1987 – Christopher Gable joins Northern Ballet Theatre as dancer and then artistic director of Northern Ballet Theatre

As artistic director of Northern Ballet Theatre, Christopher Gable focused as much on the ‘theatre’ as the ‘ballet’ in the company’s title. In a relatively small UK theatre circuit, which included a number of classical ballet companies, he saw a unique role for Northern Ballet Theatre. As a result, the Company attracted new audience to dance through theatrical, emotional and dramatic narrative dance theatre. With the emphasis on classical dance drama, the popular success of Gillian Lynne’s A Simple Man was followed by full-length productions of Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, A Christmas Carol, The Brontës, The Amazing Adventure of Don Quixote, Dracula, Giselle and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Many of the productions won awards and were huge box office hits, making Northern Ballet Theatre one of the most successful touring companies in Britain. Gable’s impact was remarkable. In his 11 years as artistic director, the company developed a large and loyal audience who relished its innovative and accessible productions. The dancers also benefited hugely from Gable’s theatrical experience as their new performance skills were carefully nurtured through a programme of acting, singing and mime workshops. As their ability to communicate with an audience was finely tuned, the dancers were recognised not only for their expertise as classical dancers but also for their skill as actors.