Alumni spotlight: Nick Cleverton
Nick Cleverton, an accomplished alumnus of our The Royal Ballet School, has had an extraordinary journey from a promising ballet career to becoming a leading dance and sports medicine physiotherapist. After studying at the School from 1993 to 1996, Nick performed with prestigious ballet companies such as Birmingham Royal Ballet, London City Ballet, and Scottish Ballet.
Unfortunately, his career on stage was cut short by a recurring knee injury, but this setback led him to discover a new passion for helping others through physiotherapy. Today, Nick is a recognised expert in the field, having worked with top institutions, including the Rugby Football Union, Southampton Football Club, and the National Institute of Dance Medicine and Science. He recently served as the Physical Health Lead at The Royal Ballet School before transitioning to his current role as the Lead Physiotherapist at the University of Bath.
We caught up with Nick to discuss his career transition, his approach to injury prevention and treatment, and his vision for the future of healthcare in dance.
Can you tell us a little bit about your experience of your knee injury and the impact that had on your performing career?
Unfortunately, I suffered a knee injury during my professional training, which continued to affect me throughout my career. Despite this, I’m proud to have trained at The Royal Ballet School and to have performed for eight years with the London City Ballet and Scottish Ballet. My career was ultimately cut short after unsuccessful surgery, but I look back with pride at what I achieved before retiring.
What was it that drew you to the profession of physiotherapy?
When I retired from my ballet career, I was steadfast that I had to play some part in developing the healthcare provision in ballet to help those injured and ultimately mitigate injury in the first instance. From researching various sporting environments, I knew what was needed in ballet. I began to train in various associated fields, gaining multiple diplomas in exercise and sports massage, and ultimately a BSc (Hons) degree in Physiotherapy and an MSc in Sport and Exercise Medicine. This, combined with working in elite and grassroots sports and dance environments and general medical settings, gave me the tools to build my new career and ambition.
What is your approach to dealing with dance and sports-related injuries?
My approach to both dance and sports related injuries is fundamentally to try and understand the ‘why’ factor. For me, it is not just to diagnose the injury and treat it, which is obviously important, but how the injury occurred in the first instance to prevent re-injury, which means understanding the biomechanics of the dance genre or sport you are working with. This is particularly important with the technical complexities of ballet.
Have you experienced any misconceptions about the demands of dancing, and if so, have you noticed this change over time?
Sadly, I often experience misconceptions regarding the demands of dancing. Primarily, it is due to the artistic nature of dance that after years of specialised training, we make it look easy. However, I have worked with many healthcare professionals from various settings, and these misconceptions are not held by all. There are those who hold the highly disciplined and athletic nature of dance in very high regard, and with increasing research, dissemination, and subsequent learning from differing environments, this appears to be increasing.
From your time working with dance-related injuries in young people, what have you learned that has been key to understanding how to best treat dance-related injuries?
Working with dance injuries in young people, I have learnt that it is vital to understand their passion for their chosen profession from an often very early age, which can lead to vulnerability when injured. My background enables me to fully empathise with the dancers and help to build a trust that is often key in recovering from injury and mitigating re-injury. As dancers, we are unique in that we are both highly athletic, coupled with an artistry that is personally expressive to each dancer and, when young, is constantly evolving and developing. This is key to understanding when working with the young dancer.
Is there anything you wish was in place to care for the health of dancers when you were training and performing?
One of the retrospective challenges of my era of dancing was the lack of specialised healthcare support in ballet at the time. With advances in sport, dance and exercise medicine/physiotherapy, my injury would have been treated very differently, and my story could possibly have changed. However, had that been the case, I wouldn’t have achieved everything I have since retiring and ultimately being there for the current generation of injured dancers. I’m a great believer that everything happens for a reason, despite how tough that may be at times.
What would you like to see more of in sports and dance healthcare provision going forward?
I would like there to be greater cohesiveness in teamwork supporting the health, well-being, and nurturing of dancers. This would happen in an environment where everyone has a specialised depth of knowledge for their given role but a breadth of understanding of the wider needs for successful dance training and subsequent professional career—the classic ‘t-shaped’ practitioner.
