Rika Burnham
The Burnham Company/Dance
The Burnham Company 1975–1990. Performances were given indoors and outdoors, in museums and galleries as well as theaters and loft spaces.
Rika Burnham/The Burnham Company appeared at Jacob's Pillow, Dance Theater Workshop, Marymount Manhattan Theater, the Neuberger Museum, P.S. 122, White Dog Studio, the Albright Knox Art Gallery, Bennington College, the Yale Center for British Art, the Fogg Museum, the Milwaukee Art Center, Brooklyn Museum, and at Harvard University.
Works Choreographed
Evening. Dance Under Construction/ the Construction Company. New York, N.Y. May 2003.
Dances for a Building. Revived at the Yale Center for British Art 1999 and for the Hudson Square Performance Series, 2000.
Make Room for the Angels. East River Park. New York, New York. August 1989.
Beyond the Pale. Brooklyn College. Brooklyn, N.Y. 1988.
The Milky Way. Wave Hill Dancescape Series. Bronx, N. Y. July 1988 & July 1987.
It Gets Late Early Out Here. St Marks, Dance Chance series, New York, N.Y. February 1987.
Salad Days. Sara Delano Roosevelt Park. New York, N.Y. August 1986.
Coming Attractions. Dance Chance Summer Series. East Hampton, N.Y. July 1986.
The First time It Happened. The Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival. August 1985.
The Dancers Who Came in From the Cold. Dance Chance Series/Harkness House & Bennington College. May- June 1985.
On Thin Ice. Dance Chance at Harkness House. May 1985.
Out in Left Field. The Winter Events, Dance Theater Workshop, New York, N.Y. March 1984.
Split Image. Marymount Manhattan Theater. New York, N.Y. 1983.
The Everglades. The Neuberger Museum at SUNY/Purchase. September 1982.
Still Life. P.S. 122. June 1982.
Traveler's Advisory. Radcliffe College, Cambridge, Massachusetts. April 1982.
The Glass Project. The Fall Events, Dance Theater Workshop. New York, N.Y. December 1981.
The Alps. DTW Choreographers Showcase June 1981. The White Dog Studio July 1982. Harvard University April 1982. SUNY/Purchase 1980.
Dancing in the Garden. The Cooper-Hewitt Museum. New York, N.Y. September 1980.
Lengthening Dance. Artpark, Lewiston, N.Y. August 1979. Fort Worth Water Gardens, Fort Worth Texas June 1980.
Dances for a Building: The Yale Center for British Art (Museum Pieces IV). The Yale Centre for British Art, New Haven, Ct. Hasty Pudding Theater, Harvard College, Larry Richardson Dance Gallery, The Brearley School. The Walden School. 1980.
Artspheres. Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 1979.
Dances for Stuart Davis. (Museum pieces III) The Brooklyn Museum, N.Y. 1978.
Argo Dance. The Milwaukee Art Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 1979.
Randy's Turn. University of Wisconsin, 1977.
Museum Pieces I & II. The Milwaukee Art Center 1977. The Metropolitan Museum of Art 1975.
Rika Burnham has worked as a choreographer, artist, and performer in New York City since 1975. Trained in modern and ballet techniques, Ms. Burnham founded and danced in her own company, The Burnham Company, from 1978-1989. Her work was recognized by Fellowships in Choreography from the National Endowment for the Arts, special project funding from the New York State Council on the Arts, The Rockefeller Foundation, and commissions for new choreography from Dance Theatre Workshop, Dance Chance and Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival. Ms. Burnham was commissioned to create numerous site-specific dances as well. These included Dances for Stuart Davis at The Brooklyn Museum, The Everglades at the Neuberger Museum, lengthening dance at Artpark and the Fort Worth Water Gardens, Salad Days in Roosevelt Park and The Milky Way at Wave Hill. Most recently, she revived Dances for a Building for the Yale Center for British Art and the Hudson Square Performance Series.
The Burnham Company (1975–1990) was a project of Artists Teaching, Inc., a not-for-profit arts organization devoted to collaboration in teaching and performing.
The Burnham Company dancers: Shawn Hiers, Verne Hunt, Dale Orrin, Rika Burnham, and Nancy Alfaro, Christopher Caines, Connie Chin, Craig Gabrian, Alan Good, Stephanie Gross, Murray Kelley, Heidi Latsky, Janet Lilly, Carol Mezzacappa, Jack Moore, Henry Montes, Patty Neal, Linda Seifert, Trish Tierney, Earl Tucker, Michael Vos.
Collaborators: Howard Levy, Randy Williams, Barbara Kilpatrick. Photos by Lois Greenfield.
in memory:
Dale Orrin (1953-1989)
Verne Hunt (1954-1996)
Carol Mezzacappa (1957-2004)
Dancing alongside you
Your grace and elegance shining
As the poet says
What is there to grieve
Here are the tracks you made in this place.
H.L.