Michael Pink (born 18 November 1956) is a British choreographer, director, dancer, and theatre producer whose works and style have been referred to as “classical ballet for the 21st century.” His trademark narrative works have been presented throughout

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

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and

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. Pink began his professional career as a dancer with the

London Festival Ballet English National Ballet is a classical ballet company founded by Alicia Markova, Dame Alicia Markova and Anton Dolin (ballet dancer), Sir Anton Dolin as London Festival Ballet and based in London, England. Along with The Royal Ballet, Birmingham ...

(now the

English National Ballet English National Ballet is a classical ballet company founded by Dame Alicia Markova and Sir Anton Dolin as London Festival Ballet and based in London, England. Along with The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Northern Ballet and Scott ...

). After retiring from the stage, Pink went on to choreograph, direct, and teach internationally. He was the Associate

Artistic Director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogu ...

of the UK's

Northern Ballet Theatre Northern Ballet, formerly Northern Ballet Theatre, is a dance company based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, with a strong repertoire in theatrical dance productions where the emphasis is on story telling as well as classical ballet. The compan ...

(1993-1998), working closely with friend and mentor

Christopher Gable Christopher Michael Gable, CBE (13 March 194023 October 1998) was an English ballet dancer, choreographer and actor. Life and career Dance career Born in London, Gable studied at the Royal Ballet School, joining the Sadler's Wells Royal Ball ...

, CBE. Pink felt Gable gave him the confidence to be true to himself as an artist. Together, they formed a close collaborative team with composer Philip Feeney and designer

Lez Brotherston Leslie William Brotherston (born 1961) is a British set and costume designer. Early life He was born in Liverpool and attended Prescot Grammar School. He trained at the Central School of Art and Design, graduating in theatre design in 1984 ...

, creating landmark original ballets. Pink was also co-founder of Ballet Central, the graduate performing company of the

Central School of Ballet Central School of Ballet is a classical ballet school based in London, with students from countries all over the world. History The school was established in 1982 by Ann Stannard and Christopher Gable. It established a touring company, ''Ba ...

, where both he and Feeney created 16 original works. He is currently the Artistic Director of the

Milwaukee Ballet The Milwaukee Ballet is a professional ballet company founded by Roberta Boorse of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It is located in Milwaukee, and is currently run by Michael Pink, the artistic director. History The Milwaukee Ballet was fou ...

, and is the longest-serving Artistic Director in the company's history.

Early life

Michael Pink was born in

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

, England in 1956. His parents worked most of their lives for the chocolate company Rowntree Mackintosh. Music played an important role in his childhood and he was head

chorister A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

at St. Olave's Church. This was the same church in which he married ballerina Jayne Regan in 1998. Pink's mother, father, and brothers were members of the York Amateur Opera and Dramatic Society, and Pink's first role was in ''

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

'' at the

York Theatre Royal York Theatre Royal is a theatre in St Leonard's Place, in York, England, which dates back to 1744. The theatre currently seats 750 people. Whilst the theatre is traditionally a proscenium theatre, it was reconfigured for a season in 2011 to off ...

. His younger brother Gregory was a theatre electrician who went on to become a sound designer, and his older brother Anthony was a trustee banker and treasurer for the society. Theatre was very much a family affair. He returned in 1975 to choreograph ''The Englishman Amused'', a

musical revue ''Musical Revue'' is a live album featuring Prince Far I and Suns of Arqa released on ROIR Europe in 1988. The album was produced by Phil Rainford and features a live recording of Prince Far I with Suns of Arqa at Band on the Wall in Mancheste ...

, for York Theatre Royal, directed by Jimmy Thompson.

Career

Training

Pink trained at the

Royal Ballet School The Royal Ballet School is a British school of classical ballet training founded in 1926 by the Anglo-Irish ballerina and choreographer Ninette de Valois. The school's aim is to train and educate outstanding classical ballet dancers, especially ...

in London. His passion for dance, and choreography in particular, earned him accolades, including winning the first Ursula Moreton Choreographic Competition. Whilst still a student at RBS he was invited by

Sir Frederick Ashton Sir Frederick William Mallandaine Ashton (17 September 190418 August 1988) was a British ballet dancer and choreographer. He also worked as a director and choreographer in opera, film and revue. Determined to be a dancer despite the oppositio ...

to assist in choreographing the Anacat Fashion Show for HRH

Princess Margaret Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. She was the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth II. ...

. Upon graduation he attended the inaugural GulbenkianChoreographic Summer Program, led by

Glen Tetley Glen Tetley (February 3, 1926 – January 26, 2007) was an American ballet and modern dancer as well as a choreographer who mixed ballet and modern dance to create a new way of looking at dance, and is best known for his piece ''Pierrot Lunair ...

, Mary Hicks, and Dame Peggy van Praagh.

London Festival Ballet

In 1975, Pink joined the London Festival Ballet, under the directorship of

Dame Beryl Grey Dame Beryl Elizabeth Grey (née Groom; 11 June 1927 – 10 December 2022) was a British ballet dancer. Early life Beryl Elizabeth Groom was born in Highgate, London on 11 June 1927 to Annie and Arthur "Bob" Groom. She was an only child. She beg ...

. He quickly gained a reputation as an excellent partner, and danced many leading roles with ballerinas; Patricia Ruanne,

Eva Evdokimova Eva Maria Evdokimova-Gregori (December 1, 1948 – April 3, 2009) was an American ''Prima Ballerina Assoluta'' with the Royal Danish, Berlin Opera Ballets, English National Ballet and guest artist with virtually every major ballet company wor ...

Elisabetta Terabust Elisabetta Terabust (5 August 1946 – 5 February 2018) was an Italian ballerina and company director. She trained at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma and worked for the London Festival Ballet (now the English National Ballet) and the Ballet National ...

Lynn Seymour Lynn Seymour (born Berta Lynn Springbett; 8 March 1939 – 7 March 2023) was a Canadian-born ballerina, mostly associated with the Royal Ballet in London. She was a muse of choreographer Kenneth MacMillan, creating lead roles in ''Romeo and Jul ...

, and most noticeably,

Natalia Makarova Natalia Romanovna Makarova (, born 21 November 1940) is a Russian prima ballerina and choreographer. ''The History of Dance'', published in 1981, notes that "her performances set standards of artistry and aristocracy of dance which mark her a ...

John Cranko John Cyril Cranko (15 August 1927 – 26 June 1973) was a South African ballet dancer and choreographer with the Royal Ballet and the Stuttgart Ballet. Life and career Early life Cranko was born to Herbert and Grace Cranko in Rustenburg in ...

’s '' Onegin''. Pink performed in works by Massine,

Tetley Tetley is an English beverage manufacturer founded in 1837 in Yorkshire. It is the largest company of tea in the United Kingdom and Canada, and the second-largest in the United States by volume. Since 2000, Tetley has been a wholly owned subs ...

, Bruce, Hynd, Tudor, Ashton, and Beriosova. His first choreographic work for the company, ''1914'', was nominated for a West End Theatre Award. He was also a recipient of the

Royal Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, commonly known as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), is a learned society that champions innovation and progress across a multitude of sectors by fostering creativity, s ...

Choreographic Award. During this time, Pink also became close friends with

Rudolf Nureyev Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev (17 March 19386 January 1993) was a Soviet-born ballet dancer and choreographer. Nureyev is widely regarded as the preeminent male ballet dancer of his generation as well as one of the greatest ballet dancers of all ...

, serving as his

répétiteur A (; from the French verb meaning 'to repeat, to go over, to learn, to rehearse') is an accompanist, tutor or coach of ballet dancers or opera singers. The feminine form is . Opera In opera, a is the person responsible for coaching singers ...

for his production of "Romeo and Juliet" at both

Paris Opera The Paris Opera ( ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be kn ...

and La Scala Milan. Pink states that this formative time with Nureyev taught him the necessity of finding a balance between work and life, saying "he gave me the confidence to be true to myself as a creative artist."

Northern Ballet Theatre

Pink was first commissioned in 1982 by the

Arts Council of Great Britain The Arts Council of Great Britain was a non-departmental public body dedicated to the promotion of the fine arts in Great Britain. It was divided in 1994 to form the Arts Council of England (now Arts Council England), the Scottish Arts Council (l ...

and Northern Ballet Theatre to create ''Attractions'', in collaboration with composer Michael Berkley. His 1987 production of ''Memoire Imaginaire'' was filmed for HTV International's "Time to Dance". In 1988 he choreographed his first full length production, ''The Amazing Adventures of Don Quixote''. In 1989 he created ''Strange Meeting'', a one act ballet based on the poems of

Wilfred Owen Wilfred Edward Salter Owen Military Cross, MC (18 March 1893 – 4 November 1918) was an English poet and soldier. He was one of the leading poets of the First World War. His war poetry on the horrors of Trench warfare, trenches and Chemi ...

, with music by Philip Feeney and design by

. Pink joined NBT as associate artistic director in 1993, where he remained until 1998. During this time he created ''The Hunchback of Notre Dame'', ''Swan Lake'', ''Giselle'', and his most popular and critically acclaimed ballet, ''Dracula''.

Milwaukee Ballet

Pink assumed the role of Artistic Director of the Milwaukee Ballet in December 2002. In his time as AD he has successfully nurtured partnerships with other arts groups and educational institutions including UW-Milwaukee and the

Medical College of Wisconsin The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) is a private medical school, pharmacy school, and graduate school of sciences in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. The school was established in 1893 and is the largest research center in eastern Wisconsi ...

. Under his direction, the Milwaukee Ballet school and MBII program gained accreditation from the National Association of Dance; both are now attracting dancers from around the world. ''Romeo and Juliet'' was broadcast by MPTV in 2007. In 2013 his acclaimed production of ''Peter Pan'' was screened nationally on PBS's "

Great Performances ''Great Performances'' is a television anthology series dedicated to the performing arts; the banner has been used to televise plays, musicals, opera, ballet, concerts, as well as occasional documentaries. It is produced by the PBS member statio ...

". He has continued to create original work for Milwaukee Ballet with his longtime collaborator Philip Feeney, and lighting designer David Grill.

Personal life

Pink married Northern Ballet Theatre principal artist Jayne Regan in 1998. Together they have two children, Max Christian Pink and Georgina Elizabeth Pink. Pink also has a daughter from a previous marriage, Dr. Chloë Barrett-Pink.

Selected choreographic works

For London Festival Ballet

*''1914'' (1980) *''Ibertissment'' (1981)

For Northern Ballet Theatre

*''Attractions'' (1982) *''Memoire Imaginaire'' (1987) *''The Amazing Adventures of Don Quixote'' (1988) *''Strange Meeting'' (1989) *''Swan Lake'' (1994) *''Dracula'' (1996) *''Giselle'' (1997) *''The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' (1998)

For Atlanta Ballet

*''Romeo & Juliet'' (2000)

For Milwaukee Ballet

*''The Nutcracker'' (2003) *''Solstice'' (2004) *''Swan Lake'' (2006) *''Aubade'' (2008) *''Sleeping Beauty'' (2008) *''Cinderella'' (2009) *''Peter Pan'' (2010) *''La Bohème'' (2012) *''Mirror Mirror'' (2014) *''Dorian Gray'' (2016) *''Beauty and the Beast'' (2018) *''Nutcracker Drosselmeyer's Imaginarium'' (2024)

For the Milwaukee Repertory Theater

*''Cabaret'' *''Assassins'' *''Next to Normal'' *''A Christmas Carol''

Honors

*1978 Royal Society of Arts Choreographic Award *2008 Wisconsin Dance Council Choreography/Performance Award *2014

Milwaukee Press Club The Milwaukee Press Club, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is the oldest continuously operating press club in the United States. The club comprises journalists and others in the media in the Milwaukee area, as well as journalism educators, public relations ...

Headliner Award-Lifetime Achievement *2015 Civic Music Milwaukee Distinguished Citizen – Professional in the Arts Award *2019 Sharon Lynne Wilson Center Educational Excellence Award

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pink, Michael 1956 births Living people English choreographers