Jenna Roberts

08 September 2010

'I didn't even jump, I just stepped forward onto the foot and felt something go,' says Birmingham Royal Ballet First Soloist Jenna Roberts, of the 2007 injury from which she has only recently recovered.

'It happened during the Stravinsky/Balanchine triple bill in early 2007. I've had a fracture before, and this felt just like it again. But afterwards, while it didn't get better, it also didn't get worse, so I wrongly thought that maybe I hadn't injured myself so badly. In the same programme we were doing Agon, and I love dancing that piece, so I ignored the pain and kept going.'

Completing the performances caused Jenna to mistakenly stop worrying about her foot. 'Once Agon was over, I thought, "well maybe as I got through that, I can get through the next piece". So I just kept going and going and going, one piece at a time. Before long 18 months had passed.' Even with the benefit of rest during the summer break, things had not improved, and Jenna found she could not ignore the injury any longer.

'I remember doing Raymonda Act III for the 2008 autumn season and thinking, "something's really wrong". I don't think I realised how bad it had got. It had been a fracture but because I had left it for so long it had become a great big hole in the top of my foot. It wasn't going to heal on its own, so I ended up having to have surgery.

'Even as I went into the operation the surgeon said to me that there was a real possibility that the operation wouldn't work, and that I wouldn't ever be able to dance again, and would have to find something else to do with my life.

'It was scary. I think the seriousness of the injury hadn't really hit me until that point, just before the operation. I had been in denial, believing it was all going to be okay. And thankfully, while the operation did work - they put two pins in my foot, took bone marrow from my hip and filled it in like putty - it was then followed by 12 months off, recovering and building up my strength with our Body Conditioning Instructor and the staff at the Jerwood Centre.

'And it was awful, it was hell. For the first couple of months I don't think I stopped crying. But thinking back to it now, it was a good thing, having that year off. You get used to not dancing, and you start finding other things to do. You watch a lot of shows, and you read, and you learn a lot about your body and how to deal with things. I was lucky in that it happened when I was young and I was able to recover. I began to dance again over the course of our 2009-10 season, although it was only in the final two months that I began to feel entirely normal again.'

It was appropriate that during these final few weeks Jenna had the chance to return to the lead female role in Kenneth MacMillan's production of Romeo and Juliet. It is a part that many will recognise her for, having danced it as part of the Ballet Hoo! performance broadcast on Channel 4 in 2006. In addition, it is also a personal favourite of hers.

'I've always loved the movie versions of the story,' she says. 'Especially the old ones like Zeffirelli's. I loved that movie, and to me, the girl in that - Olivia Hussey - is just what Juliet should be. She's just so beautiful!

'And then when I was a student I went to see The Royal Ballet and I saw Tamara [Rojo] perform. It was the most emotional thing I think I've ever seen. I just thought it was amazing the way that she portrayed Juliet. She made it just seem so young and fresh at the start, but then when it came to the third act it was really as if the character had matured and had grown. That really inspired me a lot, that performance. Afterwards I just couldn't stop thinking about it, it was such an emotional experience, and I hope that when we perform the ballet I can have that effect on our audiences.'

Watching all of these other versions of the story helps contribute to the power of Jenna's performance.

'You really have to do your research,' she says, 'because you could portray Juliet in so many different ways. You have to find a way that suits you and a way that effectively portrays the story to the individual audience. When we did Ballet Hoo! for example, we had an enormous audience of young people who didn't necessarily know the story, and so it was important to perform in a way that was appealing and interesting to them.

'I actually find this sort of role a lot easier to get into than the classical Princess roles where you just have to come on and look pretty. In those instances there's not that much of a story to work with. But everyone knows Romeo and Juliet, and how much there is to it. While I don't think it's the most technical role that we do - Sleeping Beauty is so much more technical for example - emotionally, and dramatically, Juliet is definitely the best.'

This emotional element can make rehearsals difficult, however.

'It's always so much easier when you do ballets from start to finish,' says Jenna, 'because your emotions can build naturally. But when you're in an afternoon studio rehearsal, and you have to just go straight into an Act III pas de deux, that's hard. No-one ever seems to really rehearse the final crypt pas de deux that much, because it is such a hard one to do out of context. Usually the stage rehearsal is the first time that everybody does it. At that point, with the orchestra - the music is amazing - and the costumes, and everyone around you, it all just comes together and the story tells itself!'

Experience the emotion yourself when Birmingham Royal Ballet performs Romeo and Juliet this autumn.

ENDS