US ex-dancer with starring role in the revival of Scottish Ballet

Published on Friday 21 March 2008 20:14

CINDY Sughrue claims to have the best job in Scotland. She would. She is a dancer in charge of a dance group.

For many young dancers following their dream, sustaining a career in dance is difficult enough. But to be at the helm of Scotland's national dance group, Scottish Ballet – and leading not the corps de ballet but the business transformation of the organisation – is still a dream come true for Sughrue.

Retiring from dance after an injury, the young American decided to follow the teaching route and won a scholarship to Sheffield University.

She finished a doctorate in dance – she is officially Dr Sughrue – and discovering an interest in arts and culture management, she found herself following her partner to Scotland in 1990 and has never left.

With an accent that combines Boston with Scotland's central belt, the distinctive US tilt is softened when she talks about her love of dance and her passion for Scottish Ballet.

"I knew what ballet was about, the repertoire and the visual side, but I also found myself enjoying the work of managing the business of a ballet company."

With her love affair with the performing arts, she is admired in Scotland for her business sense.

When she joined Scottish Ballet in 2004, ticket sales brought in 582,279. By 2007/ 08, this had jumped to 897,059 with the average seats sold per performance almost doubling in the same time, from 554 to 920.

Her influence has led to the turnover increasing from 4,370,923 in 2004 to 7,309,186 in 2007.

At the recent Institute of Directors Scotland dinner, she was nominated in the Emerging Director category and was one of the three finalists acknowledged on the night.

Although not the winner, she was introduced as someone who has "transformed a mediocre company" into one of Europe's foremost dance companies.

The judges said that as the only executive director on a board comprising non-executive and voluntary directors, she had led a programme of change to secure Scottish Ballet's burgeoning professional and artistic reputation.

Alongside the growth in ticket sales, the organisation has also pushed up core funding from 2.8m in 2003/04 to 4.5m in 2007/08, an increase of 37.36 per cent.

Raymond O'Hare, the director of computer giant Microsoft in Scotland, has observed Sughrue in action in his position as the new chair of the Institute of Directors in Scotland.

He said: "Cindy is doing a remarkable job with Scottish Ballet. We should not forget that Scotland's cultural and artistic achievements and success will have a very positive impact on our economy and on the perceptions of our country globally."

Scottish Ballet, as Scotland's national dance company, is financed by the Scottish Government. The additional funding of 1,150,000 from 2007/08 fought for by Sughrue has enabled the company to raise production levels and embark on more frequent tours with a production of Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet due to start soon.

However, her biggest achievement will be the completion of the new Tramway centre, a unique multi-arts production and presentation centre on a scale unrivalled in the UK.

It will cost somewhere in the region of 11m and with just over 10m raised, Sughrue is in the process of raising the final million.

The sale of Scottish Ballet's current premises in West Princes Street in Glasgow to residential developers will contribute to financing of the new facility and equates to 10 per cent of the total amount raised.

Living within a ten-minute walk of her new office, Sughrue says it will be a boost for the area with the renovation of the caf bar at the Tramway and the creation of a visual arts space already complete.

Scottish Ballet's 82 staff and dancers are expected to move in to Tramway at the beginning of 2009.

She said: "We are very excited at reaching this final fundraising milestone to create a fitting home for Scottish Ballet and leave a lasting legacy for the arts.

"The company has gone from strength to strength under Ashley Page's direction and the new building at Tramway is essential if we are to continue with this exceptionally high artistic standard."

During the first year at Tramway, 11,500 young people will experience and learn about dance with Scottish Ballet, an increase of 37 per cent on the previous year. Its hoped the new Education Centre at Tramway will engage with 25,000 people a year.

"The new facilities will allow us to extend opportunities for Scotland's communities, nurture fresh talent and put Scotland on the map as being at the forefront of professional dance on an international level," added Sughrue.

Sughrue is adamant she does not deserve any credit for the transformation of the dance company.

She argues that under the award-winning direction of Ashley Page, the former principal dancer and choreographer with the Royal Ballet who was appointed artistic director in 2002, the company is attracting worldwide acclaim and is recognised as having an exceptionally high artistic standard.

That may be true in terms of the performance on stage. The performance off stage is down to Sughrue.

CV AT A GLANCE

Scottish Ballet since 2004

2001-4: Head of dance at Scottish Arts Council

1997-2000: Senior performing arts officer at SAC

1994-97: general manager of Dance Base: National Centre for Dance in Edinburgh.

1990-94: Director, The Collective Gallery, Edinburgh