Bryan Ashbridge was born in Wellington,
New Zealand, and educated at Auckland
Grammar School where he excelled at sport.
He began learning ballet from the age
of nine under Joseph Knowsley and in
1938 travelled to Sydney to spend a year
training at the Frances Scully school.
Whilst in Australia he appeared on stage
with the de Basil Ballets Russes.
Returning to New Zealand, Ashbridge
finished school and then joined the Royal
New Zealand Air Force. He performed with
the Borovansky Ballet during its tour
of New Zealand in 1944/1945 and then
in 1946/1947, along with fellow dancers
Paul Hammond and Peggy Sager, travelled
to England to pursue a career in ballet.
In London, Ashbridge studied at the
Sadler's Wells Ballet School and won
an Adeline Genee gold medal in 1947.
The following year he performed as a
featured soloist in the film
The Red Shoes and joined
the Sadler's Wells Ballet, going on to
become a soloist and then, in 1957, a
principal with the company.
During his years with Sadler's Wells
(which became the Royal Ballet in 1956),
Ashbridge returned to Australia and New
Zealand on several occasions. In 1954
he danced in New Zealand at the Auckland
Festival of Arts with fellow New Zealander
Rowena Jackson who had also won Genee
gold in 1947 and was a colleague at Sadler's
Wells. In 1957 the pair again visited
New Zealand, this time with dancers Pearl
Garden and Derek Westlake from Ballet
Rambert. In the same year they came to
Australia with fellow Royal Ballet principals
Michael Somes and Margot Fonteyn as guests
of the Borovansky Ballet during Fonteyn's
first Australian tour. Ashbridge and
Jackson were particularly acclaimed in
the
Don Quixote pas de deux
and the Black Swan pas de deux from
Swan Lake during this tour.
Ashbridge then partnered Svetlana Beriosova
during the Royal Ballet's inaugural Australian
tour the following year. In 1960 he performed
in New Zealand with Beryl Grey, and in
1962 he again toured Australia and New
Zealand with eight dancers from the Royal
Ballet affectionately dubbed the 'Fonteyn
Follies'.
Ashbridge was a guest artist with the
Bolshoi Ballet during his time with the
Royal Ballet. He had the honour of being
the first British danseur to perform
behind the Iron Curtain, dancing the
role of Prince Siegfried in the Bolshoi
production of
Swan Lake.
On his retirement from the Royal Ballet
in 1965, Ashbridge undertook the BBC
production course and subsequently produced
ballet for BBC television. In 1966 he
returned to New Zealand where he joined
the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation
and produced ballet, gardening, sports,
music and religious television programmes.
Ashbridge was invited to come to Australia
to produce
La Fille mal gardee for
the Australian Ballet and in 1969 joined
the company as assistant and then associate
artistic director. In 1971 he took brief
leave of absence to direct the Royal
New Zealand Ballet. He toured extensively
with the Australian Ballet, coaching
and producing as well as appearing as
guest artist in many ballets including
the title role in Rudolf Nureyev's
Don Quixote. He also directed
a number of ABC television productions
including
The Fool on the Hill, a
ballet specifically choreographed for
television by Gillian Lynne, and was
assistant director of the 1973 filmed
version of
Don Quixote directed by
Rudolf Nureyev. In 1980 he was appointed
inaugural director of the Dancers Company.
Ashbridge resigned from the Australian
Ballet in 1983. He continued his involvement
in dance through various television productions
and teaching.
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