Former Birmingham Royal Ballet director David Bintley featured in New Year's Honours List

Speaking about this recognition, the 62-year-old said: "I am both delighted and humbled by this honour and proud to accept it on behalf of the British Ballet community.

"I would particularly like to thank my friends and colleagues at Birmingham Royal Ballet, the company it was my privilege to direct for 24 years.

"It is largely due to their talents and hard work that I find myself in this position and this honour is as representative of their services to dance, as it is mine."

Born in Honley, near Huddersfield, David’s first experience of performing was at the age of four at his Sunday School, which led to him attending lessons at the local dance school.

At 16 he entered the Royal Ballet’s Upper School where he was surrounded by ballet royalty such as with Rudolf Nureyev, Sir Frederick Ashton and Dame Ninette de Valois also known as Madam.

During his time as a dancer he became famous for his acting and superb character roles and was noted for the title role in Petrushka, and Alain and Widow Simone in La Fille mal gardée.

Then Company Director, Sir Peter Wright, encouraged his desire to choreograph and David’s first piece, The Outsider, was created in 1978. From 1986 to 1993 he moved from resident choreographer for Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet to the same post at Covent Garden before, from 1993, working freelance.

He succeeded Peter as director of Birmingham Royal Ballet in 1995.

David's commitment to creating new work produced shows such as Carmina Burana, his four jazz ballets The Nutcracker Sweeties, The Shakespeare Suite, The Orpheus Suite and Take Five, Edward II, Beauty and the Beast, the Einstein-inspired E=mc2 and Cinderella.

He also created the 2006 Ballet Hoo: Ballet Changed my Life project which saw the Company reach more than 200 young people from diverse backgrounds from across the West Midlands in a two-year project televised by Channel 4.

During his time at BRB, David also worked closely with Freefall Dance Company, a group of highly gifted dancers with severe learning disabilities that has been part of the Birmingham Royal Ballet family since 2002 and for whom David created his final work as director of Birmingham Royal Ballet in summer 2019.

As well as holding the post of artistic director at Birmingham Royal Ballet for 24 years, David also held a four-year tenure as Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Japan from 2010 to 2014.

Ahead of the company opening its annual season at London's Royal Albert Hall of The Nutcracker, which David himself adapted from Sir Peter Wright's landmark Birmingham production, CEO Caroline Miller says: "We are proud to have worked with David in creating in Birmingham such a force for world dance.

"His vision, hard work and artistry have given us the strongest foundations upon which to build for future generations. Thank you, Sir David."