SCOTTISH Ballet, the national dance company, has unveiled its successor to artistic director Ashley Page, who will controversially leave the national company next year.
Christopher Hampson, a former professional ballet dancer and now international ballet director and choreographer, will lead the company from next August.
A year ago, the company revealed that Page, who transformed the fortunes of the national ballet in his nine years in Scotland, is to leave at the end of his contract, after rejecting a new one-year contract.
Yesterday the company, based in the south side of Glasgow at the Tramway, announced that Hampson, who has worked with companies across the world, winning several awards and accolades, will be Page’s successor.
It is understood Hampson will be a “curator” director who will commission new work, rather than a director who will choreograph every new ballet.
He said: “Scottish Ballet lives and breathes the air of a fascinating creative environment.
“I will be seeking to engage even further with local and international artists to develop new partnerships and approaches so that Scottish Ballet continues to enrich, enthuse and inspire audiences throughout Scotland and sustain a dynamic presence on the international stage.”
Last night, Mary Brennan, The Herald’s dance critic, said: “Of course we’re all left wondering why – in the spirit of ‘if it ain’t broke, why fix it?’ – there has been this abrupt parting of the ways between Scottish Ballet and Ashley Page?
“But in Christopher Hampson, they’ve picked someone with a very similar background in dance and dance-making.”
A graduate of the Royal Ballet School, Hampson, born in 1973, danced professionally with English National Ballet before retiring to pursue a career as a choreographer and director. His ballets have won a clutch of awards, including being nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award.
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