Australian dancer Marc Brew was just 20 years old, gearing up for a career in ballet and enjoying his first contract with South Africa’s national dance company, when a drunk driver ploughed into the car he was travelling in. Three of his friends were killed while Brew was left with life-changing injuries. He could no longer walk, and his career as a ballet dancer was over. However, rather than giving up on dance, Brew began to develop new ways of moving, both in and out of a wheelchair. Gradually he gained a reputation as a choreographer and dance artist in disabled performing arts communities, eventually forming his own company in Scotland in 2008. 

It hadn’t occurred to Brew that the story of his accident could become a subject for his work. But that changed in 2020 when he began collaborating with Belgian choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. ‘One day Larbi asked if I would feel ok to tell him about the accident,’ Brew says. ‘At the beginning, I didn’t think my story would be of interest or worthy but, as our conversations continued, my story became more prominent.’

The result of their conversations became the dance theatre piece An Accident/A Life which had its UK premiere at Tramway. The piece narrates Brew’s accident in forensic detail, combining cold facts with surreal and unexpectedly comic sequences. Touring Europe this year, it picked up a slew of five-star reviews lauding its extraordinary candour and innovative storytelling.

‘I wanted to be pushed out of my comfort zone and to make something important that may evoke change or make people think differently,’ says Brew. ‘I have never been challenged in a work as much as this; physically, emotionally and as a performer.’ An Accident/A Life is set for more dates in 2025, and Brew also hopes the piece can travel further afield. ‘My dream would be to tour the work more in Scotland and the UK as well as take it back to Australia.’ 

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