People

Biography: Resident Choreographer of Ballet Rambert 1980-1986; Artistic Director of Ballet Rambert (later Rambert Dance Company) 1986-1992; dancer with Ballet Rambert in 1980.

Richard Alston studied fine art and theatre design at Croydon College of Art in 1965, before continuing his studies at the London School of Contemporary Dance in 1968. He went on to choreograph for London Contemporary Dance Theatre, before forming the UK's first independent dance company, Strider, in 1972. In 1975, Alston studied at the Merce Cunningham Dance Studio in New York.

Upon his return in 1980, he was appointed Resident Choreographer of Ballet Rambert, becoming Artistic Director in 1986. While artistic director, he created 24 works for Rambert and reworked 'Java'. He was also commissioned to create works for the Royal Danish Ballet in 1982 and the Royal Ballet in 1983 and two solo works for dancer Michael Clark, 'Soda Lake' (1981) and 'Dutiful Ducks' (1982). These two works were subsequently taken into the Rambert repertoire.

After stepping down as Artistic Director of Rambert, Alston went on to establish the Richard Alston Dance Company, based at The Place, London. He returned to Rambert in 2001 to create 'Unrest' (2001) as part of the celebrations of the company's 75th anniversary. Alston was made an honorary Doctor of Philosophy (in Dance) at Surrey University in 1992, and in 2003 received an honourary MA from University College Chichester. He was awarded a CBE in 2001.

Alston's oral history interview for the Rambert Archive is available at http://www.rambert.org.uk/explore/rambert-archive/rambert-voices

Archive catalogue: DS/UK/15