Death looms large in the pair’s dance trilogy, but as Complicité’s artistic director Simon McBurney says, confronting it is ‘integral to and essential for life.’ In a light-filled studio at Nederlands Dans Theater in The Hague, McBurney and choreographer Crystal Pite are deep in collaboration. McBurney appears still and reflective, embodying contemplation, while Pite is animated, her arms rising in urgency as they observe the company’s exceptional dancers crafting a new piece. At the heart of this creative endeavor lies a symbolic deathbed, a striking focal point that underscores the themes they are exploring.
Pite and McBurney are currently working on the last part of a trilogy titled Figures in Extinction. Over the course of these three pieces, the concept of extinction has evolved: the first piece focused on non-human life forms, the second on the neurological connections between our inner and outer worlds, while the third is still in discovery. Their respective companies, NDT and Complicité, initially connected them due to their similar, highly physical approaches to performance, and they quickly found common ground, particularly in respect to ecological themes.
“Straight away we decided we wanted to make something centred on the climate crisis,” says Pite. “Which is not,” stresses McBurney, “separable from human crisis. We are all inescapably part of this living world.” Their plan initially included a traditional structure, where Pite would lead the first part, McBurney the second, and both would collaborate on the third. However, their roles seamlessly merged as the process progressed, enhancing the dynamic of their collaboration. Pite describes this interplay: “It’s like bouncing a ball back and forth; the ball is going like this,” and her hand moves animatedly, illustrating the energy they share.
Each piece in the trilogy traverses unique themes and styles. The first installment, staged in 2022, captured the urgency of our current sixth mass extinction. Pite drew inspiration from life forms that have disappeared, not just animals, but also glaciers and rivers. McBurney, on the other hand, developed a structural framework to guide the scenes. “I had the idea of a simple list of extinctions,” he recalls. “I imagined Crystal would take it into a more organic direction, but the more we looked at the list, the more right it seemed. Because that’s what we do, as humans: we label and list, like in a museum.” This perspective on the instrumentalized view of extinction inspired their second work, which is set to stage in 2024.
The second piece shifts focus onto the human condition, particularly exploring the workings of our brains. McBurney’s fascination with neuroscientist Iain McGilchrist’s research, which weaves together the functions of our cerebral hemispheres with broader cultural and ecological discussions, plays a crucial role in this work. “It was sharp and funny,” Pite notes, reflecting on a video McBurney introduced to her, “and very choreographic. I could see it translating onto the stage in an excitingly cartoonish way.”
As for the overarching themes of their final work, McBurney shares some contemplative thoughts: “There’s an aspect of our society which treats death as a kind of failure. So, in part, we’re addressing our separation from death – which is to say, a separation from mystery, from things beyond our knowledge. What happens to us if we eliminate mystery from our lives? What happens if we say the dead don’t matter? Or rather, they don’t exist?” In this context, Pite adds, “The unknowable is not nothing. That has been a really inspiring thought for me.”
The central deathbed, far from simply representing the end of life, stands as a poignant reminder of death’s complexity and its integral role in life. “The disavowal of death within our lives is, for McBurney, one of the problems of our age. I’m tempted to call it the extinction of the dead,” he reflects. Through their collaborations, McBurney feels a surge of profound concepts rising unspoken through the dancers’ bodies, with the art itself driving the communication of ideas.
The Figures in Extinction trilogy represents both a creative exploration and a stark commentary on the current state of our world. Pite and McBurney’s efforts converge at Aviva Studios in Manchester, from 19 to 22 February, where audiences will experience their artistic interpretations of life, extinction, and the urgent need to confront the climate crisis. Sanjoy Roy’s insightful exploration of their work in The Hague was facilitated by Factory International, paving the way for a deeper understanding of the artistic expressions tied to environmental issues.
The significance of this trilogy goes beyond mere performance; it dives into vital conversations surrounding our collective future. As climate change and ecological degradation become increasingly pronounced, the urgency of their message resonates across communities. By intertwining elements of death, existence, and crisis, Simon McBurney and Crystal Pite harness the power of art to evoke reflection and inspire action, encouraging us to face truths that are often overlooked in our fast-paced lives.