Tributes paid to 'ever-ambitious' dancer and programmer Emma Gladstone

Tributes have been paid to dancer and programmer Emma Gladstone, who has died aged 63.

London International Festival of Theatre artistic director Kris Nelson called Gladstone, artistic director of Dance Umbrella festival from 2013 to 2021, "a strategic, ever-ambitious and so deeply kind [...] festival-making ally".

Akram Khan Company said Gladstone’s death was an "immense loss" for the dance community, while former Bristol Old Vic artistic director Tom Morris called her "a giant [...] loved so much by so many".

In a statement released on January 24, Dance Umbrella said Gladstone had passed away on January 22, following a short illness.

Gladstone led the influential dance festival as both artistic director and chief executive, and became known for staging performances in more diverse a range of locations - and often outdoor spaces - than ever before in its history.

A respected arts adviser and programmer, Gladstone worked worldwide, including as artistic director of the 2023 Rolex Arts Festival in Athens, Greece.

From 2005 to 2013, she worked as artistic programmer and producer at London dance hub Sadler’s Wells. While there, she established development schemes including the Jerwood Studio research programme and the New Wave Associates initiative.

As a producer, she presented performances for partners including London venues the Southbank Centre, the Place, Tate Modern and the Young Vic. In 2021, she was awarded an OBE for services to dance - 36 years after her postgraduate diploma in community dance at London’s Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.

Alistair Spalding, artistic director and co-chief executive of Sadler’s Wells, called her "a true trailblazer in the dance world, in all her guises", while her alma mater called her "a cherished member of the Trinity Laban community".