Ashley Page

Ashley Page is the new Artistic Director of Scottish Ballet. What he has achieved with the Company in less than two years is nothing short of a miracle. Scottish Ballet was in a sorry mess before his arrival, the subject of a Parliamentary Inquiry, with demoralised dancers and a Board that could not make up its mind whether it wanted a ballet company or a modern dance group. When Page was appointed to his new post, after a career as a principal dancer and the unofficial house choreographer of the Royal Ballet, few thought he could control the volatile situation.

Within a year the impossible seemed to be happening, without major upheaval, as some new dancers were brought in and a new repertoire was forged that combined Siobhan Davies (“White Man Sleeps”), Steven Petronio (“MiddleSexGorge”) and Page’s own high energy choreography. Page also choreographed a new “Nutcracker” that stretched the abilities of his new company to new limits but also generated an exciting new esprit de corps. Since then Balanchine’s “Four Temperaments” and Ashton’s “Façade”
have entered the repertoire to add lustre to an eclectic and intelligent choice of works that develop the artistry of the dancers, who ...