Portrait of a Dancer

Cuthbertson trained at The Royal Ballet Lower and Upper Schools, joining The Royal Ballet in 2002, and after her promotion in 2008, she became the youngest female Principal dancer in the company. As well as earning plaudits for her roles in Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty, she starred in the acclaimed Alices Adventures in Wonderland (the Royal Ballets first fulllength commission in 20 years), created especially for her by Christopher Wheeldon. Behind the sublime beauty and effortless grace of a prima ballerina is the inevitable pain and injury As well as these remarkable achievements, Cuthbertson has also had lows, having had to fight back to peak form after being struck down with M. E. and several serious injuries, the last being a twisted foot sustained while rehearsing for her role in 2014s Manon. Margetsons film captures the macro technicality as well as the elegance of Cuthbertsons style, in a simple, modern piece with bespoke choreography.