Birmingham Royal Ballet principal dancer Jamie Bond tells Steve Pratt about the back injury which threatened his ballet career, and why Swan Lake at Sunderland is so important

THE picture on the Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) website shows principal dancer Jamie Bond, looking cool in dark glasses and suit holding a golf club on a driving range. That’s all he’ll be doing with his club for the foreseeable future.

He’s made the decision not to play golf, one of his favourite sports, until he’s retired from dancing to avoid aggravating a back injury.

Ballet isn’t, of course, just a matter of prancing around in tights or tutus as some might think. The training and dedication to the job resembles what a sportsman has to do before a race or match. And, in common with sport, injuries are all part of the game.

Bond has been out of action for two weeks with a back injury, returning to the stage when BRB pays another visit to Sunderland Empire next week. He’ll be dancing the leading role of Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake.

“It’s very frustrating, but one of those things. Unfortunately injuries are part and parcel of the job. We just do the best we can to prevent them. Some dancers struggle with injuries more than others,” says the Essex-born dancer.

It’s a role he’s performed before, the last time was three days “before I put my back out”. The prince is also something of a comeback role. Artistically, it’s good to return to a role “because you approach from a different perspective and notice things about the character or the technique you didn’t before”.

HE has worked his way up “from the bottom to the top”

of the company. Bond’s described by BRB director David Bintley as one of a number of the next generation of young dancers to be promoted to principal.

“I think I’m still considered one of the young principals although I’m one of the more experienced principals now.

I don’t consider myself young any more. I feel like I have a lot of experience behind me,” he says.

“My ambition has always been to get to the top and become a principal and dance all the roles, classical and contemporary.

That’s why I left the Royal Ballet in 2003 to come here. Birmingham Royal Ballet is a company that likes to give dancers within the company opportunities rather than bring people in from outside. They like to promote from within, which gives a bit of uniformity to the company.”

Bintley says Bond has a fine English technique, is a strong partner and an intelligent interpreter of dramatic roles. “In this latter area, he has produced some of his finest work and for me his interpretations of Edward II, Sergeant Troy and Petrushka deserve a place amongst the very best,” Bintley says.

Different people cope in different ways with injury, says Bond. Although dancers must find being put out of action through injury a frustrating time, he’s putting both the free time and the injury to good use by studying to become a strength and conditioning coach when he stops dancing.

It’s a specialist role, a performance coach working with athletes to get them as strong as they can be. He’s been doing some work with people within the company because he considers dancers as both athletes and artistes. Dancers can definitely benefit from the coaching that athletes receive, he feels. “If you work on strength and conditioning you’re in a better position to prevent injury. It’s always going to go to your most vulnerable points, so you need to work on them. Everyone is different.”

Dance requires many different disciplines, including jumping, turning and lifting, combined with strong artistry.

“That’s what makes it interesting and why we do it,” says Bond.

His route in the profession was through his mother, who’s a ballet teacher. “I always joke that I never really had a choice – although obviously I did. She used to take me along to work with her and I guess I used to join in and never looked back. Dancing has always been a real passion.”

Golf is another. “I love to get out and play. But unfortunately with my back I made the decision a couple of years ago that I wouldn’t play golf until I stopped dancing so I didn’t jeopardise my career by injuring my back playing.

You have to make sacrifices.

“I am a huge sports fan. I watch as many sports as I possible can live or on television.”

In addition to working towards being accredited as a strength and conditioning coach, he’s working on a degree course in sport and exercise science to give him more qualifications.

“It helps take my mind off ballet,” he says.

“There’s nothing worse than going home and thinking about your job the whole time.”

  • Birmingham Royal Ballet presents Swan Lake at Sunderland Empire, Oct 18-20. Box Office: 0844-8713022 and atgtickets.com/sunderland