Liam Scarlett

Abstract

This chapter examines the work and career of British choreographer Liam Scarlett (born 1986), former artist in residence at The Royal Ballet (2012-2020), and artistic associate with Queensland Ballet (2016-2020). This chapter charts Scarlett’s meteoric rise to become one of the most highly sought-after contemporary ballet creators, placing his oeuvre within the British ballet heritage and the wider international dance field of the twenty-first century. A Royal Ballet School graduate, Scarlett began his global career subsequent to his first major Royal Ballet commission in 2010; therefore, this account is of a choreographer in what may be seen as his early years. Scarlett’s output comprises both plotless and narrative one-act ballets and full-evening works. He also produced The Royal Ballet’s Swan Lake in 2018. Scarlett’s choreographic style is rooted in classical ballet in the British tradition, following Sir Frederick Ashton and Sir Kenneth MacMillan, yet he grew up in a culture where contemporary dance was popular and respected, and he has worked alongside radical creator Wayne McGregor at The Royal Ballet. Scarlett’s works show a clear influence of non-traditional balletic norms, and his narrative ballets tend towards darkly dramatic themes. His international career includes commissions for major ballet companies in Australia, the United States of America, New Zealand, Denmark and Norway, and key works include Asphodel Meadows (2010), Viscera (2012), and Frankenstein (2016).