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At the beginning of this year, the Bavarian State Ballet presented Liam Scarlett's creamy, sensitive Rachmaninov choreography "With a Chance of Rain" as an online premiere.

As always, uncommented at the house where the Russian Igor Zelensky rules, who doesn't care about all correct or incorrect contemporaries (such as his insubordinate guest star Sergei Polunin) beyond their ability.

There would have been a lot to say about the 35-year-old Englishman. The dance world - and not only this - had suddenly and emphatically turned away from its Golden Boy, but not only it. Now this dance hope, which was still shining, is dead. The rumors even speak vehemently of suicide. In any case, it is the tragic end of a career that suddenly stops after allegations of sexual misconduct.

“The new Kenneth MacMillan” is what Liam Scarlett was often called, referring to the famous English choreographer, and thus did not make it easy for him to succeed him in his place at the Royal Ballet in London.

But even in Britain, which is much more commercially oriented and less subsidized by the state, people now love the advances in marketing, the Wonder Boys and creative sensations.

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In 2016, Liam Scarlett was the youngest choreographer of the Royal Ballet to bring out an evening filler with “Frankenstein” at the Covent Garden Opera House.

In 2012 he was appointed first artist-in-residence, the position was created especially for him by Ballet Director Kevin O'Hare.

The accolade in 2018: they ordered a reinterpretation of the sacrosanct "Swan Lake", which had conquered the Western European dance floor from the Royal Ballet via the Sergeyev recordings smuggled out of Russia.

Dirty details

And then at the beginning of 2020 it became known: Liam Scarlett had been suspended from the Royal Ballet since August 2019. He is said to have behaved improperly. And while the discreet institution held back prudishly, dirty details leaked out across the boulevard. Liam Scarlett, who to this day has not declared himself publicly, is said to have asked male students at the Royal Ballet School to send him nude photos, even though he is not a teacher there. He is said to have barely touched 18-year-olds inappropriately and strolled into their cloakrooms while they were being changed. In addition, he had exchanged sexually with them over the phone and had used cocaine with them, reported the "Times".

An internal investigation has been launched.

The inappropriate behavior, plus outbursts of anger, which would have prevented some soloists from continuing to work with him, is said to have persisted for ten years.

"He liked it when you were afraid of him," one dancer was quoted as saying.

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Up until then, Scarlett was considered a star in Great Britain's ballet scene, a goose that laid golden eggs and seduced the audience into buying tickets.

He joined the Royal Ballet as a dancer in 2006, has shown his works there since 2010, and since 2012 he has concentrated entirely on choreography.

His list of opus grew hectically.

As one of the few who convincingly led classical dance into the 21st century with larger ensembles and renewed it on its own, it was in great demand worldwide.

Because his style was at the same time original and smooth, musical, endeavored to innovate, but also firmly based on tradition.

Not a revolutionary, a further developer.

Everything was canceled

In response to the allegations of 2020, the Australian Queensland Ballet, where Liam Scarlett had also been given a title, immediately canceled a guest series of its latest dance adaptation.

Whose suitable title?

"Dangerous Liaisons".

And the San Francisco Ballet had also refrained from planned "Frankenstein" performances.

At the Texas Ballet, all plans for a new "Midsummer Night's Dream" with Scarlett were stopped.

And just now, on the day of his death, it became known that the "Frankenstein" will not be shown in Copenhagen either, where Kaspar Holten, the former director of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, is now head of the Royal Theater.

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After the serious allegations became known, Liam Scarlett was actually suspended in March 2020 due to internal investigations at the Royal Ballet.

Admittedly, they were not justifiable, nor were they further publicized or commented on.

There was only one internal sweep.

In dance, in the heated climate of diversity, #MeToo and cancel culture, the one who had just been asked a lot had quickly and brutally become a persona non grata.

Of course, he did not apologize in public either.

If you had just discussed whether you could show your “Swan Lake” now, you of course continued to play it as a safe filler.

But all other Scarlett titles were removed from the Royal Ballet repertoire.

Just like anywhere else.

Now Liam Scarlett dead. One of the ballet's greatest hopes for young choreographers died on April 16 in his home in the London borough of Ipswich, as his family announced without giving a cause for this "untimely tragic death".

The famous choreographer Alexi Ratmansky, former head of the Bolshoi Ballet, now a permanent member of the American Ballet Theater, wrote on Facebook: "Recently I heard a company commander say: 'I cannot program his ballets, I would be eaten alive.'

Liam knew that as a choreographer he had no future.

That killed him.

It shouldn't have happened.

This cancel culture is killing, it's too much !!!

Would Diaghilew, Nureyev, Robbins and countless other greats who were not flawless be able to work today? "

Do you have suicidal thoughts or have you noticed them in a relative / acquaintance? Help is offered by telephone counseling: You can get anonymous advice around the clock on the toll-free numbers 0800/111 0 111 and 0800/111 0 222. Advice over the Internet is also possible at http://www.telefonseelsorge.de. A list of nationwide aid centers can be found on the website of the German Society for Suicide Prevention: https://www.suizidprophylaxe.de/hilfsangebote/adressen/.