The Richard Alston Foundation was founded in 2022 with a mission to preserve the choreographic work and heritage of Sir Richard Alston, one of British contemporary dance’s most influential and inspiring artists. Now the Foundation has launched a new website to promote its work.
As Alston continues his choreographic career, the Foundation exists to promote the remounting of his existing works, particularly those he created during his time as Artistic Director of The Place and principal choreographer of the Richard Alston Dance Company. Its focus is on educational settings such as schools and dance conservatoires. Initiatives include the training of artists and teachers, the production of educational materials, and the promotion of research.
The Foundation is currently working in collaboration with the V&A and The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts to ensure that a film and video archive of Alston’s work will be preserved and made available to the public. Recent activity includes working with One Dance UK at their 2025 U. Dance National Festival when lecture demonstrations were delivered by Richard Alston in conjunction with two of his former dancers, Pierre Tappon and Monique Jonas. Future projects include the creation of a digital teaching resource which introduces adapted excerpts of the Alston repertory to students.
The Foundation is led by trustees Graham Devlin (Chair), a senior arts manager and a cultural strategist and a writer and director in both theatre and opera; David Burnie, formerly Director of Finance and Administration at the Contemporary Dance Trust; Vidya Patel, choreographer and dancer; Isabel Tamen, currently Executive Director of Akram Khan Company, formerly Executive Director of Richard Alston Dance Company and a former dancer with RADC and London Contemporary Dance Theatre.
Graham Devlin says: “Richard Alston is one of this country's most significant contemporary choreographers. It is a great privilege for the Foundation to be able to contribute to his ongoing legacy.”
The new website, designed by Joe Walkling, can be found at: https://richardalstonfoundation.com/