FOUNDATION
Presenting masterclasses that feature recreated, rarely performed and revisited choreography by Ashton—enriching the legacy of his ballets, and helping to enable the revival of lost works.
The Frederick Ashton Foundation’s series of Ashton Rediscovered masterclasses is supported by Aud Jebsen
The Foundation presented its first masterclasses in 2014 and, since then, has established a regular series – the Ashton Rediscovered masterclasses – in which dancers from The Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet are coached by original cast members or later leading dancers in recreated, rarely performed and revisited works by Frederick Ashton. A full record of these masterclasses, along with accompanying footage, is available HERE.
An international festival highlighting the universal appeal of Ashton’s ballets across the globe, fostering the spread and influence of his legacy, and encouraging companies worldwide to perform his works.
Book-ended by the 120th anniversary of Frederick Ashton’s birth in 2024 and the 40th anniversary of his death in 2028. Companies involved come from around the world, including from Australia, Canada, South America, Europe, Japan, South Africa, New Zealand and the USA as well as the UK. Find out more about the festival, including details of forthcoming performances, HERE.
Creating opportunities to identify and develop future Ashton stagers to ensure the continuation of performances of Ashton’s rich choreographic legacy around the world to the highest standard.
Supported by the Rick Mather David Scrase Foundation and John and Vivien Brooks.
A key aim of the Foundation is to develop the skills of the next generation of Ashton Stagers—those who will be responsible for teaching, coaching and staging Ashton’s ballets in the future and ensuring the survival of Ashton’s legacy for generations to come.
The Ashton Stagers’ Programme offers a comprehensive training pathway that includes the Benesh Stagers Training Programme (BSTP), during which trainees study Benesh Movement Notation alongside a range of essential staging modules. This is complemented by our invaluable Ashton Shadowing Scheme, which provides opportunities to observe and learn directly from experienced stagers as they rehearse Ashton’s ballets and ensure the integrity of his choreography and his artistic vision continue to be upheld in performance.
This is an ongoing programme seeking sponsorship from 2026. If you would like to support this programme or the training of one of our Stagers, please contact [email protected] or call +44 (0)20 7553 4025
Collaborating with original cast members, repetiteurs and companies on the revival of Ashton ballets for which notation or footage is not available or complete.
2025 saw the first staging in over 90 years of Ashton’s Foyer de Danse (1932), which was recreated by Ursula Hageli and Christopher Newton for the Frederick Ashton Foundation, and was be performed by Ballet Central as part of their summer programme.
Commissioning and facilitating new productions of Ashton’s works.
These productions include:
The commissioning of a new production of Hamlet and Ophelia (originally Hamlet Prelude, 1977) with designs by Sarah Armstrong-Jones. First performed by The Royal Ballet in the Linbury Theatre, Royal Opera House on 27 October 2021.
A co-production with The Royal Ballet of Ashton’s Les Rendezvous (1933), with new designs by Jasper Conran. First performed by The Royal Ballet at The Royal Opera House on 6 June 2024.
Providing dance students training in The Royal Ballet School’s Affiliate Training and Assessment Programme (ATAP) with the unique opportunity to study Ashton repertoire.
In a first for the Frederick Ashton Foundation and The Royal Ballet School, both private and recreational dance students training in the School’s Affiliate Training and Assessment Programme (ATAP) methodology will now have the chance to learn and explore Ashton repertoire.
Launched by the School in 2022, ATAP provides a training model that differs from traditional examination syllabi with six training levels for dancers aged five and upwards, each emphasising the importance of developing classical ballet technique and performance skills, alongside an understanding of the art form through repertoire, choreography and appreciation. There is also an enhanced stream for those considering a career in the dance industry.
Choreography from three of Ashton’s ballets – Les Rendezvous, Les Patineurs and The Dream – has been adapted by the Foundation’s team of specialist repetiteurs for young dancers in the formative years of their training to engage their imagination and enjoyment of dancing through storytelling and theatricality.
This interplay between expressive dance and functional technical skills enables affiliate teachers to have a flexible resource with which they can explore and adapt the work in response to the needs of their students and individual settings. In the accompanying films, the Foundation’s repetiteurs guide and explain the meaning behind the choreography and offer insights into their own personal experiences of dancing in Ashton’s ballets. The resource packs have detailed information about the history of each ballet, and each solo is written in Benesh Movement Notation (BMN) to provide a comprehensive and autonomous approach to guiding teachers.
The Foundation is delighted that this partnership will allow young dancers and their teachers to fully appreciate the significance of Ashton’s works, his contribution to the development of the English style of classical ballet and, vitally, to enjoy the artistic expression, creativity and storytelling which are such key elements of his ballets.
Running the Frederick Ashton Lectures – given periodically by a distinguished member of the arts community – to honour the memory of Frederick Ashton, and advance public understanding and debate about the arts.
Previous lectures include:
Future lectures to be announced in due course.
Producing new footage related to Ashton, his work and its ongoing influence, as well as collating and cataloguing archival material.
This 40-minute documentary was commissioned to mark the tenth anniversary of the Frederick Ashton Foundation’s launch in autumn 2011.
Created by dance filmmaker Lynne Wake, it throws light on how Ashton’s work and intentions are handed down from one generation to the next—with participants ranging from past luminaries of the Sadler’s Wells Ballet and The Royal Ballet to Marianela Nuñez, Vadim Muntagirov, Gary Avis, Fumi Kaneko, Francesca Hayward and William Bracewell, and choreographers David Bintley and Wayne Eagling. Watch it HERE.
A key aim of the Foundation is to ensure the Ashton Archive contains relevant filmed records relating to Frederick Ashton – from cataloguing original footage of his ballets to filming relevant work in the studio, masterclasses, and interviews with those who worked with Ashton.
Publishing material in connection with Ashton and his work, cataloguing written and photographic material, and making this available to the dance sector and the wider public.