A leftist of opinion, he ironically credited Margaret Thatcher’s attacks on the BBC for this unexpected development and her insistence on a large quota of independent productions. “It immediately allowed us to work with the Canada Council. This was the birth of Dance for the Camera.
However, the sector relied heavily on the expertise and editorial eye of Lockyer, and did not fit into the mainstream of film or dance. When he retired, no successor was evident and the BBC-Arts Council collaboration came to an end. He was further irritated that few films were accessible even to students due to unresolved rights issues.
He continued to champion dance on screen and for performers, however, founding the multidisciplinary Performance Arts Lab, which he established in 2014, and the national dance lobby, Dance UK (now OneDance UK). . He also chaired South East Dance and Lost Dog Productions, promoting new choreographers and dancer health campaigns.
Following John Drummond’s death, Lockyer established the Drummond Fund with the Royal Philharmonic Society in 2008, supporting composer-choreographer collaborations, the fruits of which include dance productions by Mark Baldwin, Aletta Collins, Didy Veldman and Shobana Jeyasingh for the Royal Ballet and the Birmingham Royal Ballet, among others.
Bob Lockyer was appointed OBE for Services to Dance and Broadcasting in 2021.
Bob Lockyer, born April 9, 1942, died June 3, 2022
