Phoenix Appoints New Director

The Leeds-based Phoenix Dance has announced the appointment of Sharon Watson as its new artistic director following last September’s controversial departure of Javier du Frutos. It was widely reported that De Frutos claimed he had been forced out half-way through his contract for not making the company “black enough”.

Watson trained at London School of Contemporary Dance and danced with Michael Clark and Darshan Singh Bhuller, among others, before joining Phoenix in 1989 where she stayed for nine years. Recently she has been acting director for Phoenix following de Frutos’s hasty exit. “I feel both honored and privileged by the company’s faith in me,” says Watson.

As well as a new artistic director, Phoenix has also announced the appointment of Lesley Jackson as its new executive director.

Jackson has worked in art management for over 10 years, including three years as executive director of the West Yorkshire Playhouse. She says: “This is a really exciting time to join Phoenix. Both Sharon and I are Yorkshire women and I know that we will work well together in re-establishing the company’s Yorkshire roots.”