Siobhan Burke

New York

Contributor at The New York Times

Freelance Journalist at Freelance

Articles

Danspace, a Sanctuary for Dance Risk-Takers, Turns 50

2 months ago | nytimes.com | Siobhan Burke

On a recent evening in the East Village, the dancers Kris Lee and AJ Wilmore careened across a studio, grappling and colliding with each other. Their limbs butted and interlocked; one dancer's head burrowed into the other's stomach. Sometimes what looked like fighting morphed into play, or the two ambled off on their own before crashing back together. "I am so happy," the choreographer Ishmael Houston-Jones said, embracing them in a hug as they caught their breath.
Getting to the Essence of Camille A. Brown's Artistry

2 months ago | nytimes.com | Siobhan Burke

These days, many people know Camille A. Brown from the worlds of theater and opera, where she has become a frequent collaborator on high-profile projects. (She choreographed two hit shows now on Broadway, "Gypsy" and "Hell's Kitchen.") But it's her work with her company, Camille A. Brown & Dancers, that brings us closest to her essence as an artist, showing us who she is, what moves her.
Malpaso Dance Company From Havana Brings Energy but Little Risk

Jan 24, 2025 | nytimes.com | Siobhan Burke

This is the 10th season that Malpaso Dance Company, the Cuban contemporary dance troupe based in Havana and founded in 2012, has come to the Joyce Theater. Malpaso is an associate company of Joyce Theater Productions, and the longevity of this international partnership is impressive. But with stability has come a certain predictability of style, a palatable sleekness seen across many contemporary dance companies.
Miguel Gutierrez's 'Super Nothing,' a Critic's Pick

Jan 13, 2025 | nytimes.com | Siobhan Burke

The title of Miguel Gutierrez's latest work, " Super Nothing," reaches toward opposite ends of a spectrum, as if pulling itself apart: over-full and empty, momentous and insignificant. It evokes the contradictions of a life in dance - that medium which requires so much effort for so little material reward - and of being alive in general. In a recent conversation with Bill T.
Kyle Abraham Is Fully in His Feelings About Now

Nov 24, 2024 | nytimes.com | Siobhan Burke

In rehearsals, the choreographer Kyle Abraham is usually at the front of the room, directing and shaping his work. But on a recent afternoon at the Park Avenue Armory, he came running into the studio with childlike abandon - the opening of his latest dance. As he circled the space, his hopeful run slowed to a plodding jog; then he regained momentum, adding in stutters, little leaps, quick shifts of direction.
Review: Seven Dancers, a Mosaic of Movement - The New York Times

Nov 3, 2024 | nytimes.com | Siobhan Burke

Netta Yerushalmy’s “Movement” at N.Y.U. Skirball comes from a patchwork of sources: TikTok, television, marching band practice and more.
An Invitation to the Dance, Simple and Subtle

Oct 18, 2024 | nytimes.com | Siobhan Burke

DD Dorvillier's solo at the Chocolate Factory evokes a dream state as it digs into the same river of dance twice. DD Dorvillier in her solo "Dance is the archaeologist, or an idol in the bone.," at the Chocolate Factory. Credit... Brian Rogers As soon as DD Dorvillier walked onto the stage of the Chocolate Factory Theater on Thursday night, you knew you were in the presence of somebody long immersed in her craft, capable of doing a lot with a little.
Disrupting Dance History(s)

Sep 4, 2024 | danceletter.substack.com | Siobhan Burke

Read this post for free through Wednesday, Sept. 11. To receive first and full access to posts like this on a regular basis, sign up for a paid subscription. Artists, freelancers, and students, click here for a special discount. Welcome back to Danceletter Convos, the interview series that will now be landing in your inboxes once a month. For this edition, I’m thrilled to bring you a conversation with Annie-B Parson and Thomas F.
Untapped - Zach Mortice

Aug 26, 2024 | untappedjournal.com | Zach Mortice |Siobhan Burke |Owen Hatherley

There is a lesser-known shadow twin to Daniel Burnham’s epic 1909 Plan of Chicago, which synthesized many elements of contemporary urbanism we have come to expect from cities: comprehensive parks and highway systems, an orderly street grid, preserving the city’s waterfront as a public amenity, and coherent neighborhood-scaled civic centers.
A Chameleon's Dance at Little Island

Jul 19, 2024 | nytimes.com | Siobhan Burke

In the work of the choreographer Pam Tanowitz, it's not uncommon for dancers to match the space around them, dressed to blend with their environment. In her latest work, " Day for Night," which premiered in full on Thursday (Wednesday's performance was halted midway through because of lightning), the setting is the amphitheater on Little Island - the Barry Diller-funded park suspended above the Hudson River - and the stunning backdrop a stretch of the river at sunset.