Nothing To Lose

Visualise a cast of people categorised by society as fat. Imagine if instead of feeling bad about themselves, they felt empowered, alive and unashamed. Enter Nothing To Lose, a production which was designed to reclaim dance and movement for people with larger bodies.

Choreographer Kate Champion joined forces with queer artist and fat activist Kelli Jean Drinkwater to create a production which was a sell out at the Sydney Festival in 2015, and this documentary follows the creation of the show from auditions to the final performance.

This is a fascinating peek into the lives of people who may not look like conventional dancers, but who are comfortable within their bodies in the performance space. As one performer puts it, “My body is what I share with an audience, and you can’t hate yourself and do that for too long.”

Nothing To Lose is inspiring, funny and most importantly makes us question our ideas of gender, desire and beauty.

★★★★ ½

Reviewed by Lisa Seltzer