The work of dance artists XAN BURLEY + ALEX SPRINGER, as creative and life partners, is inherently and essentially collaborative. Since 2008, their cohesive efforts have taken shape as dance theatre for the stage and camera, interdisciplinary work, site-specific performance, durational exhibition, and community engagement.

Their work has been presented in NYC and elsewhere by Movement Research at the Judson Church, Danspace Project’s DraftWork series, NDA’s Performance Mix Festival, the Joe’s Pub Festival, the 92Y, the TANK, Triskelion Arts, MATA Interval at the Museum of the Moving Image, and Gowanus Art & Production, among others. In August 2017, Jacob’s Pillow commissioned their new site-specific work for the Inside/Out stage as Research Fellows. They developed for North, an evening-length interdisciplinary project, as recipients of Center for Performance Research’s inaugural Tech and Production residency in May 2016. With support from CPR’s Mertz Gilmore Late Stage Production grant, the project premiered there that December. Their yearlong 2013-14 artist residency at University Settlement culminated in sold-out performances of JACK Rally featuring 26 performers, some of whom participated in their accompanying community engagement project. They were invited as resident artists to Cultivate New Hampshire in the summer of 2014 where they held workshops and developed and shared work in collaboration with sound/visual artist Will Owen. In 2011, they received BAX/Brooklyn Arts Exchange’s Fall Space Grant, premiering a new piece after three months in residence.

September 2017 found them in residence for a month at the Marble House Project in Dorset, VT developing current and new work and creating a site-specific film on location. Their work was presented in Boston at the Dance Complex in September 2017 as well.

They have been commissioned guest artists for Zenon Dance, the University of Michigan, Skidmore College, Bates College, Colby College, Goucher College, James Madison University, Ball State University, Ohio University, Oakland University, the Harkness Repertory Ensemble, Harrison High School, Cora Youth Company, and The Collective.

In addition to work for the stage, they create dances for the camera including daylighting (2009), which won the Silver Award in DFA’s 24-Hour Challenge and An Ostrich Proudly (2011), which was featured on Hulu in TenduTV’s Essential Dance Film. Their choreography appears in the feature-length film Frances Ha(2013).

Burley and Springer have offered master classes in technique, partnering, composition and improvisation at Hunter College, Muhlenberg College, DeSales University, the University of Maryland, Grand Valley State University, Albion College, and Ballet Western Reserve, among others. They teach regular classes in NYC at Mark Morris Dance Center and Gibney Dance Center and currently as guest faculty at Purchase College.

In January 2018, Burley and Springer held Artists-in-Residence teaching positions at the University of Maryland’s School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies, where they will also collaboratively create work with students.

As members of Doug Varone and Dancers until 2017, both taught and performed extensively in the U.S. and abroad, including Korea, the Dominican Republic, Russia, Argentina, Paraguay, Peru, and Hungary. In addition, they have collectively and separately staged Varone’s work at SUNY Purchase, University of the Arts, West Virginia Dance Company, Grand Valley State University, the University of Richmond, George Mason University, and Boston Conservatory at Berklee.

Both graduated from the University of Michigan, Burley with degrees in Dance and English and Springer with a BFA in Dance and a minor in Movement Science. They were honored to receive the 2015 Emerging Artist Alumni Award from their alma mater.