ABSTRACT
Jonathan Burrows has developed a movement language with little emphasis given to theatrical components, its focus being directed instead towards the detail of movement itself. His works are characterized by a range of movement material that is apparently very far from the classical ballet training of the choreographer, and therefore also very different from the work of his contemporary at the Royal Ballet School, Michael Clark. Hallmarks include energy and attack, even-perhaps especially-in the context of small details, dramatic variations in rhythms and speed, and the use of stillness, developed furthest in The Stop Quartet (1996). Structurally, Burrow’s choreography shows a clarity of overall shape, which is made interesting and even surprising by small deviations and shifts of focus. Focus, indeed, is one of his central concerns: the focus of one dancer on another, in particular, is key in many works, especially duets, which show how the issue of communication between people-or lack of it-can be a powerful theme for dance.
