UK at World Expo 2025
Osaka, Kansai

Welcome to The Silence after Applause, a powerful journey into Birmingham Royal Ballet’s groundbreaking research into Relative Energy Deficiency in Dance (RED-D), led by our Clinical Director, Dr Nick Allen.

Told through the lens of Canon Ambassador Clive Booth, this project brings together two distinct but deeply connected worlds: a medical expert dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of elite dancers, and a gifted photographer and filmmaker with a passion for storytelling. As Creative Content Producer at Birmingham Royal Ballet and a former company dancer of 18 years, it has been my privilege to help unite these perspectives in a way that I hope informs, educates and inspires.

What began as a creative commission from the UK Government for the Osaka World Expo has evolved into something far more personal. During the project’s gestation, I have found myself reflecting on my own time on stage: the intensity of the career, the choices I made and the physical toll that often went unspoken, the effects of which I still feel today.

This experience has allowed me to revisit those memories with a new sense of awareness, understanding, and respect for the human spirit.

Throughout this process, my admiration for the dancers of BRB (and indeed all the staff at BRB involved in this project) has only deepened. Their unwavering dedication to their craft and their willingness to share their stories so openly have brought this project to life with honesty and authenticity. Their vulnerability in front of the camera has made The Silence after Applause not just a visual experience, but an emotional one. This exhibition is more than a collection of images. It is a statement of care. A reminder that behind every breathtaking performance stands a person: passionate, resilient and human.

This is ballet as you’ve never seen it before.