In 1987, a small, aspirant dance group with a
striking name made its debut on the London fringe. In
1996, ''Adventures in Motion Pictures'' made history as
the first modern dance company to open a production in
London's West End. From this achievement, AMP sailed
triumphantly to Broadway - winning three Tony Awards -
guided by Artistic Director Matthew Bourne. Even before
the inception of AMP, Bourne was fascinated by theatre,
by characterization, and by the history of dance. In his
early works - ''Spitfire'', ''Town & Country'' and
''Deadly Serious'' - Bourne brought a novel approach to
dance. And in his reworkings of the classics of the
ballet canon - ''Nutcracker'', ''Swan Lake'',
''Cinderella'' - Bourne created witty, vivid, poignant
productions that received great acclaim. In the first
decade of the new millennium, the company name was
changed to New Adventures, and Bourne's 'classics', as
well as Bourne's new works - ''The Car Man'', ''Play
Without Words'', ''Edward Scissorhands'' and ''Dorian
Gray'' - achieved levels of box-office popularity that
have seldom, if ever, been matched in dance. In
addition, his choreography for various musicals - ''My
Fair Lady'', ''Mary Poppins'' and ''Oliver!''- have run
for years in the West End and on Broadway. The detail in
which Bourne discusses his work with Alastair Macaulay
is unprecedented. The two explore Bourne's upbringing,
his training and influences, and his distinctive
creative methods. Bourne's notebooks, his sources and
his collaboration with dancers all from part of the
discussion in this book. |
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