Jonathan Burrows: Towards a Minor Dance

by Daniela Perazzo Domm

Overview

The first monograph on the work of British choreographer Jonathan Burrows, this book examines his artistic practice and poetics as articulated through his choreographic works, his writings and his contributions to current performance debates. It considers the contexts, principles and modalities of his choreography, from his early pieces in the 1980s to his latest collaborative projects, providing detailed analyses of his dances and reflecting on his unique choreomusical partnership with composer Matteo Fargion.
Known for its emphasis on gesture and humour, and characterised by compositional clarity and rhythmical patterns, Burrows’ artistic work takes the language of choreography to its limits and engages in a paradoxical, and hence transformative, relationship with dance’s historical and normative structures. Exploring the ways in which Burrows and Fargion’s poetics articulates movement, performative presence and the collaborative process in a ‘minor’ register, this study conceptualises the work as a politically compelling practice that destabilises major traditions from a minoritarian position.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783030276805
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan
Publication date:	11/18/2019
Series:	New World Choreographies
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	23 MB
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About the Author

Daniela Perazzo Domm is Senior Lecturer in Dance Studies at Kingston University London, UK, where her specialist areas include dance theory and performance philosophy. 

Table of Contents

1.Dance and/as poiesis, poetry, poetics.- 2.Resisting from within: Dance canons and their deterritorialisation.- 3.Reduction, repetition, returns: The trouble of minimalism.- 4.Rhythm as friendship: Movement, music and Matteo.- 5.Duets and (self-)portraits: Choreographing the im/personal.- 6.Choreographies of plurality: Rethinking collaboration and collectivity.- 7.Towards a politics of poetry, gesture and laughter.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Outstanding on two counts, this long awaited in-depth study of one of the most prominent experimental dance artists today illuminates genealogically Jonathan Burrows’ oeuvre, especially its intricate workings of form, poetry and poetics, gesture and community. Perazzo Domm redraws a rich mosaic of concepts from radical continental philosophy – from minor regimes of authorship to affective solidarity – resulting in an eloquent contribution to dance and performance studies.” (Bojana Cvejić, Professor of Dance and Dance Theory, Oslo Academy of Arts KHiO, author of Choreographing Problems (Palgrave, 2015))

“This book presents a thorough and convincing reading of the work of one of Britain’s most influential, progressive choreographers. Drawing on her deep knowledge of Jonathan Burrows’ work, Daniela Perazzo Domm analyses its radicalism by working with recent French philosophy and Italian political theory.” (Ramsay Burt, Professor of Dance History, De Montfort University)

Editorial Reviews

While this is a significant contribution to the field of dance and performance studies, it is also an invaluable resource for practitioners, researchers and students interested in dance and performance practice. … This book is a long-awaited careful assessment of one the most influential, prominent and progressive choreographers of contemporary dance today, and a rich and valuable contribution to dance and performance studies scholarship.” (Antje Hildebrandt, Theatre Research International, Vol. 46 (1), 2021)

“Perazzo Domm’s research skillfully familiarizes the reader with the range of ways in which Burrows’s oeuvre plays at the edges of normativestructures. … I find myself drawn to consider the potential of this manuscript to act as exemplar. … this latest contribution to the field of dance studies, is a method of articulation that demonstrates empathy and deep listening with respect to both the artist and the work—a quality often absent in theoretical publications.” (Gemma Collard-Stokes, Dance Chronicle, Vol. 43 (3), 2020)

From the Publisher