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Bethany Kingsley-Garner

Principal

Bethany is a white woman with blonde hair and blue eyes smiling at the camera

Joined Scottish Ballet: 2007

Training: Royal Ballet School 

It felt so spiritual and a huge sense of freedom of working for something I had dreamt of had come true.

Bethany is sponsored by Hamilton & Inches
logo for Hamilton & Inches

What career moment are you most proud of? 
I am most proud of the moment I was promoted to Principal dancer. It felt like an out-of-body experience, I was on stage at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre and I remember looking up into the spotlight. It felt so spiritual and a huge sense of freedom of working for something I had dreamt of had come true. 

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
The best piece of advice I have been given was ‘lead with your heart’. Not only in the studio but this can be transferred to everything in life. You know you being true to yourself this way. 

What’s your favourite place in Scotland?
My favourite place in Scotland is walking down the River Clyde, I love being close to the water and how you can find serenity just a few steps away from the hustle and bustle of the city. 

What’s something people might not know about you?
Something people might not know about me is that I also wanted to become a Vicar, right up until I was 18, I was keeping my studies going and my connection with the church. It’s still there with me and I find strength from it every day. 

What does ‘home’ mean to you?
Home to me is my sanctuary, my safe place and where we have created our family, there really is nowhere else like it. 

What’s your hype song?
The hype song I play the most would be Divenire by Ludovico Einaudi, it makes me get connected with my body and help me focus. 

What advice would you give to your younger self?
The advice I would give my younger self would be, you will reach a point in your career when you can be emotionally and physically present in every step and breath you take on stage, and it’s worth waiting for. 

What makes you smile?
My daughter. 

Repertoire Highlights: The Scandal at Mayerling, Emergence, The Snow Queen, Swan Lake, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Crucible

‘In the title role, Bethany Kingsley-Garner shone like a diamond.’
Cinderella, Daily Mail, December 2018

‘(Bethany Kingsley-Garner) in the role of Elizabeth Proctor, was elegance personified’
The Crucible, The Daily Record, September 2019

‘As the Snow Queen, Bethany Kingsley-Garner is magnificent. Wonderfully sharp, her movement is beautiful, chilly and precise, at times resembling an ice sculpture come to life.’
The Snow Queen, What’s On North, February 2020

‘Kingsley-Garner has a vivacious and expressive face as well as a wonderfully brisk athleticism to her dancing.’
The Rite of Spring & The Fairy’s Kiss, Dance Tabs, June 2020