Christopher Hampson (1973-). British dancer, choreographer and director

Christopher Hampson was born in Middleton, Lancashire in 1973. He trained at The Royal Ballet School where he began to choreograph. He then danced for English National Ballet, where he became a soloist, until 1999. On retiring from dancing, Hampson became a prolific choreographer, working for many companies, including the Royal New Zealand Ballet, English National Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Scottish Ballet and Ballet Black.

In 2012, Hampson became artistic director of Scottish Ballet, combining that role with that of CEO from 2015. There, he has presented works from many leading choreographers, including Crystal Pite, Javier de Frutos, Kenneth MacMillan and Matthew Bourne, as well as reviving ballets by Scottish Ballet’s founder, Peter Darrell. In 2017 he curated the world’s first digital season for Scottish Ballet. Hampson has also gained a reputation for his promotion of diversity and also of education in the ballet world. He is a trustee of Ballet Black. Christopher Hampson was appointed OBE in 2023.