Christopher BruceCBE (born 3 October 1945 inLeicester) is a British choreographer and performer. He was the Artistic Director of theRambert Dance Company until 2002.^[1][2]

Bruce trained at the Rambert School and became a dancer with theRambert Dance Company in 1963. Since 1969, he has regularly choreographed for Ballet Rambert, and was appointed as the associate director in 1975. He was awarded the LondonEvening Standard's first dance award in 1974. From 1986 to 1991 he was the associate choreographer of theEnglish National Ballet, and in 1989 he was also appointed as resident choreographer forHouston Ballet. Additionally, Bruce has choreographed for operas and musicals includingJoseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1972), Jeeves (1975), and Mutiny (1985). Since the 1980s, he has revised and created new works for companies around Europe. He received theInternational Theater Institute Award for excellence in international dance in 1993.^[3]

Bruce was appointed artistic director of Rambert Dance Company in 1994. He has since worked on growing the company from seventeen to twenty-five dancers to be trained as an ensemble that can link contemporary dance and ballet. He has commissioned new works byJiří Kylián and other internationally recognized choreographers.

Bruce was appointed aCBE for a lifetime's service to dance because he was one of Britain's leading choreographers. He has been a visiting honorary professor at theUniversity of Exeter since 2009.^[4][5][6]

He has also been given anHonoraryDoctor of Art fromDe Montfort University, HonoraryDoctor of Letters fromUniversity of Exeter in 2001 and an Honorary Life Membership ofAmnesty International.^[7]

In many of his works, Bruce seeks to address global problems. Wings (1971) deals with themes of human conflict and isolation, and for those who die as cattle (1972) addresses the horrors of war. Ghost Dances (1981) as well as Silence Is the End of Our Song (1983, for the Royal Danish Ballet) are about dictatorship in South America, and convey a universal message concerning the inhumanity of totalitarian regimes.^[8] His full length work, Cruel Garden (1977), which he created in collaboration with mime artistLindsay Kemp, draws from the works ofFederico García Lorca in three acts. He has also created works with comedic content such as Night with Waning Moon (1979), in which he uses stock characters fromCommedia dell'arte.^[3]

Much of Bruce's early work was influenced by Tetly, a style that emerged from both ballet andGraham technique. He has also taken inspiration fromfolk dance, which is evident in his use of complicated footwork and connection to musicality. Bruce's more recent works have used popular music and implemented social dance steps. The Dream Is Over (1986, for the Cullberg Ballet) used music byJohn Lennon, Rooster (1991, for the Geneva Ballet) used music by theRolling Stones, and Moonshine (1993, for Netherlands Dance Theater 3) used music byBob Dylan. Bruce has often favored the use of existing music, and frequently uses it as a creative starting point for his choreography.

• Christopher Bruce oral history interview at the Rambert Archive

• Living people
• 1945 births
• English choreographers
• British male ballet dancers
• Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
• National Dance Award winners
• 20th-century British ballet dancers
• People from Leicester

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