The preface page from Following Sir Fred's Steps - Ashton's Legacy, the published proceedings of the conference on the choreographer Sir Frederick Ashton and his work, held at Roehampton University in 1994, and edited by Stephanie Jordan and Andrée Grau.

Following Sir Fred’s Steps

Preface

This volume represents something more than straight ‘proceedings’, although the aim was to maintain the feeling of the conference. After the event, authors were encouraged to re-submit their papers: comments, debates, or discussions arising from the weekend could be incorporated, and ideas could be developed further without the constrictions of a twenty-minute presentation. Many of them took up this opportunity. Except for minor details, the papers were not ‘edited’ as such, as we felt it was more important to keep the individual style of each author rather than go for an overall unifying style.

In addition, prior to final editing, participants were asked to verify the accuracy of their biographical details, when they had not provided them themselves. Similarly, transcripts of all the workshops and lecture-demonstrations were sent to the presenters for comments and checking. We are immensely grateful to everyone involved for taking time out of their very busy schedules not only to check that no misinterpretations had crept in, but also occasionally to reword or develop slightly what they had said in order to give a fuller picture. We hope they will find our editing faithful to their words.

I trust that readers will enjoy what, I think, is a rather splendid volume. For those who were unable to be present, it gives them a glimpse of a very stimulating weekend. For those who were fortunate enough to have been there, I hope it will remind them of how inspiring sharing knowledge about a great choreographer can be. For all, I am sure, the volume will be an invaluable working tool for years to come.

Andrée Grau
Conference Administrator