Bryony Brind

During the 1980s Bryony Brind was a distinctive and glittering presence in The Royal Ballet, famed for her long limbs and beautiful lines, combined with a deeply sensitive artistry. Here, she tells Patricia Linton, founder and director of Voices of British Ballet, of her early days in the company, star struck by the dancers around her, and particularly moved by Margot Fonteyn’s captivating use of her eyes. She talks of her own desire in dancing always to open up as much as possible, for which she was criticised by some, but defended by Fonteyn herself. Coached by Michael Somes for her historic debut in Swan Lake in 1981, while still in the corps de ballet, Brind recounts how determined she was to make that appearance, despite a heavy injury just days before. The interview, which was recorded in 2007, is introduced by Jay Jolley in conversation with Patricia Linton.

Bryony Brind started dancing at the age of three and joined The Royal Ballet School in 1971. In 1977 she won the Prix de Lausanne competition and joined The Royal Ballet a year later. In 1980, while still in the corps de ballet, she created a role in Frederick Ashton’s Rhapsody, and the following year made her debut as Odette/Odile in Swan Lake. In 1982, she partnered Rudolf Nureyev in the “Kingdom of Shades” scene from La Bayadère, which led to other pairings together, including in George Balanchine’s Prodigal Son. Other leading roles followed, including Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker and the title roles in The Firebird and Giselle, and in 1984 she was made a principal dancer with the company. During her time with The Royal Ballet, she created roles in works by Richard Alston, David Bintley, Michael Corder, Jennifer Jackson, Kenneth MacMillan and Glen Tetley, which testified to her range and ability. In 1991 she left the company to pursue a freelance career in ballet, television and teaching, including at the Arts Educational School in London. In more recent years, Bryony Brind devoted herself to caring for her husband and her mother, before herself dying of a heart attack in 2015.

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