'My Life In A Day'

Alison McWhinney ballet dancer The 30-year-old First Soloist with English National Ballet talks about her passion for dance and how she’ll be spending Christmas on stage.

- Gabriella Nathan

‘On the days I’m performing during the Christmas season, I wake up at 8am, leaving my fiancé (fellow ENB dancer Laurent Liotardo) sleeping. I shower, then drink a glass of water with collagen, which is good for my joints, skin, hair, nails and, crucially, muscles. I apply my make-up before having breakfast, which is usually peanut butter or avocado on toast, a glass of water with an effervescent vitamin C tablet and an espresso. I get dressed and leave home at 9.15am to go the London Coliseum, where we’re performing Nutcracker up to twice a day, six days a week, for three weeks!’

WARMING UP ‘When I arrive, I put my hair in a bun, change into my leotard and tights and warm up for around an hour. From there, I go straight into the daily class, which is an hour and a quarter of structured movement. We start at the barre with gentle exercises, working up to throwing our legs in dynamic movements, then move into the centre to do adage (slow, controlled movements), turning and jumping.