1904
Ashton is born on 17 September in Guayaquil, Ecuador and brought up in Lima, Peru.
FREDERICK ASHTON
Ashton is born on 17 September in Guayaquil, Ecuador and brought up in Lima, Peru.
Ashton sees Anna Pavlova dancing. He is ‘injected by her poison’ and resolves to become a dancer.
Following his English education at Dover College, Ashton moves to London, and is forced to work in the City owing to financial hardship and his father’s suicide. However, at the same time he begins ballet classes with Léonide Massine in a small studio off Oxford Street. He eventually convinces his family to support him in leaving his job and studying dance in earnest.
Ashton becomes a regular pupil of Marie Rambert, who convinces him of his potential as a choreographer, and encourages him to start creating ballets. He makes his debut as a dancer on Good Friday, 10 April, performing a Fandango with the Duenna Dancers on the Palace Pier in Brighton.
Over the next two years, Ashton creates works for various groups of dancers including the Mayfair Company of English Dancers and Marie Rambert’s dancers for the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing’s Annual Dance Festivals.
Ashton joins Ida Rubenstein’s company in Paris and apprentices himself to Bronislava Nijinska.
Nijinska resigns from Ida Rubenstein’s company and Ashton decides not to renew his contract, instead persuaded by Marie Rambert to return to London.
1930 sees the formation of the Camargo Society (established to foster the work of British dancers and choreographers) and Rambert’s Ballet Club (later the Rambert Dance Company), both of which include Ashton as a founder member. The Dancing Times proclaims 1930 as an annus mirabilis for British Ballet.
The Vic-Wells Ballet, later the Sadler’s Wells Ballet, is founded by Ninette de Valois. Ashton’s status as a choreographer is becoming established, with several works having been created for Britain’s fledgling ballet companies and for commercial theatre. Nevertheless, money remains tight, and he continues to perform each night at the Trocadero.
Ashton spends a few successful months in New York. He considers staying in America but becomes homesick and returns to England and the Ballet Club in the spring. Shortly afterwards, a young student named Peggy Hookham (later Peggy Fontes and then Margot Fonteyn) makes her debut with the Vic-Wells Ballet.
Ninette de Valois invites Ashton to join the Vic-Wells Ballet as a principal dancer and resident choreographer, which he does immediately—producing a remarkable number of works in the ensuing years, while still performing regularly himself.
In the summer, Ashton gives his final performance for the London musical stage, marking the end of this secondary career.
The Vic-Wells Ballet is renamed the Sadler’s Wells Ballet to reflect that Sadler’s Wells Theatre is its base.
Ashton is called up for service and commissioned as an intelligence officer in the RAF during WW2. He is granted occasional spells of leave to continue his work with the Sadler’s Wells Ballet.
The Sadler’s Wells Ballet moves from Sadler’s Wells Theatre to become resident at the re-opened Royal Opera House following WW2. To replace it at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, Ninette de Valois founds a second company to be based there, which becomes known as the Sadler’s Wells Theatre Ballet.
Ashton spends time in New York with the Sadler’s Wells Ballet during the company’s first tour to the US, and is invited to return and create Illuminations for New York City Ballet. Later in the year, he is appointed a CBE in recognition of his work as a choreographer and dancer.
Ashton is appointed Associate Director of the Sadler’s Wells Ballet.
Ashton creates Romeo and Juliet for the Royal Danish Ballet.
By Royal Charter, the Sadler’s Wells Ballet and Sadler’s Wells Theatre Ballet, together with the Sadler’s Wells School, are incorporated into one organisation known as ‘The Royal Ballet’ comprising The Royal Ballet (based at the Royal Opera House), The Royal Ballet Touring Company (which loses its base at Sadler’s Wells Theatre), and The Royal Ballet School.
Ashton receives the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Award from the Royal Academy of Dancing.
Ashton is made a Knight. He is appointed to the Legion of Honour (France). He is also awarded an honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Durham.
Ashton succeeds Ninette de Valois as Director of The Royal Ballet.
Ashton is awarded the Order of Dannebrog (Denmark)
Ashton is awarded an honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of East Anglia.
Ashton retires as Director of The Royal Ballet. He continues to choreograph, resolving to create new works that particularly interest him or present him with a challenge. He is made a Companion of Honour (CH), and awarded an honorary Doctorate of Music from the University of London. The Royal Ballet Touring Company is amalgamated into the Covent Garden company, with a small Royal Ballet New Group formed to tour the regions
Ashton is awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Hull.
Ashton receives a Gold Medal from the Carina Aria Foundation in Sweden.
Ashton is awarded an honorary Doctorate of Music from the University of Oxford. The Royal Ballet New Group is renamed Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet.
Ashton is awarded the Order of Merit (OM)—a select honour in the personal gift of The Queen. Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet returns to Sadler’s Wells Theatre as its London base.
Ashton is awarded the Freedom of the City of London
Ashton’s last years are overshadowed by the sudden death of his companion, Martyn Thomas, in a car crash.
Ashton dies in his sleep on 19 August at his country home, Chandos Lodge, Eye, Suffolk. He is buried on 24 August at St Mary’s Church, Yaxley, Suffolk, and a memorial service is held at Westminster Abbey on 29 November. In his will, Ashton leaves his legacy of over 100 ballets to his family, friends and those who inspired him.
Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet relocates to Birmingham and is renamed Birmingham Royal Ballet.
A memorial stone to the Founders of The Royal Ballet (Ninette de Valois, Frederick Ashton, Constant Lambert and Margot Fonteyn) is dedicated at Westminster Abbey on 17 November.
The Frederick Ashton Foundation is established to enrich the legacy of Ashton and his ballets.
English Heritage mount one of their Blue Plaques honouring Ashton on the wall of his one-time home in Marlborough Street, Chelsea.
The Frederick Ashton Foundation launches Ashton Worldwide 2024 – 2028—an international festival to celebrate and highlight the universal appeal of Ashton’s ballets across the globe, foster the spread and influence of his legacy and encourage companies worldwide to perform his works.