Robert North (1945-). American dancer, choreographer and director
Robert North was born in 1945 in Charleston, South Carolina but was educated
in Britain. He studied at the Central School of Art, taking dance classes in his free time.
He then attended The Royal Ballet School from 1965 until 1967, and also took classes at the
newly opened London School of Contemporary Dance. North became a member of London Contemporary Dance Theatre during their first tour in 1967.
In early 1968, North became a member of the Martha Graham Dance Company, with whom he performed in the United States of America, but in 1969 he settled in Britain and became permanently a member of the London Contemporary Dance Theatre. He was made the company’s associate director in 1975.
In 1981, North became artistic director of Ballet Rambert, as well as a dancer and choreographer, and remained until 1986. He took roles in his own works, including Death and the Maiden and Lonely Town, Lonely Street. Other works North created for Rambert included Colour Moves, with striking sets and costumes by the artist Bridget Riley. As artistic director of Ballet Rambert, he was seen as a populist. He focused on music and dance and the link between the two, wanting to develop closely choreography and musicality, and to communicate through the dancers to the audiences. His concern with musicality allowed him to explore scores ranging from Igor Stravinsky and Franz Schubert to Bill Withers and Howard Blake. His focus on developing the dancers’ musicality, alongside heightening the dancers’ physicality and dramatic sensibilities are seen in his works. In an interview in The Stage, North described his dream of broadening Rambert’s base and turning it into a forum ‘where artists from all disciplines will gather to exchange ideas’.