Philip Chatfield
{{Short description|Artistic director of the Royal New Zealand Ballet}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Philip Chatfield
| honorific_suffix =
| birth_date = 2 December 1927
| death_date = {{death date and age|2021|7|25|1927|12|2|df=y}}
| known_for = Ballet
| occupation = Ballet dancer, artistic director
| employer = Royal Ballet, Royal New Zealand Ballet
| spouse =Rowena Jackson}}
Philip Chatfield (2 December 1927 – 25 July 2021) was a British born ballet dancer, choreographer and artistic director. He danced for the Royal Ballet and was artistic director of the Royal New Zealand Ballet.
Early life
Chatfield was born in 1927 near Southampton, England, starting ballet at the age of six. He took up a scholarship to the Sadler's Wells Ballet School at the age of 11.{{Cite news|last=Shennan|first=Jennifer|date=7 August 2021|title=Obituary: Philip Chatfield, artistic director of the Royal New Zealand Ballet|work=Stuff|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/arts/125964932/obituary-philip-chatfield-artistic-director-of-the-royal-new-zealand-ballet|access-date=16 January 2022|archive-date=15 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220115202833/https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/arts/125964932/obituary-philip-chatfield-artistic-director-of-the-royal-new-zealand-ballet|url-status=live}}
Career
Chatfield became a full-time member at Sadler's Wells (later the Royal Ballet) at the age of 15 in 1943.{{Cite web|title=Chatfield, Philip, 1927-2021|url=https://tiaki.natlib.govt.nz/#details=ethesaurus.195798|url-status=live|access-date=10 August 2021|website=tiaki.natlib.govt.nz|archive-date=4 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204000402/https://tiaki.natlib.govt.nz/#details=ethesaurus.195798}} He became a principal dancer in 1955. He performed leading and solo roles.
In 1958–1959 Chatfield toured in Europe, America, New Zealand and Australia with his ballet dancer wife, New Zealander Rowena Jackson. In 1959 Chatfield and Jackson retired from performing and left London to settle in New Zealand. That year, with other dancers such as Russell Kerr and Poul Gnatt, they formed the United Ballet Company which toured New Zealand.{{Cite web|last=Shennan|first=Jennifer|date=2014|title=A national company emerges|url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/ballet/page-2|url-status=live|access-date=10 August 2021|website=teara.govt.nz|language=en|archive-date=10 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810073146/https://teara.govt.nz/en/ballet/page-2}} In the mid–1970s Chatfield became director of the National School of Ballet, with Jackson as associate director. From 1975–1978 Chatfield was artistic director of the Royal New Zealand Ballet.{{Cite web|last=Shennan|first=Jennifer|date=2014|title=Building a foundation, 1960s and 1970s|url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/ballet/page-3|url-status=live|access-date=10 August 2021|website=teara.govt.nz|language=en|archive-date=10 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810073135/https://teara.govt.nz/en/ballet/page-3}} In 1993 Chatfield and Jackson moved to live near family in Brisbane.{{cite news|last1=Simonot|first1=Suzanne|date=24 July 2017|title=Former Royal Ballet dance stars perfect partners on and off the stage|work=Gold Coast Bulletin|url=https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/lifestyle/former-royal-ballet-dance-stars-perfect-partners-on-and-off-the-stage/news-story/a05c89f743d4429eb1d53fcf01886948|accessdate=10 August 2021|archive-date=10 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810085630/https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/lifestyle/former-royal-ballet-dance-stars-perfect-partners-on-and-off-the-stage/news-story/a05c89f743d4429eb1d53fcf01886948|url-status=live}}
Personal life
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/43134/directors-of-the-new-zealand-ballet Philip Chatfield at the reunion of the directors of the New Zealand Ballet in 1984 in Te Ara]
- [https://rnzb.org.nz/news/tribute-to-philip-chatfield/ Tribute to Philip Chatfield, Royal New Zealand Ballet, 2021]
- [https://www.roh.org.uk/news/remembering-philip-chatfield-19272021 Remembering Philip Chatfield (1927–2021), Royal Opera House, 26 July 2021]
- {{IMDb name|2925655|Philip Chatfield}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chatfield, Philip}}
Category:People educated at the Royal Ballet School
Category:New Zealand male ballet dancers
Category:British male ballet dancers
Category:20th-century New Zealand dancers
Category:20th-century British ballet dancers
Category:British emigrants to New Zealand
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