Englishwoman Vivienne Newport is considered one of the most prestigious exponents of German dance theatre. After studying dance in London, she moved to Germany where she attended the Flokwang Tanz-Studio in Essen. From 1973 to 1981, she worked in Pina Bausch's Tanztheater in Wuppertal, participating in all of the German choreographer's productions and becoming one of the ensemble's leading performers. In 1981, driven by an impulse for autonomy and also thanks to a meeting with Peter Hahn, director of the Am Turm Theater in Frakfurt, who offered her a permanent position in his theatre. Vivienne left the Wuppertal company to found her own group initially composed of five elements, four dancers and one actor from various backgrounds (London, Paris, Frankfurt). The physiognomy of this first nucleus has changed over the last 3 years, in a constant search by the choreographer for original personalities. Always experimenting with new means of expression for her dance theatre, much influenced by Bausch's sign, Vivienne Newport works around the most typical times of the German Tanztheater: the problems of social cohabitation, the daily struggle for survival, alienation, the difficulty of interpersonal relationships. In his shows, sorrows, thoughts, dreams, moments of happiness, euphoria and depression are gradually laid bare in a direct manner, with a dryness that excludes emphatic and moralistic tones. Some titles from the past, such as 'Mist' from 1982, have not lost their relevance and communicative energy to this day. "Hinter der Scheune uberfrisst ein Ochse", also from '82, with texts and music by Eric Satie, written for the three women in the group, is still the most representative work. In Rovereto, Newport presents a solo, 'Elbestrasse 17' from one of the most significant shows in its repertoire. The title refers to the Frankfurt street where the company is based, in the district near the station. From this small metropolitan world, the piece reflects and filters an alphabet of everyday behaviour, gestures, tones and moods.
