Australia Dancing - Ashmole, David (1949

Ashmole, David (1949 - 2009)

McMurdo, Don: Christine Walsh and David Ashmole in Mauric Bejart's 'Webern Opus V', the Australian Ballet, 1985

Born in Cottingham, Yorkshire, David Ashmole studied first at the Kilburn dance school in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, before being accepted into the Royal Ballet School in 1965. On graduating in 1968 he joined the Royal Ballet, where he was promoted to soloist in 1972 and principal artist in 1975. He then transfered to the Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet, remaining with that company until 1984.

From 1984 until 1994 Ashmole was a principal dancer with the Australian Ballet. His initial partnership with Christine Walsh was highly acclaimed, and saw him perform as the Prince to her Aurora at the company's Bicentennial Royal Gala Performance of The Sleeping Beauty at Covent Garden in 1988. Ashmole also forged notable partnerships with Fiona Tonkin and Miranda Coney. After leaving the company in 1994 he returned to the stage later that year as guest artist in Manon.

From 1994 to 1999 Ashmole served on the Australian Ballet's board of directors and was senior lecturer at the Victorian College of the Arts as well as teaching widely and adjudicating for the Royal Academy of Dance solo seal examinations. In 1999 he took up the position of senior lecturer in classical ballet at London Studio Centre where he became assistant director to the Centre's graduate ballet company Images of Dance.

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