Cathy Marston

Abstract

British choreographer Cathy Marston has sustained a choreographic career for more than three decades. Her work crosses European ballet cultures and extends from her classical training into a current contemporary ballet context. Focusing on Marston’s narrative works, this chapter demonstrates her position as a translator of literary texts, specifically Charlotte Brönte’s Jane Eyre. Through a dual-layered exploration of her choreographic process, the chapter offers an examination of her use of European theater practices and design strategies, including regietheater, suggesting her liminal positioning between Continental and British stylistic traits. Furthermore, the chapter discusses the collaborative construction methods used by Marston through a descriptive analysis of the development of Jane Eyre, a ballet created for Northern Ballet (Leeds) in 2016.