dancework


Christian Burns

Choreographer

Educator

Coach

Interdisciplinary Artist

Drawing on thirty years of classical and experimental performance practices, I create choreographic works that defy simple categories. Known as an improviser as well as a choreographer, I strive, through any means necessary, to conjure glimpses into the wonder and fragility of the human condition.

All works are created on a per-project basis and designed for presentation within the theater, installation, site-specific locations, and for the screen.

Please inquire about commissions or projects.

Improvisedwork

In the studio and onstage I have been practicing improvisation for 30 years.

Improvisation is the epitome of authentic creativity. It is unruly and rebellious, exciting, dramatic, and intimate. Its unfiltered creativity is shaped through expertise and chance.

As a vital means for training and choreographic development, Improvisation serves as a form of exploration that offers access to the physical, psychological, and emotional. It encourages presence, responsiveness, and connection to others, and it can be a powerful tool for personal growth.

Choreographicwork

I made my first piece of choreography when I was a teenager, and in the ensuing thirty-five years, I have choreographed over 20 works for professional presentation and commission, and roughly 80 works for educational programs.

I am always connecting to tradition while pushing the possibilities for expression and form. Although each new piece may originate from various perspectives, they invariably arrive at the same questions relating to embodiment and subjective experience: where does a movement begin in our body, what’s really happening between the dancers and the audience, and what constitutes performance?

These are the inquiries that I endeavor to animate and give shape to through my creations.

CollaborativeWork

I have worked collaboratively since establishing my first company The Foundry in 1998. I thrive when in dialogue with others, as it is the excitement of discovering the unexpected, that could only emerge due to that combination of individuals and their questions, that drives my interest in art.

Notable collaborators include:

Alex Ketley

Torsten Zenas Burns

Kirstie Simson

Bobbi Jene Smith

Hope Mohr

Alessio Silvestrin

among many others…

InterdisciplinaryWork

My father, an artist, taught me to draw, paint and work in clay at a young age. He taught me how to see, which isn’t as easy as it seems. By showing me how to separate opinion from observation, I could see analytically the components that make up the subject. I could see how everything interconnects and is expressed in patterns. This has literally what I have been applying to my understanding of dance ever since.

I’m also dyslexic with ADHD, which in my case, allowed me to process visual information in a kinetic way. This is how I understand the world and is reflected in a multi-decade body of artwork that has occurred adjacently with my career.