text: Career Bussell studied "all forms of stagecraft" at the Arts Educational School. In 1982, at the age of 13, she joined the Royal Ballet Lower School, based at White Lodge, Richmond Park. At 16, she progressed to the Royal Ballet Upper School in Baron's Court, before joining the Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet in 1987. While studying at the Royal Ballet School, she appeared in a number of school productions, including performances at Covent Garden.
  In 1988, while still at school, Bussell was given in a leading role by choreographer Kenneth MacMillan, in his ballet The Prince of the Pagodas, which led to her moving to the Royal Ballet. A year later in 1989, on the opening night of the show, she was promoted to principal dancer, and at just 20 years old, was the youngest ever in the history of the company.
  Bussell performed all the major classical roles numerous times throughout her career, including Masha in Winter Dreams and Princess Rose in The Prince of the Pagodas, both choreographed by MacMillan, as well as Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Nikiya and Gamzatti in La Bayadère, the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Manon in L'histoire de Manon, and Giselle in Giselle.