Matthew Bourne

Sir Matthew Christopher Bourne, born on 13 January 1960 in Hackney, London, is a British choreographer. His work is filled with nods to classic cinema and popular culture, drawing inspiration from musicals, film noir, and broader pop culture. While his pieces are often based on well-known novels and films, they are entirely original creations, distinct from the source material. A prime example is his 1995 version of Tchaikovsky’s *Swan Lake*, which changed the ballet’s setting and story and became famous for its all-male swans.

Bourne’s process relies on workshops, collaboration, and an ongoing conversation with the original works. For his 1997 reimagining of *Cinderella*, he gave cast members books from the Victorian and Edwardian eras to evoke those periods. His company, New Adventures, spans ballet, contemporary dance, dance theatre, and musical theatre. He has added new layers to stories like *Sleeping Beauty*, *Edward Scissorhands*, *The Red Shoes*, *Dorian Gray*, and *Lord of the Flies*. His recent piece *The Midnight Bell* sets Patrick Hamilton’s 1929 novel in a pub, while his *Romeo and Juliet* puts mental health and youth suicide at the forefront. In 2016, he was knighted in the Queen’s New Year Honours for services to dance.

Bourne grew up in Hackney. His mother was a secretary; his father worked for Thames Water. He had no formal ballet training as a child but was passionate about show business as a teenager. After his mother took him to see *Dame Edith Evans and Friends* in 1974 at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, he began autograph hunting in London’s West End. He wrote to Joan Crawford, Charlie Chaplin, and Bette Davis, all of whom replied. He was 18 when he saw his first ballet, *Swan Lake*, at Sadler’s Wells. After leaving school in Walthamstow, he worked as a filing clerk at the BBC and as an usher at the National Theatre for four years. At 20, he began studying at the Laban Centre, starting dance classes at 22. In 1985, he toured for two years with the centre’s dance company, but his focus shifted from dancing to choreographing for television, theatre, and other companies. He earned a BA in contemporary dance in 1985 and an MA in dance performance in 1986. In 1987, he co-founded Adventures in Motion Pictures (AMP) in London.

Bourne’s radical reinterpretations of classic ballets set him apart. In 1992, he set Tchaikovsky’s *The Nutcracker* in a Victorian orphanage reminiscent of Charles Dickens. His 1994 version of *La Sylphide*, titled *Highland Fling*, was placed in a modern-day Glaswegian housing project and marked the start of his creative partnership with designer Lez Brotherston. His style focuses on clear storytelling, character development, technical staging, and cinematic techniques, drawing on MGM musicals, film noir, and Alfred Hitchcock. After his time at Laban, he developed a theatrical style centred on romance, wit, and tangible drama, contrasting with the more provocative dance of the 1980s. His New Adventures troupe includes both ballet and modern dancers, with choreography arising from character actions. His works often turn written texts into physical, visual, and musical forms, creating a dialogue between the adaptation and the original. The impact of his pieces depends heavily on the viewer’s familiarity with the source material.

Bourne’s process has always been collaborative. In 2007, dancers Sam Archer and Richard Winsor noted that in the early stages of *Edward Scissorhands*, he had them create individual dance steps that later became part of the choreography.

In *Nutcracker!* (1992), Clara lives in a black-and-white orphanage ruled by a stern matron and Dr. Dross. Her Nutcracker doll becomes a young man who leads her to Sweetieland, a place where sweets represent pleasure and desire. Earlier characters reappear as sweets in a visually striking set by Anthony Ward, blending graphic novel elements with surreal, vibrant colours. The piece mixes ballet, folk dance, and mime, referencing figure skater Sonja Henie and *Les Patineurs*, and evoking the original choreographers Petipa and Ivanov.

In 1995, AMP premiered Bourne’s *Swan Lake*, placing the prince in a contemporary dysfunctional family and having him fall in love with a male swan. Drawing from Tchaikovsky’s music and nature, Bourne portrayed swans as large, aggressive, and powerful creatures.