David Bintley

David Bintley
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Name	David Bintley
Birth date	1957
Birth place	Surrey, England
Occupation	Ballet choreographer, artistic director
Known for	Choreography, leadership of Birmingham Royal Ballet

David Bintley

David Bintley is an English ballet choreographer and former artistic director known for his leadership of the Birmingham Royal Ballet and a prolific body of narrative and abstract choreography. His career spans association with institutions such as the Royal Ballet, Sadler's Wells, and the English National Ballet, and collaborations with composers, designers, and cultural organisations across the United Kingdom and internationally. Bintley's work has been staged at venues including the Royal Opera House, the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, and international festivals, earning him recognition from bodies such as the Royal Society of Arts and the Order of the British Empire.

Early life and training

Born in Surrey, England in 1957, Bintley trained at the Royal Ballet School and studied alongside peers who later joined companies like the Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, and Ballet Rambert. His formative influences included exposure to choreographers and institutions such as Frederick Ashton, Kenneth MacMillan, Ninette de Valois, Antony Tudor, and curriculum models from the Royal Academy of Dance and Sadler's Wells Theatre. Early teachers and mentors connected him to networks that encompassed the Royal Opera House, the Vic-Wells Ballet legacy, and touring circuits affiliated with the Arts Council England and international festivals in Paris, Rome, and New York City.

Performance career

Bintley began his performing career with companies associated with the British ballet tradition, dancing repertory linked to the Royal Ballet canon and contemporary works commissioned by institutions such as the English National Ballet, Scottish Ballet, and Ulster Ballet. He appeared in roles choreographed by figures like John Cranko, Jerome Robbins, Gillian Lynne, Maurice Béjart, and Sir Peter Wright, working on productions staged at venues including the Royal Opera House, Sadler's Wells Theatre, Lyric Theatre (Hammersmith), and international houses in Milan, Munich, and Tokyo. His performance career informed later choreographic collaborations with composers and designers associated with the English National Opera, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Choreographic works

Bintley's choreographic output ranges from full-length story ballets to one-act pieces, often created for companies such as the Birmingham Royal Ballet, Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and regional companies across Europe and Asia. Major narrative works include ballets inspired by literature and historical subjects linked to figures and texts like Geoffrey Chaucer, William Shakespeare, Lewis Carroll, Jane Austen, and Charles Dickens; other works engage themes resonant with composers such as Gustav Holst, Benjamin Britten, Maurice Ravel, and contemporary composers affiliated with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra performances. Collaborators on productions included designers and directors from institutions like the Victoria and Albert Museum, National Gallery, Tate Modern, and costume studios formerly supplying the Royal Ballet School and touring companies. His output attracted dancers trained in methods attributed to Enrico Cecchetti, Vaganova, and Cuban National Ballet traditions, and premiered on programmes at festivals including the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, International Ballet Festival of Havana, and Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival.

Artistic leadership and administration

Bintley served as artistic director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet, succeeding predecessors connected to the Royal Ballet lineage and overseeing seasons at the Birmingham Hippodrome, touring schedules to venues such as the Sadler's Wells Theatre and international engagements in Madrid, Beijing, and Sydney Opera House. His administrative role involved commissioning new works from choreographers associated with Cincinnati Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, and Paris Opera Ballet, partnerships with orchestras including the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and collaboration with funding bodies like Arts Council England and private patrons historically linked to institutions such as the Wolfson Foundation and Paul Hamlyn Foundation. He managed education and outreach initiatives with schools and conservatoires including the Royal Ballet School, Central School of Ballet, and regional arts organisations in the West Midlands.

Style and influence

Bintley's style synthesises narrative theatricality, character-driven choreography, and formal techniques traceable to choreographers such as Frederick Ashton and Kenneth MacMillan, while incorporating influences from Martha Graham-informed modern dance and continental approaches associated with John Neumeier and William Forsythe. Critics and scholars have compared his dramaturgy to adaptations staged by the Royal Ballet and English National Ballet, noting affinities with storytelling traditions seen in productions at the Royal Opera House and the Old Vic. His influence is evident in repertory choices at companies including the Birmingham Royal Ballet, Scottish Ballet, and Northern Ballet, and in mentorship of choreographers emerging from institutions like the Royal Ballet School and university dance departments at King's College London and University of Birmingham.

Honours and awards

Bintley's recognitions include honours conferred by British and international bodies such as the Order of the British Empire, fellowships from the Royal Society of Arts, awards from the Critics' Circle and choreography prizes presented at events like the Laurence Olivier Awards and festivals including the Prix Benois de la Danse. He received institutional acknowledgements from the City of Birmingham and cultural endorsements from organisations such as Arts Council England and international cultural ministries associated with exchanges involving the British Council.

Category:English choreographers Category:Living people Category:1957 births