Articulating Dance

Emphasis in this new approach to mentoring is on encouraging people to remember fundamental things about why they started to dance, perform or choreograph in the first place, passions that can get buried in the daily struggle to keep on working.
Dancers or choreographers have the opportunity to reflect for a moment on their own practice and focus on what is at the heart of their work and how best to access their particular energy and clarity of purpose. In other words what is the thing the choreographer needs to make and can make?
This approach to mentoring is based upon asking questions. The mentor assumes nothing but only asks questions. The participant in turn is encouraged to “say the stupid thought” in response. By this process the participant sweeps away long held and cherished illusions and arrives at new and more grounded perspectives on what they’re trying to do.
For both choreographer and performer the process encourages new ways to communicate with each other and so helps break down the hierarchies that can get in the way when we work. Thoughts that have come up in the sessions will resonate onwards through the following months and enrich future performances and projects.
The point of this work is not to change the way the artist thinks but rather to help them follow more strongly their own heart.
Participants should have good experience of creating work, enough to feel ready to ask hard questions of themselves. Please send a one paragraph description of relevant previous work and interests.


Jonathan Burrows
Jonathan Burrows is a former Royal Ballet soloist and now internationally acclaimed choreographer. He has made work for William Forsythe's Ballett Frankfurt and recent pieces "Weak Dance Strong Questions" and "Both Sitting Duet" have toured to 14 and 17 countries respectively. His new piece, "The Quiet Dance", made in collaboration with composer Matteo Fargion, opened in Munich in August 2005 and is currently touring internationally. In 2002 he was given an award by the New York Foundation for Contemporary Arts in recognition of his contributions to contemporary dance and "Both Sitting Duet" was the winner of a 2004 New York Dance and Performance "Bessie" Award. Jonathan is a visiting member of faculty at P.A.R.T.S., and is also Visiting Professor at the Theatre Department of Royal Holloway, University of London.
Jonathan Burrows, together with Matteo Fargion will also perform at ImPulsTanz 2006 with “Both Sitting Duet” on July 26 at the Schauspielhaus and “Quiet Dance” on July 28 at the Akademietheater.