UK’s Royal Ballet suspends star choreographer

LONDON: Britain’s famed Royal Ballet Company has suspended its star choreographer over allegations of sexual misconduct against students, the Times reported on Thursday.

Artist in residence Liam Scarlett, 33, is accused of encouraging students to send him naked photographs, making inappropriate comments, touching them inappropriately and walking into dressing rooms while they were changing, according to the newspaper.

The internal investigation is ongoing, and no conclusions have yet been drawn. “We were made aware of allegations relating to Liam Scarlett in August 2019,” the ballet company said in a statement.

“The individual was immediately suspended and an independent disciplinary investigation opened. “The Royal Ballet Company has a code of conduct in place to ensure staff and visiting artists are always supported.”

The allegations against Scarlett, regarded as British ballet’s “next big thing”, have reverberated globally, with Australia’s Queensland Ballet cancelling a forthcoming run of his adaptation of “Dangerous Liaisons”.

Scarlett joined the Royal Ballet Company as a dancer in 2006, retiring to focus on choreography in 2012. One former student told the paper that Scarlett had shared sexual messages with male students on Facebook.

“Because it’s so competitive you can’t lose an opportunity, so when someone with a lot of power asks you to do something you are pre-programmed to do it,” he said. The Royal Ballet’s sold-out revival of Scarlett’s Swan Lake is due to open in March.