Rambert Dance Company

Rambert Dance Company, English dance company founded as Ballet Rambert in the 1920s. The company originated in occasional productions by Marie Rambert, after whom it is named, and subsequently in association with the Ballet Club. Rambert concentrated on creativity and developed such choreographers as Frederick Ashton, Antony Tudor, and Walter Gore. The company held seasons in London and toured, gradually expanding and building an audience, especially during World War II. This policy continued in peacetime, and the company toured internationally, beginning with Australia (1947-1948). David Ellis became associate director in 1955 and implemented a policy of lengthy tours of small-scale productions of the classics, notably Giselle and La Sylphide, which lasted into the 1960s.

In 1966, under Norman Morrice, the Ballet Rambert was reorganized into a company of soloists performing works based on modern dance techniques. Their past repertory was abandoned. The choreographers included Morrice himself, Jonathan Taylor, Glen Tetley, and Christopher Bruce. John Chesworth was appointed director in 1974, Robert North in 1981, and Richard Alston in 1986. Alston introduced a change of name to the Rambert Dance Company in 1987, and developed a repertory based on his own works, influenced by Merce Cunningham. Although this change was at first successful, falling audiences for contemporary dance resulted in Alston’s departure in 1993. In 1994, with the appointment of Christopher Bruce as artistic director, the company embarked upon expansion and the implementation of a more theatrically focused policy. The company celebrated its 70th anniversary in 1996 with sell-out performances at London’s largest theatre, the Coliseum, a unique event for a modern dance company. Apart from managing an extensive touring schedule each year, the company also runs a wide educational programme of workshops and seminars. The 75th anniversary, in 2001, was marked by an international tour to Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Canada, and Germany, and by Bruce's new work to the music of Martin Simpson, Grinning in Your Face, which was premiered in September. In December that year Bruce announced his retirement as artistic director of the company and at the end of 2002 he was replaced by the choreographer and former member of the company, Mark Baldwin.

In 2005 the company announced that it would be moving from its old home in west London to a new, purpose-built centre on the South Bank, next door to the National Theatre. The £16.5-million development project was scheduled for completion in 2008.