English National Ballet

What was it that first attracted you to physiotherapy?

It was actually when I was visiting the headquarters of the English National Ballet and I absolutely adored dancing when I was growing up.

And I was on track to, when I was doing my A-levels, I was looking to see sort of which direction that I wanted to go in.

and I just got an injury.

And I saw, when I was there at the English National Ballet, I saw this entire physiotherapy wing.

And I thought to myself, wouldn't that be incredible to be able to keep dance in my life, but to work in supporting and helping dancers? So originally, that was my plan, is I really wanted to go into working as a physiotherapist, working in musculoskeletal supporting dancers.

This is when I was 16 or 17, you know, so...

in the far corner, which is a key part of the Moulin Rouge experience.

And what will happen in here, what we're looking forward to doing and developing is Our associate companies that come here, Birmingham Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, New Adventures, will be able to do their class in here while the shows are being set up next door in the theatre.

They'll also be able to do rehearsal in here as well.

So therefore this is a facility that will give us a great opportunity to become closer to the creative process as well.

It was in my final year of the Academy.

The London's Festival Ballet, now it's called the English National Ballet, went to China to visit one of the first companies, ballet companies in the world to perform in China under the Companies of China.

So Mary was a new company member.

Our academy invited them to visit our academy, so we performed for them.

For this episode, I'm joined today by Jay Jolley.

Jay was a principal dancer with Festival Ballet and then the Royal Ballet for many years.

He was then company manager for Birmingham Royal Ballet before teaching for the Royal Ballet School and then becoming its assistant director.

Jay is going to talk about his memories of Alexander Grant.

Particularly, I wanted to go to London.

And I joined the English National Ballet as a senior principal.

And I performed there for another four years, I think it was.

And then I was 30...

beautiful.

But being able to be a part of that, I was then a part of every single rehearsal, watching the English National Ballet performers and dancers do what they do.

And it was just incredible seeing a completely, like, specialised discipline and seeing them at their top level.

Because, I mean, we've all taken ballet classes.

They've gone on to do – I've had three go to Juilliard.

I've got one in the English National Ballet.

And all of this was before I was 30.

But that was what I wanted for them.

... and had my career in dance.

Um, the last thing I did was Vienna Fest- no, English National Ballet's Romeo and Juliet at the Royal Albert Hall.

Yeah.

And I was like, "Do you know what? It's not gonna get better than this."

Are there any other doors that it opened up when you were doing that?

Through that, I ended up landing a job with, uh, English National Ballet.

So I headed up their strength and conditioning program last summer.

So I got to work with a bunch of amateur and professional dancers.