking course that takes postgraduate education out of the classroom and puts practical experience with world-leading makers of performance at the heart of the learning process. Students are working alongside some of the most exciting directors, choreographers, performance makers, artists and companies across the world to further their own artistic practice through active collaboration, devising and performance. It is very important to us that all those international students who study the CPPM curriculum and those world-renowned performance makers who come to Estonia to teach them in Estonia, do not just stay between the four walls of the academy. CPPM Open Class is a series of events where anyone interested can take a look at the otherwise hidden rehearsal and creative processes. At the end of each open class, interviews with the guests will also take place to reveal even more about their creative processes.

DV8 Physical Theatre (DV8) was a physical theatre company based in London, United Kingdom. Led by Lloyd Newson, DV8 was formed in 1986 by an independent collective of dancers who had become frustrated and disillusioned with the preoccupations and direction of most dance. DV8’s work was about taking risks, aesthetically and physically, breaking down the barriers between dance, theatre and personal politics and, above all, communicating ideas and feelings clearly and unpretentiously with a focus on socio-political issues. The work challenges the limitations of dance by using any means necessary to find the most appropriate way to say something, thereby incorporating elements of theatre, dance, film, and, increasingly, text. It produced sixteen highly acclaimed dance pieces and four award-winning films for television. DV8 toured work in the UK and to 28 countries worldwide and received 55 national and international awards. DV8 officially ended in April 2022 when Lloyd Newson announced his retirement via the company web page.

Hannes Langolf is a German performer and choreographer based in London. Throughout his career, he has worked with choreographers like William Forsythe, Angélin Préljocaj, Wayne McGregor, Akram Khan, and companies such as Fabulous Beast and Punchdrunk, to name a few. In 2007 he joined DV8 Physical Theatre to be part of the original cast of the critically acclaimed stage productions “To Be Straight With You” (2007-2009, nominated for an Olivier Award) and “Can We Talk About This?” (2010-2012). Hannes’s own artistic work to date comprises three full-length productions: “Dandelion”, “Unruhe", and “The Fall”. His work spotlights the connection between meaning and movement and promotes the importance of human and emotional investigation in dance, dance training and performance. He created smaller works for numerous films, organisations, and educational settings - most recently choreographing for a feature film directed by Lena Dunham.