Dances Currently in the Rep (Click for previews)

The Reviews are in...

“It may be easier for young choreographers to imagine shapes than it is to move a design through space. Robert Mark Burke’s pas de deux “Sheath,” however, breathed lyrical inspiration even during slow passages. Kayla Collymore and Alexander Olivieri were the protagonists chasing each other to Max Richter’s “De Profundis” and “Love Slave”; and the choreographer from Elmwood Park made each of them stand out with Collymore’s restlessness a foil to Olivieri’s smoldering intensity. Although the dancers might pause to display gracefully extended lines or wrap around each other in lifts, the dancing quickly resumed its surge and flow.”  -Robert Johnson, njarts.net

“Robert Mark Burke, with mentor Randy James, brought us Sheath. A personal favorite, this dance featured dancers Kayla Collymore and Alexander Olivieri. The two moved in perfect harmony as they seemed to mimic waves washing in and out of shore, tipping east and west, pulsing north and south, never going slower than a 1-2-3 waltz count for what seemed to be ten minutes. The music stops abruptly but the two do not stop dancing. Our ears are filled with their heaving and constant breath. Our eyes are filled with their powerful, soulful pas de deux.”- Heather Chamberlain, StageBuddy.com 

“Named “Dance on the Lawn’s Emerging New Jersey Choreographer,” Robert Mark Burke received $1,000 and the chance to present his piece “The Dance Break.” Alive with the rambunctious energy of a sock-hop, this dance pauses to tell stories of adolescent heartbreak. In one episode, a boy pines for a girl who keeps her back turned to him — until she rushes into the arms of another. In a different thread, a girl flirts but then changes her mind and abandons the boy wooing her. Oh, those mixed-up kids. The choreographer has his head screwed on straight, however, and he describes these scenes with a minimum of fuss.” -Robert Johnson, njarts.net