Elizabeth Anderton (1938-). British ballerina, teacher and director

Elizabeth Anderton was born in London in 1938. She studied at Sadler’s Wells Ballet School and the Sadler’s Wells Opera Ballet in 1955, where she danced alongside Lynn Seymour and Christopher Gable. She moved to the Sadler’s Wells Theatre Ballet in 1956, and was promoted to principal in 1961. Elizabeth Anderton created roles in John Cranko’s Sweeney Todd in 1959, in Frederick Ashton’s The Two Pigeons in 1961 and in Antony Tudor’s Knight Errant in 1968, as well as works for Kenneth MacMillan and Geoffrey Cauley.

Following an injury in 1970, Elizabeth Anderton began to teach. In 1975, she was a coach at The Australian Ballet, and in 1977 she went to London Festival Ballet as teacher and répétiteur, becoming assistant artistic director from 1979 until 1983 and again from 1984 to 1990. In 1991 she became principal guest teacher at The Royal Ballet.