Liam Scarlett, former Royal Ballet Choreographer, dies aged 35

The sudden death of Liam Scarlett, one of the most gifted and prolific choreographers of his generation, has come as a shock to the arts world.

Scarlett, 35, left the Royal Ballet on 23 March last year after more than 14 years with the company, first as a dancer and then a choreographer. His early career saw a stratospheric rise to international acclaim, but this promise was cut short following allegations of sexual misconduct with students. He was suspended from his position as artist-in-residence of the Royal Ballet in August 2019. His departure seven months later came in spite of the fact that he was cleared by an independent inquiry of any wrongdoing. A statement from issue at the time by the Royal Ballet said: ‘there were no matters to pursue in relation to alleged contact with students of the Royal Ballet School.’

Then on 16 April this year,  Kasper Holten, director of the Royal Danish Theatre, announced the cancellation of the ballet  Frankenstein which was due to be performed  in Copenhagen in 2022. Scarlett had orginally choreographed the work for premiere at the Royal Opera House in 2016. The theatre in Copenhagen cited allegations of misconduct against its staff by Scarlett in 2018-19 as the reason for the cancellation. Holten, who was director of opera at London’s Royal Opera House from 2011-2017,  said in a statement: ‘Offensive behaviour is unacceptable at the Royal Theatre, also from visiting artists. The wellbeing and safety of our employees is a high priority for us. We therefore do not wish to perform the works of the choreographer in question until further notice.’

The day after the cancellation came the announcement that Scarlett had unexpectedly died. The cause of death is yet to be announced. Among the tributes is one from another celebrated choreographer Alexei Ratmansky who posted on Facebook: 'How is it possible that the whole ballet world, all of us, turned our backs on such an amazing talent, forcing him to die so young?! Shame and sadness … RIP Liam.'

Liam Scarlett joined the Royal Ballet in 2005 as a dancer and retired seven years later to dedicate himself to choreography. As artist-in-residence, he was responsible for creating a number of ballets, including Asphodel Meadows, Consolations and Liebestraum. He chorographed a new production of Swan Lake in 2018. Reviewing the opening night, Guardian dance critic Judith Mackrell wrote: ‘The climactic pas de deux deserves a review in itself, as does all the superlative dancing from the production’s opening cast. But Scarlett’s directorial best comes in his handling of the ballet’s close. The spell over Odette may be broken as the swans turn against their captor, but the princess whom Siegfried rescues from the lake turns out be lifeless. It’s a perfectly judged ending for a 21st-century audience – and there are tears.’