Alston, Richard (1948-…), is a British choreographer and teacher. A modernist with a lyrical style, he has been a major influence on dance in the United Kingdom since the 1970’s. His work shows the influence of the American modern dance choreographer Merce Cunningham.
Alston was born on Oct. 30, 1948, in Stoughton, Sussex. He studied at Eton College and Croydon College of Art in London before going to the London School of Contemporary Dance (LCD) from 1967 to 1970. His first work was Transit, performed in 1968. In 1972, he cofounded Strider, a group of dancer-choreographers, which performed through 1975. He studied in New York City from 1975 to 1977 with Merce Cunningham, among others, before joining Ballet Rambert in 1980 as resident choreographer. Alston was artistic director and resident choreographer of the company from 1986 to 1992.
From 1994 to 2018, Alston was the artistic director of The Place, a center for dance development and performance, in London. In 1994, he also founded the Richard Alston Dance Company, which disbanded in 2020. In 2019, Alston was made a knight for his services to dance and became Sir Richard Alston.
