Jonathan (Jack) Taylor

Jonathan began dancing in his home town of Manchester and won the Royal Academy of Dance’s Adeline Genée gold medal. Jonathan then trained in London with Andrew Hardie and danced with Leonide Massine’s company and the Dutch National Ballet before joining Rambert in 1961. His first choreographic work was ‘Diversities’ in 1965.

In this interview, Jonathan (also known as Jack or John while at Rambert) recalls his 13 years as a dancer and choreographer with the Company and describes the harsh touring schedules, theatrical digs, Marie Rambert and his fellow dancers. Jonathan also explains what led to the transformation of Rambert into a contemporary dance company in 1966 and recalls working with choreographers who helped shape the new company such as Anna Sokolow and Glen Tetley. In 1973, Jonathan left Rambert and went on to a successful choreographic career both in the UK and Australia where he became Director of the Australian Dance Theatre.

00:10:50 Mercury Theatre
00:13:50 ‘Dark Elegies’ (Tudor, 1937)
00:16:30 Marie Rambert
00:24:36 Walter Gore
00:25:05 ‘Giselle’ (Coralli/Perrot/Petipa, 1884/1945/1965)
00:26:46 1966 Rambert reforms as a contemporary dance company
00:33:50 Norman Morrice
00:34:55 ‘Bertram Batell’s Sideshow’ (1970)
00:36:30 Mediterranean and Middle East Tour (1963)
00:42:00 Theatrical digs
00:49:35 ‘Tis Goodly Sport’ (Taylor, 1970)
00:53:50 Glen Tetley
00:57:30 Anna Sokolow

Interview recorded on 18 August 2017 at Rambert, London.
Interviewer: Claire Izzard; Filmmaker: Paul Izzard

The Rambert Voices oral history project is part of Rambert at 90, a project marking the company’s 90th anniversary, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.