Artistic Team

Christopher Hampson

Chief Executive/Artistic Director

Christopher Hampson joined Scottish Ballet as Artistic Director in August 2012 and was appointed Artistic Director / Chief Executive of Scottish Ballet in June 2015.

Christopher trained at the Royal Ballet Schools. His choreographic work began there and continued at English National Ballet (ENB), where he danced until 1999 and for whom he subsequently created numerous award-winning works, including Double Concerto, Perpetuum Mobile,Country Garden, Concerto Grosso and The Nutcracker.

Christopher’s Romeo and Juliet, created for the Royal New Zealand Ballet (RNZB), was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award (Best New Production 2005) and his production of Giselle for the National Theatre in Prague has been performed every year since its premiere in 2004. Christopher created Sinfonietta Giocosa for the Atlanta Ballet (USA) in 2006 and after a New York tour it received its UK premiere with ENB in 2007.

He created Cinderella for RNZB in 2007, which was subsequently hailed as Best New Production by the New Zealand Herald and televised by TVNZ in 2009. His work has toured Australia, China, the USA and throughout Europe. Other commissions include, Dear Norman (Royal Ballet, 2009); Sextet (Ballet Black/ROH2, 2010); Silhouette (RNZB, 2010), Rite of Spring (Atlanta Ballet, 2011), Storyville (Ballet Black/ROH2, 2012) nominated for a National Dance Award 2012, and Hansel and Gretel (Scottish Ballet 2013).

Christopher is co-founder of the International Ballet Masterclasses in Prague and has been a guest teacher for English National Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet, Royal New Zealand Ballet, Hong Kong Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures and the Genée International Ballet Competition. Christopher’s work now forms part of the Solo Seal Award for the Royal Academy of Dance.

Christopher most recently gave a talk on ‘Creative Thinking’ for TEDx Glasgow and is developping and leading the inaugural Young Rural Retreat for Aspiring Leaders, in association with Dance East in summer 2016.

Contact Julie Shepherd, Executive Assistant to Chief Executive/Artistic Director (Maternity Cover)

Oliver Rydout

Rehearsal Director

Oliver was born in Cheshire and trained at the Hammond School and the Royal Ballet School. Upon graduation he joined Scottish Ballet (Artistic Director, Galina Samsova), and danced many soloist and leading roles.

After 6 years with the company he took a leave of absence to dance with the Asami Maki Ballet and New National Ballet, in Tokyo, Japan. He danced leading roles in much of the classical repertoire including Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Le Corsaire and La Fille mal Gardée. He also danced in works by Roland Petit, Nacho Duato, Azari Plisetsky and Frederick Ashton.

In 2002, Oliver re-joined Scottish Ballet and created the role of the Prince in Ashely Page’s The Nutcracker. He continued to dance many principal and soloist roles in works by George Balanchine, William Forsythe, Hans van Manen and Krzysztof Pastor until, in 2008, he trained as a certified Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis instructor. On leaving Scottish Ballet, he gained a Post-Graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Arts Education

Oliver was a founding member and lecturer on the BA Modern Ballet programme at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland as the Graduate year tutor. He has also been a guest teacher with Scottish Ballet, Michael Clark Company and the Irish Ballet Forum.

He joined Scottish Ballet as Assistant Rehearsal Director in August 2014 and promoted to Rehearsal Director in 2015.

Maria Jimenez

Artistic Coordinator

Maria trained at Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and Dance of Madrid, Spain. She was Ballet Teacher at School of Dance Maria de Avila in Zaragoza between 1991-2001, and during this time was Official Teacher for III, IV, and V National Dance Competition of Torrelavaga, Spain. She then became Ballet Mistress and Repetiteur for Ballet de Zaragoza where she remained until 2004.

Maria studied Benesh Notation at the Benesh Institute, Royal Academy of Dance, London, and in addition, she is qualified in Therapeutic Massage. During her career Maria has worked with choreographers such as Maria de Avila, Antonia Francheschi, Mark Baldwin and Richard Alston. Her own choreographies include Allegro Vivace, 2000, Suite Holberg, 1997 and Sinfonia n. 1 1994.

Sophie Laplane

Artist In Residence - Choreographer

Sophie Laplane was born in Paris, France and trained at The Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris and Paris Opera Ballet School. Sophie joined Scottish Ballet in 2004, and was First Artist from July 2011 - June 2017. She is a talented choreographer and has presented a number of works for Scottish Ballet, at the Edinburgh International Festival and at large scale theatres across Scotland.

Rimbaud Patron

Artist In Residence - Photographer

Currently a First Artist with Scottish Ballet, Rimbaud Patron was born in Grenoble, France and trained at National Conservatory of Paris, Paris Opera Ballet School, Boulonge Conservatory Paris and English National Ballet School. He joined Scottish Ballet in 2012 and has taken countless stunning photos of and for Scottish Ballet.