My former colleague John Ashford, who has died aged 79, was a key figure in contemporary dance in the UK and beyond, both as director of the Place theatre in London (1986-2009) and founder-director of Aerowaves (1996-2022), a European dance network spanning 34 countries.
Born in Guildford, Surrey, to Quaker parents who were both pacifists, June (nee Skinner) and William Ford, a probation officer, John went to Woking county grammar school for boys, then did a degree in English at Leicester University. He later used the surname Ashford because of Equity rules.
