Rambert Grades appoints new CEO Abigail Reeve

Rambert Grades is delighted to announce the appointment of Abigail Reeve as its new Chief Executive Officer, joining the organisation in October 2023.

Abigail comes to Rambert Grades with extensive experience in the dance sector, joining the awarding organisation from Birmingham Royal Ballet where she was Executive Producer for seven years.

She brings over 25 years of experience across the dance and commercial sectors, having initially trained and performed as a professional dancer and teacher. After retiring from dancing, she worked at a senior level in a variety of commercial organisations spanning pharmaceutical marketing and tourism. On her return to the dance industry, Abigail was General Manager for Stopgap Dance Company and then a Dance Relationship Manager for Arts Council England for the Midlands region with a specialism in inclusive and disabled-led dance. She joined Birmingham Royal Ballet in November 2016 where, as Executive Producer, she led on the development of new and commissioned work for the Company, including the innovative “Ballet Now” programme, focussing on developing the next tranche of makers for the large-scale international ballet sector. Abigail produced and premiered the first ballet anywhere in the world following the Covid lockdown, Lazuli Sky, in 2020 and has most recently produced Birmingham Royal Ballet’s major new critically acclaimed work – Black Sabbath the Ballet.

Abigail retains her commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and continues to mentor artists, dance companies and managers in the development of their careers. She is a Trustee of Stopgap Dance Company.

Abigail Reeve, newly appointed CEO of Rambert Grades said: “At this really exciting moment in the development of Rambert Grades, I am delighted to be joining the organisation. The opportunities for the expansion of Rambert Grades nationally and internationally, to train teachers and young people in this wonderful syllabus, is one that I relish and we must grasp as a company. I look forward to working with the Rambert family and continuing to expand the collaboration between Rambert and Rambert School in the further development of the programme.”

Helen Shute, Chief Executive and Executive Producer of Rambert said: “I’m delighted that Abigail is joining us to lead Rambert Grades into its next phase, bringing with her a breadth of experience, across the industry. I have every trust her expertise, combined with her commitment towards a more and more inclusive dance sector, will continue to develop Rambert Grades as a progressive and sector changing programme, empowering and inspiring a larger, more diverse base of young people in the UK and worldwide to believe in themselves and their creative talents.”

Amanda Britton, Chief Executive, Principal and Artistic Director of Rambert School said: “We are proud to welcome Abigail to Rambert Grades to lead the organisation towards further growth and expansion. She brings rich industry experience and a deep understanding of and passion for progressive dance education. We look forward to continued collaboration across Rambert Grades, Rambert and Rambert School to bring the benefits of creative dance and movement to teachers and young people across the world.”

Created in a landmark collaborative partnership between Rambert (dance company) and Rambert School, Rambert Grades is a progressive and inclusive creative contemporary dance syllabus recognised by Ofqual. Across two syllabi developed by a team of industry experts with additional solo material created by internationally renowned choreographers Hofesh Shechter OBE, Alesandra Seutin and Rambert’s artistic director Benoit Swan Pouffer, Rambert Grades training is accessible to all ages, abilities and bodies regardless of prior experience of formal dance training.

Rambert Grades has 450 members in 28 countries across the world. Across four levels and eleven qualifications (Creative Movers to Grade 8), Rambert Grades teachers are taught to promote a safe environment to enable students to develop lifelong skills. Syllabus Training is offered online. Learn more about joining Rambert Grades at https://www.rambertgrades.com/teach

Mark Tantam, Chairperson of Rambert Grades said: “We are thrilled to welcome Abigail to Rambert Grades as our very first full-time Chief Executive. She brings exceptional skills and a wealth of experience which will be invaluable to take the organisation on the next stage of its development as a leading provider of contemporary dance education.”