Nerina discusses the importance of being trained at a very young age. She mentions how her teachers’ personalities influenced her repertoire. She also discusses starting her professional career at the Sadler’s Wells company and how she created the role of Lise in Frederick Ashton’s staging of La Fille Mal Gardee.

Biographical note:

Nerina was born in South Africa in 1925 and began her training there. In 1945 she moved to London and joined the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet (now known as the Birmingham Royal Ballet) and performed several solo roles. She joined the Sadler's Wells Ballet at Convent Garden (later to become the Royal Ballet), and danced in works created for her by the choreographer Frederick Ashton. In 1960, she was one of the first western dancers to appear with the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow. She retired from dancing in 1969.