bbodance has announced the death of its former Director Anne Heaton at the age of 89.
Together with her husband, John Field, Heaton developed the existing bbodance Classical Ballet syllabus, which has been adapted to the digital medium in recent years.
Heaton was a principal dancer with Sadler's Wells Ballet between 1948 and 1959, appearing in ballets such as Giselle and creating roles for Frederick Ashton and Kenneth MacMillan. She retired from the stage due to injury and went on to teach at the Arts Educational School.
Founded 90 years ago by Edouard Espinosa and formerly known as the British Ballet Organization (BBO), bbodance is an international dance awarding organisation with a large membership in the UK and Australasia.