Honours for our alumni in King’s Birthday Honours

Congratulations to our alumni Christopher Hampson and Russell Maliphant for receiving honours on the King’s Birthday Honours list for 2023. This is a wonderful acknowledgement of their services to dance and we were pleased to see the dance sector represented across the list.

Christopher Hampson began training with us at 11 and went on to dance with the English National Ballet. He created works for the company while dancing there and continued his choreographic career after retiring from dance. Many renowned companies have performed his pieces such as the Royal New Zealand Ballet and Prague National Ballet. In 2012, Christopher became Artistic Director of the Scottish Ballet and has made significant progress in the digital innovation of the company. He has also been a consistent advocate for diversity and inclusivity within the ballet world.  We were glad that his significant work has gained recognition through being appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).

Russell Maliphant trained at the School and graduated into the Sadler’s Wells Ballet Company before becoming an independent artist. He began creating his own works after studying anatomy, physiology and biomechanics, all of which greatly influenced his choreography. Russell formed his own company in 1996 and has worked with many renowned companies throughout his career such as the English National Ballet, Bayerisches Staatsballett and Lyon Opera Ballet. We were delighted to see his brilliant career celebrated this year as he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).

Photo Credit: Christopher Hampson photographed by Jan Stary 2005 (left), Russell Malliphant’s Vortex at Sadler’s Wells photographed by Roswither Chesa (right)