Ian Spink (born 8 October 1947) is an Australian-British choreographer. Born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, he trained at the

Australian Ballet School The Australian Ballet School is the premier ballet training facility in Australia, located in Melbourne. History The Australian Ballet School was founded in 1964 as the primary training facility for The Australian Ballet by Dame Margaret Scot ...

. After graduating in 1968, he danced and choreographed for

The Australian Ballet The Australian Ballet is the largest classical ballet company in Australia. It was founded by J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust in 1962, with the English-born dancer, teacher, repetiteur and direct ...

Australian Dance Theatre Australian Dance Theatre (ADT), known as Meryl Tankard Australian Dance Theatre from 1993 to 1999, is a contemporary dance company based in Adelaide, South Australia, established in 1965 by Elizabeth Cameron Dalman . The ADT was the first modern ...

and the Dance Company of New South Wales. In 1974, he was offered a grant to tour with

Merce Cunningham Mercier Philip "Merce" Cunningham (April 16, 1919 – July 26, 2009) was an American dancer and choreographer who was at the forefront of American modern dance for more than 50 years. He frequently collaborated with artists of other discipl ...

's dance troupes when they toured Australia. He then moved to London in 1977, and has remained in the UK since then. In 1982, Spink co-founded Second Stride along with

Siobhan Davies Dame Siobhan Davies DBE (born Susan Davies; 18 September 1950 in London), often known as Sue Davies, is an English dancer and choreographer. She was a dancer with the London Contemporary Dance Theatre during the 1970s, and became one of its lead ...

and Richard Alston. In 1990 he directed the premiere production of

Judith Weir Judith Weir (born 11 May 1954) is a British composer serving as Master of the King's Music. Appointed in 2014 by Queen Elizabeth II, Weir is the first woman to hold this office. Biography Weir was born in Cambridge, England, to Scottish parent ...

's opera ''

The Vanishing Bridegroom ''The Vanishing Bridegroom'' is an opera by composer Judith Weir to a libretto by the composer from work edited by J. F. Campbell of Islay. Commissioned by the Glasgow District Council, the opera was premiered by the Scottish Opera as a part of ...

'' for

Scottish Opera Scottish Opera is the national opera company of Scotland, and one of the five national performing arts companies of Scotland. Founded in 1962 and based in Glasgow, it is the largest performing arts organisation in Scotland. History Scottish Op ...

, subsequently broadcast by BBC TV.Weir, J. Memoirs of an Accidental Film Artist. In: ''A Night in at the Opera'', Tambling, J.John Libbey & Company Ltd, London, 1994, p59. Spink most recently choreographed Petruska for

Scottish Ballet Scottish Ballet is the national ballet company of Scotland and one of the five leading ballet companies of the United Kingdom, alongside the Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and Northern Ballet. Founded in 1969, ...

at the

Edinburgh International Festival The Edinburgh International Festival is an annual arts festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, spread over the final three weeks in August. Notable figures from the international world of music (especially classical music) and the performing arts are i ...

. Spink was Artistic Director of citymoves Dance Agency Aberdeen, one of the three Scottish Dance Agencies (2005-2010), and created the Dance Live Festival in 2005 which still continues today. Spink is now a member of The Work Room, a resource centre for independent choreographers in Glasgow, and works as a director, and as performer with contemporary performance company Airfield.

External links

Spink at The Work Room

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spink, Ian 1947 births Living people Australian male ballet dancers Australian choreographers Australian Ballet School alumni