Royston Maldoom

Royston Maldoom began his career as a choreographer in 1975, when his first work gained the Foundation of France Prize for Outstanding Artistic Achievement. There followed commissions for the Dance Theater of Harlem New York, The Scottish Ballet, Irish National Ballet, National Ballet, and Ballet San Marco in Peru, as well as many other dance ensembles in Great Britain and abroad. In 1980, he was appointed dance-artist-in-residence for Fife in Scotland. He produced many workshops, summer schools, and festivals; set up youth and adult community dance groups; and established his philosophy of Community Dance—the belief in dance art as a contributor to life and society. During the course of his career, Mr. Maldoom has worked with marginalized children in Peru; Catholic and Protestant youth in Northern Ireland; prison inmates; children and adults with learning difficulties; and young people excluded from mainstream education and children in exile.

In the 1990s Mr. Maldoom began working in Germany. He was the choreographer and artistic director of the German-British Youth Dance Exchange in Berlin (1989–97), choreographer of the European Youth Dance Festival in Duisburg (1990–97), and visiting choreographer to the Academy for Performing Arts at Frankfurt University. Twice he worked with the Berliner Philharmoniker, Sir Simon Rattle, and 250 young students from Berlin schools, including refugees and immigrants, as documented in the acclaimed film Rhythm Is It! The Berlin project was the most recent in a series of works for orchestra that included the London Symphony Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, Scottish Chamber, and Natal Symphony Orchestra.

In 2005, Mr. Maldoom received the German Honorary Prize in Dance for his continuous and groundbreaking contribution to choreographic, cultural, and social development. In 2006, the Queen presented Royston Maldoom with the Order of The British Empire (OBE) for Services to Dance.