John Ashford herdenkingspagina en condoleanceregister

You can access this memorial page by invitation only.

You do not have sufficient access rights to view this page.

This memorial page is no longer available

This memorial page has not been published yet.

This memorial page is not available.

Some unspecified error has occurred.

Memories ()
Condolences ()

John Ashford deactivated

06 Jul - 17 Dec

The administrator of this page is

Sadly John left us in December after a short illness. Megumi was at his side when he decided he was ready to go, peacefully. Over a long career, John was the first Theatre Editor of Time Out magazine (60s), Manager of Royal Court Theatre Upstairs (70s), Theatre Director at the ICA (early 80s), Director of The Place Theatre and founder of Aerowaves (1986-2022). His core beliefs and passions were the same, whether for theatre or dance. He was always thinking of new ideas - even while sunbathing on the beach. Always out looking for inspiration, new possibilities to explore. Always looking ahead. He loved sharing his ideas with like-minded people, creating joy together with them, connecting to the wider world - Europe, the Far East and beyond. John had special gift for spotting talent and potential in people, whether they were artists, writers or administrators and he helped them to develop their potential. That said, in return those people gave him great pleasure and made his life richer. John received a CBE(2002) for services to dance and, in 2022, the award for Outstanding Achievement at the Critics Circle National Dance Awards. If you would like to contribute your thoughts, please feel free to do so.

More... Less...

Memories Memories
Select a label that is applicable to this image: ( Edit your labels in the settings menu )
One moment please, your post is being saved...
Image Image
To attach an image drag & drop it here or

select a file from your computer

Select a label ( Edit your labels in the settings menu )
One moment please, your post is being saved...
Video Video
Upload a video on YouTube and paste the code here:
Select a label ( Edit your labels in the settings menu )
One moment please, your post is being saved...
Condolences Condolences
Condolences Condolences

One moment please, your post is being saved...

Filter: Show all labels

()

09-07 2024 13:06 View / Comment (0)

Anonymous user

Anonymous user

Save changes

More...
06-07 2024 09:57 View / Comment (0)

Kenneth Olumuyiwa Tharp

Kenneth Olumuyiwa Tharp

Save changes

I originally wrote this in December 2023, just after John died, but I didn’t feel able to share it at the time. I’m glad to have had the chance to look at it with fresh eyes, before sharing here. I first met John at The Place, when I was a dancer with London Contemporary Dance Theatre (1982-1994), but later got to work alongside him when I took up the role of Chief Executive of The Place, in Sept 2007. In one of our early one-to-one conversations, John urged me never to forget that I was also an artist. It was a good reminder, as I made the sudden transition from 25 years spent on stage and in the studio as a dancer, choreographer and teacher, to being behind a desk. Perhaps he feared that in my efforts to prove myself as a fledgling CEO, I might lose touch with all that I had learnt as a dance artist. Whatever his precise motivations, it was both welcome and insightful advice; I hope that I was able to honour his sound suggestion and retain an element of creative play, along with a strong empathy for building the conditions that allow art and artists to thrive. Thankfully working in The Place, when I felt I was losing touch, in my lofty hermetically-sealed office, it was easy to take my shoes off and go back into the studio, even if only for a brief while, to watch a rehearsal or a studio sharing, before returning to my office. While others talked about the importance of work-life balance John was of the firm view that if, like him, you truly loved what you were doing, then there was no line to draw between what was work and what wasn’t. Many will remember John as a man of phenomenal energy and dedication. Always present. Always going that extra mile. Another thing I learnt about John was that just like the founder of The Place, the late and equally remarkable Robin Howard CBE, John had also been a Quaker. How apt that the Quaker Friends Meeting House was barely a few hundred yards away from The Place on Euston Road. John and Robin both had beards, both had a warmth of personality and at the same time had a quiet, softly spoken, not to be messed with intensity, and a contagious sense of purposefulness, that often manifested in a particularly erudite use of language that could galvanise energy around an idea or a direction of travel. John often spoke of our role and our responsibility at The Place, as being “of service to and through dance.” These words and this sentiment was something I associated strongly with Robin Howard. I still have my red student ‘Exercise Book’ from my first day at The Place, on 20th September 1978, as a first-year student at the London Contemporary Dance School (or to be more accurate, the London, School of Contemporary Dance, as it was then called), I remember sitting on the floor, near the entrance to what is now the theatre bar, as we sat on thefloor as Robin welcomed us. In my notebook, I had made some brief notes of Robin Howard’s welcoming address, in which he spoke of the importance of four key things: professionalism, quality, love and service. Some 30 years later, as Chief Executive of The Place, the notion of ‘service’, in relation to the arts, was not a word commonly used; to many that might seem to be a language and ethos from another era, yet John continued to make that notion his own and through this natural power of persuasion it continued to be our shared mantra, underpinning our daily work, with John urging us collectively “to always be led by the artists we choose to serve”. Like Robin, John had a truly pioneering spirit and strong sense of adventure. Being described as a ‘pioneer’ is a word often used, but I tend to think that only a rare few beings really earn that badge so unequivocally as John and Robin; they both were unafraid to challenge convention and forge new paths. Both men were inspirational and it was not hard to see why John was appointed to his role at The Place. Both have left an enormous and indelible legacy on dance. John’s immense sense of purpose and creativity was most easily evident in the seeming ease with which he created the ideas and a compelling identities for multiple theatre seasons or key strands of work: Resolution! Evolution, Choreodrome, Spring Loaded, The Place Prize, (sponsored by Bloomberg), Touch Wood were all recurring platforms or research laboratories that were conceived of and named by John. Choreodrome and Resolution! still exist. Resolution! was the perfect name for a season that began in January each year, just after that point in the year when people would traditionally make their New Year resolutions. For over thirty years it has existed as a platform and a springboard for artists at the start of their journey, to present their first works on a professional stage, and it was notable that over the years, many artists who went on to become some of the biggest names in dance, had their first outing as part of Resolution!. It was in that platform where John spotted the talents of a young Wayne McGregor, now Sir Wayne McGregor, and a young Russell Maliphant, now OBE, and I learnt from John, that for him it was rarely about looking for perfection, especially at that early stage of a choreographer’s journey, but rather about spotting someone with a unique spark, something that John was uniquely gifted at. When John was leaving The Place in 2009, after 23 years, (not out of choice, let it be said, but rather due to the enforced retirement age rule that he was a most unfortunate victim of, especially as the age discrimination laws changed not long after that decision had been made for him), he spoke about The Place Prize; true to form, John chose not to speak about the winners, and the glory of winning, but rather about the art of losing. He observed that many choreographers who had not won the prize, were in fact the ones who had gone on to greatest success. It was typical John. John always challenged us to think and do things differently, but most importantly he did it all, with love and with an unequivocally strong sense of service to dance and dance makers. Thank you John. The dance world was made all the richer by your unique talents and immense contributions. You are much loved and much missed. Kenneth. Kenneth Olumuyiwa Tharp CBE Former dancer with London Contemporary Dance Theatre (1982-1994) Former Chief Executive of The Place (2007-2016) (The photo of John was taken outside The Place on 23 June 2009)

More...

Pin to top, make hero
06-07 2024 00:06 View / Comment (0)

emilyn claid

emilyn claid

Save changes

John was such a spark for the independent dance world. He really understood artists' needs and was always curious about new work. Just as he was taking the job at The Place he asked me if I had any advice to give him. I told him, just keep things changing, not fixing. He did that, he managed to stay open to new developments and innovative artists over the years, and made visible, for audiences, so many new artistic ventures. I am glad and grateful to have known him and seen him develop the independent dance scene over so many years. Have a wonderful memorial day on July 6th, I am sorry I cannot be there. emilyn

More...
05-07 2024 21:30 View / Comment (0)

Anonymous user

Anonymous user

Save changes

More...
05-07 2024 19:06 View / Comment (0)

Anonymous user

Anonymous user

Save changes

More...
05-07 2024 11:35 View / Comment (0)

Anonymous user

Anonymous user

Save changes

More...
05-07 2024 11:24 View / Comment (0)

Anonymous user

Anonymous user

Save changes

More...
05-07 2024 10:27 View / Comment (0)

Anonymous user

Anonymous user

Save changes

More...
04-07 2024 13:07 View / Comment (0)

Anonymous user

Anonymous user

Save changes

More...
04-07 2024 13:04 View / Comment (0)

Anonymous user

Anonymous user

Save changes

More...
03-07 2024 21:58 View / Comment (0)

Sally Cranfield

Sally Cranfield

Save changes

More...
02-07 2024 18:35 View / Comment (0)

Anonymous user

Anonymous user

Save changes

More...
02-07 2024 12:53 View / Comment (0)

Pirjetta Mulari

Pirjetta Mulari

Save changes

More...
02-07 2024 09:05 View / Comment (0)

Anonymous user

Anonymous user

Save changes

More...
01-07 2024 19:08 View / Comment (0)

Anonymous user

Anonymous user

Save changes

More...
01-07 2024 14:28 View / Comment (0)

Anonymous user

Anonymous user

Save changes

More...
01-07 2024 13:58 View / Comment (0)

Anonymous user

Anonymous user

Save changes

More...
27-06 2024 01:03 View / Comment (0)

Anonymous user

Anonymous user

Save changes

More...
26-06 2024 12:53 View / Comment (0)

Anonymous user

Anonymous user

Save changes

More...
25-06 2024 14:05 View / Comment (0)

Anonymous user

Anonymous user

Save changes

More...
25-06 2024 11:31 View / Comment (0)

Anonymous user

Anonymous user

Save changes

More...
25-06 2024 10:50 View / Comment (0)

Anonymous user

Anonymous user

Save changes

More...
24-06 2024 14:20 View / Comment (0)

Anonymous user

Anonymous user

Save changes

More...
23-06 2024 14:07 View / Comment (0)

Anonymous user

Anonymous user

Save changes

More...

Requires JavaScript to function. Please enable JavaScript.

Here are the instructions how to enable JavaScript in your web browser .

If you use NoScript or similar plugins, be aware that we also use ajax.googleapis.com and cdnjs.cloudflare.com as content delivery networks for some javascript.