Not all of us have the chance to fly to overseas festivals to catch the latest dance works created by giants in the field. Some of these works might touch down in Singapore, they will never perform live in KL. So MyDance Alliance is bringing you intimate screenings of our favourite recent dance videos, for a long-distance taste of what is going on in the capitals of dance.

THE COST OF LIVING' BY DV8 PHYSICAL THEATRE

Friday 10 December
The Actors Studio @ Lot 108.30pm
Entrance by donation of RM 5, pay at the door
Warning: this film contains some strong language
The screening of the film will be preceded by an introduction, and followed by a short discussion with the audience. 

THE COST OF LIVING

This 35-minute DVD is a commissioned film based on the 2003 stage work of the same name by DV8 director Lloyd Newson. Winner of the 2005 Prix Italia, Rose d'Or, and Sette Jury Prize. 

'The Cost of Living' was shot on location in a typical, old-fashioned and faded English seaside resort where the summer season has petered to an end, and an air of desertion hangs over the town. Eddie and David are disillusioned street performers. Eddie is tough, confrontational and not afraid to defend his belief in justice, respect and honesty. David is a legless dancer who is quietly determined not to let his disability or society's prejudices get in his way. 

A series of inter-linked scenes show Eddie and David's encounters with other people; some are incredibly hard-hitting, others exhilarating because of their sheer physicality. Issues are raised about how we judge others and how we, in turn, value ourselves through physical metaphors. The film challenges notions of dance and demonstrates how expansive and individual the medium can be. 

The work of DV8 Physical Theatre is about taking risks both physical and aesthetic. It is about personal politics, about breaking down barriers between dance and theatre and, above all, about communicating ideas and feelings clearly and unpretentiously. The company tells stories through extended naturalistic movement in a radical yet accessible way, shunning linear narrative and rejecting the traditional conventions of ballet and modern dance.