Royal Ballet School splits leadership role after management review

The Royal Ballet School is to separate the role of artistic director and chief executive following a review of its management structure.

It comes as the Royal Ballet School artistic director Christopher Powney prepares to leave after 10 years in the post – two of which combined the responsibilities of chief executive. 

He will depart in July, with chair of governors and former Almeida Theatre chair Christopher Rodrigues acting as interim chief executive with immediate effect.

In a statement, Rodrigues said: "Christopher’s decision to leave has given us an opportunity to review our management structure at any important time in the school’s history.

"As we approach our centenary, the continued development of the school and the scope of our ambition clearly demonstrate to us that the positions of chief executive and artistic director should be two distinct roles within our organisation for the foreseeable future."

Rodrigues said distinguishing the positions would "strengthen" the Royal Ballet School team and secure the school’s "artistic and financial future", continuing: "This is a very exciting and challenging time for all boarding schools, the more so far for us because we are also developing young elite athletes."

Powney is a former artistic director of the Dutch National Ballet Academy has danced with Northern Ballet, English National Ballet and Rambert Dance Company, and first joined the Royal Ballet School’s teaching staff in 2000.

After time spent working abroad, he returned to lead the school in 2014.

The search for his replacement as artistic director is yet to start.