Mark Baldwin

Mark Baldwin © Hugo GlendinningMark Baldwin was born in Fiji and raised and educated in New Zealand. His interest in the arts led him to pursue a degree in Fine Art at the University of Auckland, something which has influenced his approach to creativity ever since.

He danced with Royal New Zealand Ballet before joining Rambert Dance Company (then Ballet Rambert). He performed with Rambert for ten years and used the opportunity to develop his choreographic skills.

On leaving Rambert he was appointed Resident Choreographer at Sadler's Wells, where he established the Mark Baldwin Dance Company (1993 - 2001). His status as a leading choreographer was affirmed with the creation of over 40 works for the Mark Baldwin Dance Company and other major dance companies including: The Royal Ballet, Royal New Zealand Ballet, Berlin State Opera House, Phoenix Dance Theatre, Scottish Ballet (where he was also Resident Choreographer in 1996), London City Ballet and Rambert Dance Company.

Mark has received numerous awards, including the Bonnie Bird Choreographic Award (1992), the 1995 Time Out Award for Dance, and the South Bank Show Award for The Bird Sings With Its Fingers (2001). He received the French Grand Prix Award for Film (1996), for Echo, a collaboration with visual artist Anish Kapoor and composer Brian Elias, and in 2002, the Dance Artist Fellowship for Outstanding Contribution to Dance.

In December 2002, Mark returned to Rambert Dance Company as Artistic Director. His vision since then has been to commission works that encourage collaboration with other artforms. Critically praised for reinvigorating the Company and its repertoire, to date Mark has commissioned new works by numerous British and international choreographers.

In May 2005, Mark premièred Constant Speed, his first work for Rambert since becoming Artistic Director. The work, and his high calibre of his artistic directorship of Rambert, won him the TMA Theatre Award for Achievement in Dance.

His restaging of Michael Clark's Swamp also won an Olivier Award. In 2006 Mark choreographed The Wedding for the Royal New Zealand Ballet, and collaborated with Amanda Eyles to rework Andrée Howard's 1939 work Lady into Fox.

In 2008 he created the highly acclaimed work Eternal Light, and in 2009, The Comedy of Change.

In 2010, the Company won the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance, in recognition of the previous years' repertoire.

Photo: © Hugo Glendinning

Blog

Last week of autumn tour - Mark Baldwin

30 November 2011 / Read more

So we’re into our final week of the autumn tour (Plymouth this week Wednesday - Friday), and I must say I have been delighted with the audiences' reactions.

First week of tour - Mark Baldwin

14 October 2011 / Read more

I'm very much looking forward to seeing Seven for a secret, never to be told again. On the opening night in Salford I was nervous and wasn't able to relax. The second night an audience member was taken ill during the piece, and finding someone to help was much more important!

Back to Chiswick - Mark Baldwin

5 September 2011 / Read more

Back from holiday and straight into it. My time away was full of activity and included judging the Cechetti Ballet competition (modern section) then teaching at the Ballet masterclass in Prague (modern).

The Dancing Professor (Part 3) - Nicky Clayton

16 August 2011 / Read more

Nicky talks about the other projects she and Mark have been working on, and what's coming up for them.