Christopher Gable, dancer; born March 13, 1940, died October 23, 1998

THE news of Christopher Gable's death at the age of 58, after a prolonged struggle against cancer, will have saddened not just friends and colleagues, but also countless thousands who never knew him personally, but only through his work. For some the abiding memory will be of him as a dancer: a golden, elegant, debonair prince who partnered Lynn Seymour in what came to be seen as the glory days of the Royal Ballet in the sixties. Others will know him from his subsequent stage and screen successes: as Lysander in Peter Brooks's new legendary Midsummer Night's Dream or as Eric Fenby in Ken Russell's television film about Delius - or perhaps as the dashingly boyish romantic lead, playing opposite Twiggy in another Russell film, the big screen adaptation of that delicious period musical, The Boyfriend.

For the hundreds of students who trained at the Central School of Ballet in London - which he founded, with his wife, the dancer Carole Needham, in 1982 - the memory will be tinged with gratitude - for Gable's attitude to dance-making was both generous and visionary in its outlook. He was never precious or pedantic about classical technique, preferring to see it used, expressively, within the overall dramatic framework of a piece rather than be paraded as an end in itself, like some Olympic statement of prowess. He could be entertainingly scathing about the latter - but he was genuinely dismayed at the prospect of classical ballet becoming introverted and exclusive within the limits of a small traditional repertoire and a bloodless, athleticised style.

When, in July 1987, he accepted the post of Artistic Director with Northern Ballet Theatre he proceeded to put his feelings and theories about dance directions and audience contact into practice and it is in this capacity that thousands of NBT fans will remember him with deep affection, admiration, and respect.

Those who are familiar with the company's history will also remember Gable's unstinting, impassioned battle against the late eighties threat of closure - he simply would not let anybody bureaucratic template of dance provision in England kill off a resource he knew had value and potential, especially one that had its roots outwith the London-centric scene.

His winning that fight was a victory for the concept of popular dance-theatre, and - as NBT toured and triumphed with works like A Christmas Carol, Dracula, and freshly-dramatic versions of Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake, Giselle - a unique source of unexpected entertainment for thousands, including those who had reckoned ballet was an elitist art form, and not for them.

His ground-breaking achievements were recognised, nationally, when he was made a CBE in 1996. His death, at 58, robs the dance world of an inspiring presence, a true man of theatre and a brilliantly practical visionary. He is survived by his wife, and their son and daughter.

Mary Brennan