Paul Chantry (b1983)
PAUL Chantry is not a conventional ballet dancer. In his late teens, on an acting course, he was inspired by a demonstration by a dance company and the big bit him immediately.
He grew up on Cambridge Street, and now lives just outside the town centre.
Paul went to Little Gonerby School, The National School, then St Hugh’s before becoming a drama student at Brooksby Melton College.
It was while at Brooksby Melton College, Paul attended a visiting dance workshop led by some of Matthew Bourne’s company members. This encouraged him to take up dance as part of his course.
His commitment to dance crystallised when he met the dancers of Ballet Central while working on the technical team at The Guildhall Arts Centre during their performance there.
He was fascinated by the dancers’ discipline and how they combined grace with extraordinary physical strength. This encouraged him to audition for Central School of Ballet, and upon gaining a place there, his career in dance started in earnest.
Paul trained at Central School Of Ballet and his performing career started as a member of Ballet Central in 2004.
Since then, Paul has worked with Javier De Frutos on his creation Eternal Damnation to Sancho and Sanchez for Sadler’s Wells, which then embarked on a European tour. Paul was part of the original and revival casts in The Most Incredible Thing for Sadler’s Wells, directed and choreographed by Javier De Frutos and composed by the Pet Shop Boys.
He has worked on numerous opera productions for English National Opera, Opera De Lille, Opera Dijon, Scottish Opera, Grange Park Opera, Opera North and English Touring Opera.
The varied nature of his career has inspired Paul’s choreography, enabling him to create work for the contemporary ballet world as well as for musicals, opera and theatre. He and his wife Rae Piper, formed Chantry Dance Company in 2012, which they are co-Artistic Directors for now. The company relocated from London to Grantham in 2013.
Paul’s work with Chantry Dance Company saw them achieve their debut performance at Sadler’s Wells within three months of their formation, performing five pieces that were commissioned for the Chinese Calligraphy, Music and Dance Concert. Following this, he created three pieces for CDC in collaboration with Ronald Corp OBE and Francis Booth – The Yellow Wallpaper, Lullaby For a Lost Soul and Songs of The Elder Sisters. CDC’s latest work is the OUT OF BOUNDS tour, comprising four new pieces, which include a Bob Dylan ballet, and ad fidem – a ballet set to a score commissioned from Emmy-nominated composer Rob Logan.
Outside of CDC, Paul works in a choreographic partnership with Rae.
Together they have choreographed many productions including The Merry Widow for the Philharmonia Orchestra/John Wilson at The Royal Festival Hall, Horrible Histories – Terrible Tudors and Vile Victorians (UK Tour) for Birmingham Stage Company, and The Last Days of Mankind (UK Premiere) for The Bristol Old Vic Theatre Royal.
They also choreographed The Magic Flute and La Traviata for The Merry Opera Company (nominated for Best Opera, The Off West End Theatre Awards), and will be choreographing Horrible Histories – Horrible Christmas at Derby Theatre in late 2013, and working with Grange Park Opera on The Queen of Spades and Pimlico Opera on Sister Act in 2014.
His twin brother Steven is also in theatre, currently working front of house at The Duchess Theatre in London’s West End.
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