The Place is the UK’s premier centre for contemporary dance and this new role has been created to drive forward its vital contribution to the future of dance across the world. Tharp will take up the position in September 2007.

View a selection of images from Kenneth's career in dance  

Kenneth Tharp is one of the outstanding dance artists of his generation. Having trained at The Place’s London Contemporary Dance School, he performed with London Contemporary Dance Theatre from 1981-1994. He has since worked as a dancer, choreographer, director and teacher.  He gave his farewell performance as a dancer at The Place in 2005. He currently works with The Royal Ballet School, Millennium Dance 2000, and is completing a Fellowship on the Clore Leadership Programme. He also serves on the Boards of the Royal Opera House and Phoenix Dance Theatre. In 2003, he was awarded an OBE in recognition of his services to dance.

Kenneth Tharp said today:
"I am truly honoured to have been appointed to this key role. Dance in the UK is currently on a high, and much of this current success can be traced to The Place’s outstanding accomplishments over the past decades. As a student at the School and as a dancer with London Contemporary Dance Theatre, I had the huge privilege of experiencing first-hand the pioneering influence of giants like Robin Howard and Robert Cohan, and of working with many other remarkable individuals. Looking to the future I am certain that The Place will continue to inspire, as a magnet for extraordinarily talented and diverse artists, a beacon of access and excellence and an exemplar of support and creativity.”

Jane Sweet, Chair of the Board of Governors, said:
"We’re delighted that Kenneth has agreed to take on the leadership of this organisation. The Place’s recent achievements have created a superb platform for future success. Kenneth’s lifelong passion for dance and his vision will inspire the thousands of artists, audiences and young people that will be touched by The Place in the coming years.”

Kenneth Olumuyiwa Tharp OBE       
Kenneth Tharp was born in London from English and Nigerian parents. He spent his earliest years in Glasgow, starting classical ballet training at the age of 5, before moving to Cambridge, where he attended the Perse school. After completing his professional training at London Contemporary Dance School, Kenneth danced briefly with Janet Smith & Dancers and then with the internationally acclaimed London Contemporary Dance Theatre from 1981-1994, performing in 70 different pieces. He danced with the company during its last ever London season at Sadler’s Wells, for which the dancers received a Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance. He has since performed many other companies including The Charnock Company, Protein Dance and in particular Arc Dance Company from 1994-2005. He gave his farewell performance in Siobhan Davies’ solo The Swan, as part of the White Christmas season at The Place in December 2005.

Tharp has also worked extensively as choreographer, teacher and director. He was Artistic Director of the Sadler's Wells Youth Dance Company from 1994-2000, Associate Artistic Director of the National Youth Dance Company from 2002-3, and Education Co-ordinator for Arc Dance Company from 2001–2003. As a choreographer he has made more than 40 works, which have been performed in venues including The Place, the Royal Albert Hall, and Southbank Centre.

Tharp is currently Artistic Advisor and Lead Artist for The Royal Ballet School’s Dance Partnership and Access Programme and Assistant to the Head of Contemporary Dance at Millennium Dance 2000. With composer Simon Redfern he is also co-director of Artyfartyarts, a multidisciplinary arts group. He is currently completing a Fellowship on the Clore Leadership Programme, funded by NESTA. Tharp is on the Boards of Trustees of the Royal Opera House and of Phoenix Dance Theatre, and in 2003 he was made OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to dance.