Scott Ambler

Dancer and choreographer known for visionary Glasgow project Lord of the Flies

Born: October, 1960;

Died: March 19, 2018

SCOTT Ambler, who has died aged 57, was a dancer and choreographer who was part of a unique collaboration in 2011 between Glasgow Theatres and Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures Company to create a ballet based on William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies.

The project was awarded more than a quarter of a million pounds by Creative Scotland and the two organisations spent over a year working with 300 boys in schools, community groups and colleges principally in Glasgow and West Dunbartonshire.

In the end, 150 of the boys went on to make a short film, Beastie, inspired by the book and 16 of them were chosen to appear in a stage adaptation performing alongside professional dancers from Bourne’s company. It was hailed as a visionary project and much of the success was attributed to Mr Ambler’s artistic energy and invention.

Mr Ambler, who co-choreographed the ballet with Bourne, said prior to rehearsals: “The project began in Glasgow when Creative Scotland and West Dumbartonshire Council asked us to create a project to involve boys and young men aged 10 – 22 in dance. We eventually whittled that down to 16 as part of the Lord of the Flies company.

“My aim was to have them take a full and active role in the show and not just be padding or background. Dance isn’t just a world of fairy tales and tutus. Boys and dance are not mutually exclusive.”

Mr Ambler and Bourne were enthusiastic about the project from the outset. The pair enlisted dance teachers in each of the 13 cities which were to be visited, from Plymouth to Inverness. They praised the various Scottish authorities involved – the selection of the boys, the planning of rehearsals, arranging locations and liaising with schools had all worked harmoniously. When the first night came at Glasgow’s Theatre Royal in March 2011 it proved a huge artistic success for everyone involved – the individuals and for many communities around Scotland.

The novel was not an obvious choice. Lord of The Flies is an intense story about Ralph, Piggy, Jack and their fellow schoolboys who regress to savagery when stranded on a deserted island – there was already a classic movie directed by Peter Brook. Mr Ambler reset the location from a deserted island to a deserted theatre and then ensure that the boys matched the standard of the eight male professional dancers. They had all danced in Bourne’s smash hit version of Swan Lake the previous year in Glasgow.

The preparations were exhaustive. Overseen by Mr Ambler the performers took part in movement workshops, residencies and character discussions. Mr Ambler patiently took them through the demanding creative process of learning the steps: complex movements were mastered and then the boys had to adapt to the many changes that Mr Ambler made. One performer commented during the rehearsals in Govan, “You could probably light up the whole of Govan with the electricity we are generating.”

Once rehearsals began Mr Ambler had just two weeks to ensure the 80-minute ballet was focused, professional and entertaining. It was a major challenge and one that Mr Ambler met with a calm and determined resolution. He was impressed how quick-on-the-uptake the boys were and how the professional dancers accepted them as colleagues.

He told The Herald during rehearsals: “The boys are so involved, they’re really concentrating – not just on getting their moves right, but on what’s meant to be happening. They are really contributing. And they’ve got good ideas. We are, however, discouraging them from breaking their necks!”

When the ballet played at the Eden Court theatre and Aberdeen the boys hailed from Inverness, Portree, Forres and Gairloch. Mr Ambler’s real challenge was to draw something genuine and individual out of each boy. He was keen to vary interpretations and encourage each boy to ‘do his own thing’. “There’s no room for superficiality, or mimicking the others,” he added in The Herald.

Scott Ambler was born in Leeds and trained at the Rambert Ballet School. He danced with various companies but in 1990 he returned to Ballet Rambert and after junior roles became a principal and assistant artistic director. His roles included James in Highland Fling and the Prince in The Nutcracker.

In 1990 Bourne cast him as the Prince in his historic version of Swan Lake. Mr Ambler brought to the role a sinister elegance that drove the drama on – he matched the sensual allure of Adam Cooper magnificently. The Times critic wrote: “Scott Ambler’s Prince is one of the finest portrayals you will see on a West End stage.” Later he triumphed on tour in the UK and in America.

As a choreographer he worked on various shows in London and assisted Bourne on such smash hits as Oliver! and My Fair Lady and helped to stage the Swan Lake section in the dramatic finale of the movie version of Billy Elliot.

Mr Ambler’s choreographic legacy was internationally established by his inspiring work on Lord Of The Flies. The Herald wrote of that first production: “A superbly visceral version of Golding’s novel... Astonishing.” His vision and originality as a choreographer had begun in a hall in Govan – it was to astonish audiences around the world.