The CompanyScottish Ballet Artistic Team

Ashley Page

Born in Rochester, Kent, Page joined the Royal Ballet in 1976, after graduating from the RoyalBalletSchool. With the Royal Ballet, Page was exposed to the classics, created roles in new ballets by Frederick Ashton and Kenneth MacMillan and contributed to works that blended the classical idiom with more contemporary languages, such as those by Glen Tetley and, most significantly, Richard Alston.  The mid/late Seventies were a significant time for dance in the UK, as both ballet and modern dance were going through a fertile process of consolidation, transformation and cross-fertilisation. Outside the Royal Ballet, modern dance moved from well-established canons into groundbreaking experimentation, and Page’s encounter with modern dance had a significant impact and marked the beginning of a life-long creative dialogue.

Unlike some of his contemporaries, Page never refuted ballet; detectable traces of and references to classical dance underscore his choreography, as evident in A Broken Set of Rules, the first work he created for The Royal Ballet in 1984, the same year he was promoted to Principal dancer, which could be seen as a manifesto of Page’s dance making, as it challenged and, at the same time, drew upon the classical idiom. By the end of the Eighties, he had created dances for a variety of companies, predominantly The Royal Ballet and Rambert Dance Company, and had worked within different artistic environments, such as Dance Umbrella and television. Inevitably, the different nature of these collaborations enhanced the investigation of new formulae and solutions, which, in turn, informed the creation of works such as Pursuit (1987), Piano (1989), Bloodlines (1990) and Fearful Symmetries (1994), which received the 1995 Olivier Award for best dance production.

Despite individual distinctiveness, both the above noted works and subsequent ones such as Ebony Concerto (1995), Sleeping with Audrey (1996), Two-PartInvention (1996), Room of Cooks (1997) and Cheating, Lying, Stealing (1998) present a number of recurring traits, which can be read as signature features of Page’s oeuvre. It is possible, in other words, to talk of an identifiable individual style, which encompasses diverse choreographic influences as well as a refreshingly continuous in-depth search for solutions derived from a vibrant transliteration and/or reinvention of set canons. As has already been observed, classical formulae remain clearly present throughout, but never in a gratuitously spectacular manner. This is not to say that the action in Page’s ballets lacks theatrical vibrancy and immediacy. On the contrary, the seamless blend of idioms, combined with a quest for experimenting beyond the set borders of techniques and styles, provide both his dancers and his viewers with breathtakingly stimulating works, characterised by a provoking game of symmetrical asymmetries. Thrilling immediacy derives also from Page’s individual approach to music, as working within a given score, more than merely working with it, is another distinctive trait of his dance making. Movement solutions, therefore, never look dependant on or appended to the music, but develop in line with a thorough investigation of the score, with which they seem to be constantly interwoven. His collaboration with composers such as Michael Nyman, Orlando Gough, Colin Matthews successfully exploited such an approach to the aural element. Similarly, the collaboration with fine artists and designers such as Howard Hodgkin, Deanna Petherbridge, Bruce McLean, John Morrell and Antony McDonald, who, like Page, engage in a constant reassessment of their own art and question the givens of traditional culture, has become another mainstay of his work.

It is not surprising, therefore, that these signature features have been at the core of Page’s artistic vision for Scottish Ballet. Hence, the artistic eclecticism that characterises the company’s repertoire and informs the artistic growth of its dancers; works by Balanchine, Ashton, Alston, Robbins, Brown, Petronio and Forsythe are presented with stylistic accuracy and sensibility alongside Page’s own works and his revisionist, but never superfluously irreverent take on classics such as The Nutcracker (2003), Cinderella (2005), and The Sleeping Beauty (2007).  Page, who received an OBE in 2006, believes firmly in keeping the Company abreast of the ever-shifting changes that underscore the arts world. And the various accolades the company has received under his directorship such as the TMA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance in 2004 and the Critic’s Circle National Dance Award for Outstanding Repertoire (Classical) in 2008  - demonstrate he is totally right.

Giannandrea Poesio

Quotes

“It’s at this point that you really begin to appreciate just how much - how skilfully - Page has redefined the choreography of this nineteenth-century classic ballet ... You simply have to experience it for yourselves and take pride in the fact that this is our national company.”  

The Herald on Page's The Sleeping Beauty

“Page’s own choreographic masterpiece ... Gladiatorial athleticism and geometric precision, a testament to just how far Page has pulled up his dancers’ technique.”

"In terms of performance levels, artistic achievement and overall production levels, the evening was an eye-opener"

Sunday Express on Scottish Ballet's Spring Season 2007

“Scottish Ballet is once again a force to be reckoned with, a company of fine dancers who deserve to be seen far and wide ... Page and McDonald have peppered the show with just enough silliness for the season, while retaining the intelligent charm and elegance befitting a national ballet company.”

The Sunday Times (Ecosse) on Page's Cinderella

"It’s the show we’ve all been waiting for – the one that firmly places Scottish Ballet centre stage again. It’s sheer theatre and sheer entertainment."

Daily Mail on Page's The Nutcracker

Paul Tyers

Maria Jiminez Arrechea

Maria trained at Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and Dance of Madrid, Spain. She was Ballet Teacher at School of Dance Maria de Avila in Zaragoza between 1991-2001, and during this time was Official Teacher for III, IV, and V National Dance Competition of Torrelavaga, Spain. She then became Ballet Mistress and Repetiteur for Ballet de Zaragoza where she remained until 2004.

Maria studied Benesh Notation at the Benesh Institute, Royal Academy of Dance, London, and in addition, she is qualified in Therapeutic Massage. During her career Maria has worked with choreographers such as Maria de Avila, Antonia Francheschi, Mark Baldwin and Richard Alston. Her own choreographies include Allegro Vivace, 2000, Suite Holberg, 1997 and Sinfonia n. 1 1994.

Hope Muir

Born in Toronto, Hope was a founding member of Peter Schaufuss’s London Festival Ballet School. Upon graduation she joined the company (now English National Ballet) where she danced numerous soloist and principal roles. In 1994 Hope joined Rambert Dance Company with the appointment of Christopher Bruce CBE. There she danced a wide variety of repertoire from some of the most prolific choreographers of our time, including Ek, Kylian, Naharin, Tharp, Tetley, De Frutos, Cunningham and over a dozen Bruce works. After ten years with RDC she moved to Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and expanded her repertoire to include Forsythe, Duato and Lubovitch amongst others.

After a nineteen-year career, Hope retired from performing and holds a diploma from the Royal Academy of Dance (PDTD) and coaches both classical and contemporary technique.  Hope assists Christopher Bruce CBE with the setting of his work internationally and recently worked as Guest Rehearsal Director both Crystal Pite at the National Ballet of Canada and Emily Molnar at Ballet British Columbia. Hope will join Scottish Ballet as Ballet Mistress in November of 2009.

Nicolas Blanc

Nicolas started his dance training in Montaubau at the Academie de Danse Classique Princesse Grace of Monte-Carlo. A prize winner at the 1994 Prix de Lausanne competition, he completed his education at the Paris Opera Ballet School.

Numerous engagements led him to the Nice Opera Ballet, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Zurich Ballet and San Francisco Ballet, where he was promoted to Principal dancer in 2004.

His repertoire includes lead roles in Balanchine’s Jewels, Square Dance, Divertimento no 15, The Four Temperaments and Tarantella pas de deux. He also danced in Robbins’ Dybbuk, Mats Ek’s Carmen, Benvolio and Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet and Cavalier in Nutcracker.

Nicolas originated roles in Wheedon’s Rush and Quaternary; Welch’s Falling and Naked, Possokov’s Study in Motion and Reflections; Tomasson’s 7 for Eight and Elo’s Double Evil.

In 2006 and 2007, Nicolas choreographed Amplitude Goldberg and In Search Of for the trainees of San Francisco Ballet School, and After Having Been for the International Ballet Competition in Jackson USA.

Nicolas was awarded a special prize in performing arts by the city of Dusseldorf in 1998, and a special award of recognition by his hometown in 2004. He joined Scottish Ballet as Ballet Master in 2009.