ASZURE BARTON

Aszure Barton was born and raised in Alberta, Canada. She received her formal training at the National Ballet School in Toronto, where, as a student, she helped originate the ongoing Stephen Godfrey Choreographic Showcase.

To date, she has collaborated with and created works for Mikhail Baryshnikov, Fang Yi Sheu, Ekaterina Shipulina/Bolshoi Ballet, The National Ballet of Canada, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Bayerisches Staatsballett, Houston Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, The Martha Graham Dance Company, Nederlands Dans Theater, Sydney Dance Company, Ballet British Columbia, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and Ballets Jazz Montréal (Resident Choreographer 2005-08), among many others. Aszure has also led masterclasses, mentored, and created for renowned training institutions including Harvard University, The Juilliard School, New York University, Arts Umbrella, Canada’s National Ballet School, and The Laban Institute (UK).

Other work includes choreography for the Broadway revival production of The Threepenny Opera directed by Scott Elliott (translation by Wallace Shawn and starring Alan Cumming, Jim Dale, Nellie Mackay, Ana Gasteyer, and Cyndi Lauper), film and installation projects, and international outreach activities such as Kenya’s Earth Project: Healing the Rift, at the Laikipia Nature Conservancy. Aszure’s choreography has been featured in numerous film and television projects, including the Sundance Channel’s Iconoclasts Series with Mikhail Baryshnikov and Alice Waters.

Aszure was the first artist in residence at The Baryshnikov Arts Center in 2005 and has been an artist in residence at The Banff Center since 2009. She was proclaimed an official Ambassador of Contemporary Choreography in Canada and, more recently, received The Koerner Award for Choreography. In 2012 she was honored with Canada’s prestigious Arts & Letters Award, joining the ranks of Oscar Peterson, Eugene Levy, Karen Kain, and Christopher Plummer.

She is the proud founder and director of Aszure Barton & Artists, a collective of visual, sound, and performing artists and her work continues to tour Europe, Asia, and Africa as well as Argentina, Brazil, Canada, and the United States.

Photo Credit: Robert Seiwert