Jonathan Burrows

Jonathan Burrows is one of the UK’s leading choreographers. He performs around the world, with 43 international tour dates in 2007.` He started his career as a soloist with The Royal Ballet in London, but formed the Jonathan Burrows Group in 1988 to present his own work.

The company travelled widely and gained an international reputation with pieces such as Stoics (1991), Very (1992), Our (1994), The Stop Quartet (1996) and Things I Don't Know (1997).

Since 2000, Burrows has worked with other performers, notably non-dancers. In 2001 he presented Weak Dance Strong Questions (2001), a collaboration with the Dutch theatre director Jan Ritsema. This was followed with the widely critically acclaimed trilogy of performances of Both Sitting Duet (2002), The Quiet Dance (2005) and Speaking Dance (2006) with the Italian composer and long-time collaborator Matteo Fargion.

Burrows’ recent work is noted for its intelligence and humour, but also sometimes its lack of lighting, costumes, or even music. Audiences in 36 countries around the world have responded positively to Burrows’ work, but some critics have found his pieces inscrutable, confusing or boring.

Other high profile collaborators include Sylvie Guillem's performance of his choreography in Adam Robert's film Blue Yellow in 1996, and his invitation in 1997 to choreograph for William Forsythe's Ballet Frankfurt.

In 2003 Burrows and Matteo Fargion received the 2003–2004 New York Dance and Performance Bessie Awards for Both Sitting Duet.

Burrows has commented that it is sometimes difficult making dance in his home country of Britain, where cutting-edge choreographers such as himself find it hard to get commissioned, and that in Europe he finds a much more appreciative and open-minded dance and theatre industry.

Burrows has a large and devoted fan-base among the (mostly young) dance in-crowd.

He currently lives in London, England, and Brussels, Belgium.

Read more about Jonathan Burrows:  Biography, Dance Works, About The Work – The Three Duets, Reviews, Influences and Influenced, Film Works, Awards and Fellowships, Articles and Interviews