David Nixon, currently AD of BalletMet has been appointed as the next AD of Northern Ballet Theatre. This is a key appointment as things clearly did not go well with the previous AD, Stefano Giannetti, who was only in place for a year or so, following the death of Christopher Gable.<P>Bruce Marriott on ballet.co.uk has been scouring the Internet for sources on David Nixon, so rather than re-inventing the wheel, her is the link to the topic there:<P> <A HREF="http://www.danze.co.uk/dcforum/news/642.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.danze.co.uk/dcforum/news/642.html</A> <P>Can anyone in the US or elsewhere tells us about Mr Nixon and how his time at BalletMet has been received?<P><BR> <P>Here's the brief company press release for the premiere of their new 'Dr Jeckyl and Mr Hyde'<BR> <A HREF="http://www.nbt.co.uk/pages/02company/news/show_news_detail.cfm?id=14" TARGET=_blank>http://www.nbt.co.uk/pages/02company/news/show_news_detail.cfm?id=14</A> <P>

From the <A HREF="http://www.nationalpost.com" TARGET=_blank>National Post</A>, 01/26/01:<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><B>Former National Ballet star to head British dance company</B><BR>Canadian built his reputation staging crowd-pleasing works<P>David Nixon, a former star of the National Ballet of Canada, is to become the artistic director of Britain's popular Northern Ballet Theatre. Since 1994, he has been the artistic director of BalletMet Columbus in Ohio, now a leading American regional company of 26 dancers. He will assume his new post this August.<P>Nixon, 42, is the first Canadian to head an established, major British dance company but he is not the first Canadian to play a significant role in the evolution of the 35-dancer, Leeds-based troupe.<P>From NBT's perspective, Nixon is a perfect fit. His artistic credentials are impressive. After training at the National Ballet School in Toronto, Nixon joined the National Ballet in 1978, where he benefited from then artistic director Alexander Grant's keen interest in cultivating and improving the company's male ranks.<P>Nixon, with his tall, imposing stature and refined virtuosity rose to become one of NBC's most accomplished and versatile dancers. From 1984 to 1988, he performed abroad, mainly with the Berlin Opera Ballet. Then, after a final two-year stint with NBC as a principal dancer, he left Canada in 1990 with his American-born wife and fellow NBC star, Yoko Ichino, to pursue an independent guesting career as dancer and ballet master before taking the job in Columbus.<P>When Nixon arrived, BalletMet was staggering from the impact of an acrimonious split with former director John McFall, now head of Atlanta Ballet. Many dancers quit. Morale plummeted. Nixon had a major rebuilding job on his hands."<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><a href="http://www.nationalpost.com/artslife/arts/story.html?f=/stories/20010126/451995.html" target="blank">more...</a><P><p>[This message has been edited by Marie (edited January 26, 2001).]