A Dancer Dies Twice

Stories of dancers young and old, and what happens when their bodies give way under the extraordinary pressure of professional ballet. It's a grieving process, where you’re forced to give up on something that has come to define your entire identity. Dancing itself becomes a painful reminder of what you can no longer do... and the life you’ve left behind. Produced by Eleanor McDowall, a Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.

Eleanor McDowall is a senior producer at Falling Tree Productions. She is the series producer on BBC Radio 4's Short Cuts series. In her spare time she runs Radio Atlas, an English-language home for subtitled audio from around the world.

Photo: The Company of Elders over-60s dance company, courtesy of Sadler's Wells Theatre