Living to dance and dancing to live

The career of a professional dancer appears glamorous, but it is also precarious. Dancers begin training intensively when young, when others are focused on studying to get qualifications. Then their professional performance careers are short, even assuming they aren't ended early by accident or injury.

So, what happens to dancers when they stop performing? What’s it like to have a career that relies heavily on the physical ability of youth, and how easy is it to build a second one?

Jennifer Curry, Executive Director of Dancers' Career Development, and William Bracewell, Principal Dancer with the Royal Ballet Company, join us to describe the hurdles and opportunities of a career that can end so soon after it starts.