Agony and ecstasy - Daria Klimentov

Daria Klimentov has been one of Britain's best-loved ballerinas for two decades, having danced at the Scottish Ballet and thenas a Principal and Senior Principal at English National Ballet. Daria was born in former Czechoslovakia and lived under the rule of the Soviet Union until the Velvet Revolution of 1989. She initially trained as a young member of the Czech Olympic Gymnastics Squad before transferring to ballet. After a year as a principal dancer in the Czech National Ballet, she moved to dance with the Cape Ballet Company in South Africa, where she witnessed the end of apartheid. In her 40s, at an age when most ballerinas have retired, Daria continues to captivate audiences with her impeccable technique and free flowing natural grandeur.