Scottish Ballet Principal dancer to retire after 17 years with company

“I feel like I’ve been given a warm hug for 17 years.”

Bethany Kingsley-Garner will retire from dancing on stage and leave Scottish Ballet after her final performance in Cinders on 19 January 2024.

After 17 astounding years with Scottish Ballet, much-loved Principal Bethany Kingsley-Garner will be taking her last bow on stage during Cinders in Edinburgh. Beth joined Scottish Ballet in 2007 after graduating from The Royal Ballet school and was promoted to Principal in 2016 after performing the role of Odette/Odile in Swan Lake. Since then, she has made a memorable stamp on roles in her repertoire including The Nutcracker, The Scandal at Mayerling, The Snow Queen, A Streetcar Named Desire, Romeo & Juliet, Emergence and The Crucible. Aside from being an inspiration to audiences and dancers, Beth is a proud mum to her daughter Elizabeth and recently became the Modern Ballet ambassador at Royal Conservatoire Scotland.

Bethany Kingsley-Garner said:

“I’ve felt part of something here at Scottish Ballet. Part of the magic that happens in the studio, on stage and beyond. I’ll miss being a part of the thing that is bigger than me. I feel like I’ve been given a warm hug for 17 years. In Edinburgh on the 19th of January, the curtain will come down… and I know I will feel a huge sense of elation after giving my all to this performance, and my emotions will be at the highest level! However, my next steps have been thought out and developed over the past few years. I have already been teaching and coaching here in Scotland, the wider UK, and internationally and I’m looking forward to dedicating more time to my current students, and to start teaching at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, following my retirement as a dancer. Teaching is something that gives me a sense of fulfilment in the studio and is extremely rewarding. Being able to inspire, nurture and pass on the levels of technical excellence and precision I received myself to the next generation is something I am extremely passionate about”

Scottish Ballet Artistic Director/CEO Christopher Hampson said:

“Beth has made a hugely significant contribution to the Company and if anybody embodies our mission ‘to inspire on stage, and beyond’ it is her; through performances, engagement work and her continuing commitment to teaching and coaching young, emerging talent. She will continue to inspire a new generation of dancers with her infectious love of ballet. She probably won’t yet comprehend how much joy she’s given to so many through her sparkling performances and by being such a wonderful ambassador. Beth, thank you for all that you’ve given to Scottish Ballet.”