A biography for Matthew Bournehasn’t been written yet.
“'Gypsy' is the ultimate stage-mother story: Mama Rose is the one who should have been a star; she's the one with the talent. But she chose to have kids and put her dreams into them. The musical shows the power of showbiz and how much it can mean to someone.”
“I once went through the dustbin outside David Bowie's house.”
“I had daydreamed through many performances of Swan Lake, thinking the dancing tutus only ever conveyed one aspect of swans: their beauty gliding on water. I wondered what it would be like to use male dancers and bring out swans' aggressive, muscular side.”
“I saw the Nutcracker to be a dummy as I thought of its mouth moving like a nutcracker - and also find them pretty scary as they almost have a life of their own.”
“I wish I was more adventurous.”
“People strangely revere dance. They see it as another world, and dancers are somehow mysterious - just because they don't speak.”
“People know that they're going to see something which is entertaining but challenging as well because of the form it's in. It's dance theatre and it requires you to use your imagination - it's not straight forward.”
“My parents were an ordinary East End family and very supportive - they would have supported me no matter what I wanted to do.”
“Keep your mind open about what you want to do and be true to yourself. So many people are governed by what's 'in' or copy something that someone else has done.”
“I'm not completely trained in any one area - I'm not a tap person or a ballet person. I don't have a big back-up of steps; I can't just fall back on what I know.”
“With my work, it's not possible to just cast a production and leave it. I have to nurture the group of dancers to make it happen.”
“I went to church as a kid, but mainly for the showbiz aspect. I remember doing a solo of 'The Little Drummer Boy' and everyone singing the rup-a-pum-pums.”
“I'm very conscious that I want the dance audience to respond and respect what I'm doing, so I'm always very true to the music and I honour the music in the way I see it - I don't mess around with the music.”
“Fred Astaire is my real idol.”
“I've mostly had a trouble-free life.”
“I'm constantly being approached by people who say, 'You've introduced me to a new world that I didn't even know I liked.' Even if I didn't set out to do that, I'm very proud that I have.”
“The reason I'm travelling so much is because of reasons that weren't completely planned. Several of the shows became successful and were invited to go to other places and they've all happened at similar times.”
“I was always the kid down the street who got the other kids to put on a show. But it was only when I was 19, and discovered ballet and contemporary dance, that I got interested in the fact that you could have a whole evening of dance - rather than just waiting for the dancers in a musical.”
“Sometimes you don't know what you've got until you put it in front of an audience - and the enthusiasm for the show from the audience has been just incredible.”
“The reason I think the shows I do are successful with a wider public is because they tap into something that's beyond dance and is about being told a story. That's what people want.”