BIRMINGHAM Royal Ballet returns to York Theatre Royal tomorrow and Saturday for a triple bill of Kenneth Macmillan’s Solitaire, Hans van Manen’s 5 Tangos and John Cranko’s Pineapple Poll.

Accompanied by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, the contrasting classical ballet works range from traditional English whimsy and vintage Fifties’ glamour, to the intensity of the tango and a burst of comic frivolity.

BRB marks the 25th anniversary of the death of Kenneth MacMillan, one of the great British choreographers, by revisiting his beautifully English ballet Solitaire, wherein a lone girl dreams up playmates for herself to the music of Malcolm Arnold’s rip-roaring English Dances.

Choreographed by Macmillan in 1956, Solitaire is a light and quirky take on 19th century classical ballet, with unexpected twists and turns, dazzling pointe work and big jumps, and this revival features period costumes faithfully re-created from photographs by BRB’s wardrobe team.

In contrast, Hans van Manen’s 5 Tangos translates Astor Piazzolla’s fiery and passionate music into a powerful Latin-inspired ballet, driven by the attack, movement and mood of the Argentine tango.

York Press:

Jenna Roberts: "I fell in love with the company, the repertoire, the dancers"

Lastly, in John Cranko’s audience favourite Pineapple Poll, a gaggle of girls falls in love with the dashing captain of HMS Hot Cross Bun, duly dressing up as sailors to sneak aboard. Despite the ensuing chaos, everything ends well in this thoroughly Gilbert and Sullivan affair that combines G&S tunes with cartoon-inspired costumes and slapstick comedy.

Australian ballerina Jenna Roberts, who joined BRB in 2003 and has been a principal since the 2011-2012 season, will dance the title role of Pineapple Poll in Saturday’s 2.30pm matinee and in the 5 Tangos ensemble in tomorrow and Saturday's 7.30pm performances.

“Quite a lot of Australian dancers move to Britain and the reason for that is there are more job opportunities in Europe and Britain, whereas in Australia you’re limited in the choice of companies, especially for contemporary dancers,” says Jenna, who trained at the Royal Ballet Upper School in London.

“When I first joined Birmingham Royal Ballet, to be honest, I thought I’d only stay for four years and then go somewhere else, but I fell in love with the company, the repertoire, the dancers, because it’s such an inspiring company.

“Our dancers are so fantastic and the repertoire we do is so vast, which makes it really exciting, constantly keeping us on our toes. Whether it’s for David Bintley’s ballets, or a Kenneth Macmillan or Frederick Ashton work, there’s such huge variety. We’re so lucky to have David as artistic director, creating new choreography all the time.”

Jenna is in her thirties now in a world where careers are notably shorter than an office job. "I think in general, whether it be our company or dance companies in general, people are more aware of what a physically demanding career it is," she says. "Dancers need to be aware of their health, their nutrition; hardly anyone smokes now.

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"I'm coming towards the end of my dancing career now, which is a strange feeling," says Jenna

"In the Jerwood Centre [BRB's facility for the prevention and treatment of dance injuries], the guys are constantly working out; we swim, we do pilates, yoga, and that's important."

Jenna notes how experience is invaluable in helping her to sustain her days on stage for as long as possible. "When you start and everything is new, you want to push yourself and push up through the ranks, so you go hell for leather and go for broke," she says. "That's not to say you don't do that when you're older but you channel it in a different way.

"There's a calmness that comes over you; you don't get as nervous and you have a confidence and self-assurance that you can do this...though nerves are always still there: you have to have that buzz of performing. Once you lose that, it's not good. As long as it's still exciting, you want to keep doing it."

The passage of time necessitates that Jenna must plan for the future. "When you're young, when you first join the company, you never think about it. I felt I was going to do it forever, but for the last couple of years, I've known it can't go on indefinitely," she says. "The good thing is we have a fantastic programme called Dancers Career Development, helping dancers to re-train for whatever career they want to do next, and you can apply for a grant that pays for your training, which is an incredible help.

"Northern Ballet, Rambert Dance Company and the Royal Ballet do this programme too, and it provides counselling as well, so you can talk about your career, that transition from dancing, and making it easier, when you reach your mid or late-thirties.

"I'm coming towards the end of my dancing career now, which is a strange feeling but also an exciting transition. I've had some very positive thoughts about it, planning eventually to run my own pilates studio."

Those preparations are under way: from September, Jenna will attend the Alan Herdman Pilates course in London.

Birmingham Royal Ballet presents Solitaire Triple Bill at York Theatre Royal, tomorrow, 7.30pm, Saturday, 2.30pm and 7.30pm. Pre-performance talk with staff and dancers, Saturday, 6.30pm; free to ticket holders. Open company class, in rehearsal on stage, Saturday, 11.45am; tickets, £10. Box office: 01904 623568 or at yorktheatreroyal.co.uk