Who is Matthew Bourne? Choreographer who is awarded Special Olivier Award in recognition of his extraordinary achievements in dance
HE'S one of the most acclaimed choreographers in the world and now he's being awarded with the Special Olivier Award.
Here's everything you need to know about the dance aficionado...
Who is choreographer Matthew Bourne?
Sir Matthew Bourne is a dance choreographer who was born in Hackney on 12 January 1960.
Surprisingly he never took a dance class but ran and directed multiple dance companies throughout his teens.
Matthew was awarded a BA in Dance Theatre from the Laban Centre for Movement and Dance before forming his own dance company - Adventures in Motion Pictures.
Since 1987 he has worked as a professional choreographer and director and is now considered one of the greatest of his generation.
He was awarded an OBE in 2001 and was knighted in the 2016 New Year Honours for his services to dance.
What are Matthew Bourne's most famous works?
Matthew is perhaps best known for his productions of remakes Edward Scissorhands, Oliver, Mary Poppins and the Emmy-nominated Swan Lake.
As well as his individual body of work he has collaborated with some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry including Trevor Nunn, Sam Mendes and John Caird.
In 1997 Matthew was the subject of a South Bank Show.
And in 1999 he hosted the Dance 4 series for Channel 4 as well as the 2001 documentary Bourne To Dance.
Matthew's all-male production of Swan Lake even featured in the 2000 smash hit Billy Elliot.
Is Matthew Bourne being awarded with a Special Olivier Award?
Yes! The talented choreographer is receiving the prestigious honour at the 2019 Olivier Awards.
But this isn't the first time he's received an Olivier - he actually has eight in total.
In 1996 he won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production for Swan Lake.
And in 2003 he was awarded the Olivier for Best Theatre Choreographer for Play Without Words.
He also scooped the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Original Choreography for Mary Poppins.
And he again won the Best Theatre Choreographer in 2017 for The Red Shoes.
On top of various other awards and accolades including an Evening Standard Award, he is the only English director to have won two Tony Awards for Best Direction of a Musical and Best Choreography.
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When are the Olivier Awards 2019?
The Olivier Awards 2019 are TONIGHT ( April 7) at 6:30pm.
The annual ceremony is taking place at the Royal Albert Hall.
And the glitzy affair will be hosted by funnyman Jason Manford who'll be re-taking over the reins from last year's host Catherine Tate, after having first presented the ceremony in 2017.
To watch the self professed ' Biggest Night in British Theatre' you can head to ITV on the night.
The network will be airing the ceremony between 10:20pm and 12:10am.