Former Northern Ballet artistic director David Nixon has been been awarded a CBE for services to dance in the Queen's Birthday Honours,
Nixon was artistic director from 2001-2022, during which time 29 full-length ballets and 23 one-act works were added to the company repertoire, as well as 14 original full-length musical compositions.
As a choreographer he created 13 original full-length works for Northern Ballet, including Wuthering Heights, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Great Gatsby and The Little Mermaid.
Under Nixon’s direction, Northern Ballet’s reputation as a world-class dance company grew substantially and he received several awards, notably Dance Europe’s Director of the Year award in 2003 and 2006, and an OBE in 2010.
David Nixon stepped down as artistic director in the spring, to be succeeded by former Royal Ballet principal dancer, Federico Bonelli.
Nixon said he was "both thrilled and honoured" to have been acknowledged in the Jubilee Queen’s Birthday Honours.
"I share it with all of my colleagues at Northern Ballet over the past 21 years," he said. This is as much an acknowledgment of their passion and commitment as it is of my personal achievement."