Ross Stretton

Ross Stretton

Ross Stretton was an Australian ballet dancer, teacher and artistic director noted for his work with major companies in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. He trained in Sydney and rose to prominence as a principal dancer before moving into leadership roles that included introducing repertory changes, commissioning new works and engaging international artists. His career intersected with many institutions and figures across the ballet world, generating artistic achievements and public controversies.

Early life and training

Born in Newcastle, New South Wales, Stretton studied in Sydney with teachers associated with institutions such as the Australian Ballet School and the Royal Academy of Dance, while encountering repertoire from choreographers affiliated with the Royal Ballet, Kirov Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, New York City Ballet and Bolshoi Ballet. His early teachers had links to companies including the Australian Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, San Francisco Ballet, Royal Winnipeg Ballet and Scottish Ballet, and his training included methods traced to figures such as Dame Margot Fonteyn, Anton Dolin, Enrico Cecchetti and Vaslav Nijinsky. During his formative years he attended workshops and classes connected to touring companies from institutions like the Sadler's Wells Theatre, the Covent Garden Royal Opera House, Teatro alla Scala, Mariinsky Theatre and Opéra Bastille.

Ballet career

Stretton performed across companies that toured repertory by choreographers including Frederick Ashton, Kenneth MacMillan, George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins and Marius Petipa, appearing in roles choreographed by Sir Peter Wright, Christopher Wheeldon, John Neumeier, Alberto Alonso and Patrick Corbin. His performing career intersected with guest artists from the Royal Swedish Ballet, Hungarian State Opera Ballet, Het Nationale Ballet and La Scala Ballet, and he partnered dancers who had worked with Natalia Makarova, Gelsey Kirkland, Sylvie Guillem and Darcey Bussell. Tours took him to venues such as the Sydney Opera House, Bolshoi Theatre, Lincoln Center, Royal Albert Hall and Victoria State Theatre, and he danced in gala programmes alongside artists from the English National Ballet, Ballet Nacional de Cuba, Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo and the Kirov Opera.

Artistic leadership and choreographic work

Transitioning to leadership, Stretton held positions that brought him into collaboration with boards and artistic teams linked to organizations like the Australian Ballet, Houston Ballet, Royal Ballet of Flanders, San Francisco Ballet School and the Australian Dance Theatre. As an artistic director he programmed works by George Balanchine, William Forsythe, Hans van Manen, Jirí Kylián and Alexei Ratmansky, and commissioned pieces from choreographers such as Mats Ek, Wayne McGregor, Ashley Page, Christopher Bruce and David Bintley. He engaged designers and composers associated with Alexander McQueen, Gareth Pugh, Philip Glass, Arvo Pärt and John Adams for new productions, and worked with répétiteurs from the Balanchine Trust, the Pina Bausch company, the Bejart Ballet and the Mats Ek troupe. His directorship involved partnerships with festivals and venues like the Edinburgh Festival, Vail International Dance Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, Adelaide Festival and Sydney Festival.

Controversies and criticisms

Stretton's tenure in leadership provoked disputes that linked him with board dynamics and media coverage involving institutions such as the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age (Melbourne), The Guardian and The New York Times. Conflicts involved management practices comparable in public debate to episodes at the Royal Ballet under Anthony Dowell, the San Francisco Ballet under Helgi Tomasson, and governance challenges seen at the National Ballet of Canada and English National Ballet. Critics referenced programming decisions in relation to donor relationships with organisations like the Australia Council for the Arts, Arts Council England, National Endowment for the Arts and philanthropic bodies such as the Woollahra Council and corporate sponsors involved with the Telstra arts partnerships. Coverage also connected to discussions around industrial relations reminiscent of disputes at the Australian Workers' Union, the Musicians' Union and issues previously raised at the Sydney Theatre Company and Melbourne Theatre Company.

Personal life and legacy

Stretton's personal life intersected with figures from dance and arts administration including colleagues from the Australian Ballet, Royal Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Dutch National Ballet and Royal Winnipeg Ballet. His death in Sydney prompted responses from institutions such as the Australia Council and commentary in publications like The Australian, The Independent, The Telegraph and Dance Magazine. His legacy is reflected in repertory choices and company cultures at organizations influenced by his leadership, and in the careers of dancers who subsequently joined companies such as Brisbane Festival Ballet, Queensland Ballet, West Australian Ballet and various conservatoires including the Victorian College of the Arts and the National Institute of Dramatic Art. He is remembered in discussions about artistic direction alongside names such as Mikhail Baryshnikov, Robert Helpmann, Graeme Murphy and Sylvie Guillem.

Category:Australian ballet dancers Category:1952 births Category:2005 deaths