This one-off special episode of Why Dance Matters marks the final of The Margot Fonteyn International Ballet Competition, the RAD’s flagship event. Talented young dancers from across the world test themselves in challenging solos, including work by a leading choreographer. This year, the Commissioned Choreographer is Ashley Page – formerly a dancer and dance maker with The Royal Ballet, then Artistic Director of Scottish Ballet and now creating work for leading international companies. His work is bold, spiky and lush. As well as roaming across his multifarious career, and learning what dance means to him, we hear about creating The Fonteyn solos remotely. About Ashley Page Ashley Page trained at the Royal Ballet School and entered the Royal Ballet company in 1975, becoming a Principal Dancer. As a choreographer, he has created many works for The Royal Ballet and elsewhere. Fearful Symmetries (1994) won both an Olivier Award and Time Out Dance Award. After 27 years at Covent Garden, he became Artistic Director of Scottish Ballet from 2002–2012, developing them into an award-winning, internationally renowned modern ballet company. Since 2012 he has been freelancing as a choreographer and opera director, working with ballet, contemporary dance and opera companies in the UK and internationally. He was awarded an OBE in 2006. Find out more about The Fonteyn and book your tickets to the online final: https://bit.ly/2RV9Qb7 Follow the RAD on social media, and join the conversation with host David Jays.Instagram @royalacademyofdanceFacebook @RoyalAcademyofDanceTwitter @RADheadquartersYouTube / royalacademydanceDavid Jays @mrdavidjays Sign up to our mailing list: https://bit.ly/3frWPh9 RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign: https://bit.ly/3fnxEwm or make a donation: https://bit.ly/3bxA6z5 Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.