Bryony Jane Susan St John Brind (27 May 1960 – 2 December 2015) was a British ballerina and principal dancer with the

Royal Ballet The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded in ...

. Brind was born in Plymouth, the elder child of Major Roger Brind RM, and his wife, Jennifer Grey. She started at the

Royal Ballet School The Royal Ballet School is a British school of classical ballet training founded in 1926 by the Anglo-Irish ballerina and choreographer Ninette de Valois. The school's aim is to train and educate outstanding classical ballet dancers, especially ...

in 1971 at age 11, and joined the Royal Ballet itself in 1978, developing a supple body and flexibility. One year earlier, in 1977, she won a scholarship at the Prix de Lausanne. At the

1981 Laurence Olivier Awards The 1981 Society of West End Theatre Awards were held in 1981 in London celebrating excellence in West End theatre by the Society of West End Theatre. The awards would not become the Laurence Olivier Awards, as they are known today, until the 1 ...

, Brind received the ''Outstanding First Achievement of the Year in Ballet'', for her performance in The Royal Ballet's ''Dances of Albion''. In 1981, she danced the lead role in the Royal Ballet's ''Swan Lake'', and her fame increased the next year when she partnered

Rudolf Nureyev Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev ( ; Tatar/ Bashkir: Рудольф Хәмит улы Нуриев; rus, Рудо́льф Хаме́тович Нуре́ев, p=rʊˈdolʲf xɐˈmʲetəvʲɪtɕ nʊˈrʲejɪf; 17 March 19386 January 1993) was a Soviet ...

at Covent Garden in ''La Bayadere: Kingdom of the Shades''. With Nureyev, she also danced the Siren in George Balanchine's ''The Prodigal Son'', and as Miranda in his own ballet of ''The Tempest''. She was promoted to principal in 1984. Brind created roles in Frederick Ashton's ''

Rhapsody Rhapsody may refer to: * A work of epic poetry, or part of one, that is suitable for recitation at one time ** Rhapsode, a classical Greek professional performer of epic poetry Computer software * Rhapsody (online music service), an online m ...

'' (1980),

Glen Tetley Glen Tetley (February 3, 1926 – January 26, 2007) was an American ballet and modern dancer as well as a choreographer who mixed ballet and modern dance to create a new way of looking at dance, and is best known for his piece ''Pierrot Lunaire ...

's ''Dances of Albion'' (1980),

Kenneth MacMillan Sir Kenneth MacMillan (11 December 192929 October 1992) was a British ballet dancer and choreographer who was artistic director of the Royal Ballet in London between 1970 and 1977, and its principal choreographer from 1977 until his death. E ...

's ''Orpheus'' (1982),

David Bintley Sir David Julian Bintley (born 17 September 1957) is an English former ballet dancer, the artistic director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet, and co-artistic director of the New National Theatre Tokyo ballet company. Early life Bintley was born ...

's ''Young Apollo'' (1984) and

Michael Corder Michael Corder (born 17 March 1955) is a British choreographer and director. Corder trained at the Royal Ballet School and joined the Royal Ballet itself in 1973. References British choreographers British male ballet dancers 1955 births ...

's ''Party Game'' (1984). Her final lead role was in David Bintley's ''The Planets'' in 1990. In 1991, Brind left The Royal Ballet to pursue a freelance career as a dancer and actress,The Royal Opera House Magazine, January 2016, page 11. which included appearances with London City Ballet and Dance Advance. She also taught at the Arts Educational Schools London. She appeared on TV in ''The Ghosts of Oxford Street'' and ''The House of Eliott''. Brind was married twice. Her first husband was Anglo-Greek businessman Skevos Theodorou. The year-long marriage ended in divorce in 1998. Her second marriage, in 2001, was to Ian McCorquodale, son of novelist Dame

Barbara Cartland Dame Mary Barbara Hamilton Cartland, (9 July 1901 – 21 May 2000) published as Barbara Cartland was an English writer, known as the Queen of Romance, who published both contemporary and historical romance novels, the latter set primarily duri ...

. In her later years, Brind took full-time care of her second husband, following health problems related to his two strokes, and her mother. Brind died of a heart attack on 2 December 2015, aged 55. Her mother and her second husband, Ian McCorquodale survived her.

Awards

* 1977 : Prix de Lausanne; Scholarship * 1981 : Laurence Olivier Award; Outstanding First Achievement of the Year in Ballet

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brind, Bryony 1960 births 2015 deaths Laurence Olivier Award winners Dancers of The Royal Ballet English ballerinas