Meet Madelaine Burnett | Dancer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Madelaine Burnett and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Madelaine, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
My journey as a dancer began with passion and love for dance, movement and music. As my career started to pick up, I discovered a deeper meaning behind the movement and the power that this art form can hold.

I first performed as a soloist dancer of Martha Graham’s second company, Graham 2. With this company we performed in glamorous theatres for rich theatre goers but also in community outreach projects, including for school children in under privileged communities. These audience members with the least access to arts are often those who need it the most. We later learned of the impact our performances had for these children and I discovered the ability to give through dance.

This experience sparked a fire in me to continue dancing for good causes. I soon after performed in Buglisi Dance Theatre’s 9/11 Table of Silence Project, dancing in NYC’s Lincoln Center Plaza in honour of all 9/11 victims as a warrior for peace. I also appeared in a music video by activist and world renowned rapper, Nimesh Patel, with a global message of peace and inclusion.

Currently, I dance for Alison Cook Beatty Dance, a 10 year old NYC based modern dance company with a mission of dancing for a cause. In my time with the company so far, we have performed to spread awareness about mental health, suicide, cancer, global events and more. My artistic mission of dancing for global betterment aligns with this company’s goals and Alison Cook Beatty Dance’s work continues to prove to me the power that art can behold.

My love of dance has grown to a passion for all that art can do and say, ultimately bettering the world we live in.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My art is rooted in classical modern dance. I am passionate about these founding dance techniques, specifically Graham and Taylor techniques, because I believe that their organic nature and raw human qualities allow for truthful expression and storytelling through movement.

I began my in depth study of modern dance at the Ailey School, where I first discovered these techniques. Coming from a mostly ballet background, Graham and Taylor felt somewhat foreign but also incredibly freeing and expressive. I loved that the movement always started from the breath, keeping a natural and human quality to incredibly artistic and athletic movement.

I have since had the honour of performing soloist roles in older repertory of these founding styles, such as in Martha Graham’s Diversion of Angels and El Penitente to name a few, while I danced for Graham 2.

Most recently, I have explored and experienced the creation of new dance works, still rooted in these modern styles, but captivating and relevant to the world we live in today. “Echoes of War”, for example, was a piece choreographed on the dancers of Alison Cook Beatty Dance, including myself, with the purpose of expressing awareness and hope for war victims of the Ukraine. Choreographer, Alison Cook-Beatty brought all of us dancers into this creative process to most truthfully convey our own personal voices on this subject. In doing so, she created characters representative of fallen soldiers, families torn apart by war, or in my case, young children forced to grow up too quickly.

Modern dance is the style which allows me to most truthfully and organically express myself through movement and I take pride in dancing to share messages, spread awareness, educate, and reconnect audiences with their themselves.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
New York is home to the world’s top performances. I love seeing dance companies at the Joyce Theatre, snagging rush tickets to Broadway shows or spending the evening in a cozy Harlem jazz club. The streets of New York City also never cease to inspire me. The city is full of hustlers but also full of art, whether it be live music, beautiful architecture, murals or street entertainment. I love to explore NYC by foot or by bike and to experience the spontaneity of this crazy city.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Alison Cook Beatty Dance and artistic director, Alison Cook-Beatty, herself
Graham 2
Buglisi Dance
Nimesh Patel
My family and friends

Website: https://madelaineburnett1.wixsite.com/dance

Instagram: @maddsthebads

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MulBMbC6WjY

Image Credits
@sdfmedianyc Nir Arieli Frank Fumelli Steven Vandervelden @truthandlovephotograhy