Tamara Rojo : English National Ballet star Tamara Rojo will leave the company after ten years as its artistic director and lead dancer.
Rojo will step down later this year to take on the role of art director at the San Francisco Ballet.
She was a prima ballerina at the Royal Ballet before re-joining the English National Ballet in 2012, dancing there at the beginning of her career.
In a statement, Rojo said he was “very proud” of his time there.
“It has been a privilege to lead this unique company for the past 10 years,” he added.
“My enthusiasm and support does not end here, I will continue to invest in the success of the English National Ballet in the years to come.”
His best-known roles in ENB include the role of the title in Akram Khan’s rethinking of Giselle.
He also oversees the company as it enters the Mulryan Center for Dance, a purpose-built, state-of-the-art home in east London in 2019.
During her tenure, she has included more than 40 activities organized by women throughout the ENB program.
Later this month, Tamara Rojo will be doing choreographic and his first directory with Raymonda, his first full-length ballet, ENB will perform at the London Coliseum.
‘Wonderful Man’
The ENB has said it will appoint an arts advisory panel to support the board in finding a new art director.
Chairman of the company Sir Roger Carr said: “Tamara is an amazing person whose vision, ingenuity and ability to advance English National Ballet.
“After 10 years in power, Tamara Rojo legacy will last a long time and it is hoped that in her new position in San Francisco she will have the opportunity to use her accomplishments and build a bridge between the two major ballet companies. joint efforts for the benefit of both of us.
“I speak for all of us at the English National Ballet when I sincerely thank and wish Tamara success in the future.”
Tamara Rojo CBE (born 17 May 1974) is a Spanish ballet dancer. She is the artistic director of the English National Ballet and is the main dancer in the company. She was previously the lead dancer with The Royal Ballet. He will be the artistic director of the San Francisco Ballet by the end of 2022.
Early life and training
Rojo was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, to Spanish parents who returned to Spain when he was 4 months old. At the age of 5 she started dance classes in Madrid and became an 11-year-old full-time student at Madrid’s Royal Professional Conservatory of Dance, Mariemma studying with Víctor Ullate and Karemia Moreno.
Although her parents were happy with her growing ballic talent, they insisted that Rojo also complete her education with evening classes she could attend after practicing in the studio. After graduating from Conservatory at the age of 16, he completed his second course in the next two years. Continuing to complete other degrees including a bachelor of dance, master of scenic arts and a PhD in performing arts, he became a DA magna cum laude in 2016 from King Juan Carlos University.
Work
Tamara Rojo began his professional career in 1991 with Ballet de la Comunidad de Madrid. Under the direction of Víctor Ullate. In 1994, she won a gold medal in the Paris International Dance competition. As well as a Special Jury Award from a group comprising Natalia Makarova, Galina Samsova and Vladimir Vasiliev, three of the world’s leading ballet dancers.
The first job in Britain
In 1996 Galina Samsova, artistic director of the Scottish Ballet, invited Rojo to join the company. There he played key roles in Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, La Sylphide and Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet. Derek Deane, former art director of the English National Ballet, invited him to join the ENB the following year. She performed the role of Juliet in “Romeo and Juliet” and Clara in “The Nutcracker”. The Times which she named Rojo “Dance Revelation of the Year” in 1997. He also performed key roles in Swan Lake, Paquita, Coppelia and. Glen Tetley’s song The Sphinx.
Royal Ballet
Rojo approached Royal Ballet director Anthony Dowell in 2000 with the intention of joining the company. And he was invited to be the main dancer when the contract was awarded later in the year. most of the company’s songs include ballet hits recorded by Kenneth MacMillan and Frederick Ashton, Dowell’s Swan Lake, Makarova’s La Bayadere, Rudolph Nureyev’s Don Quixote, and Peter Wright’s The Nutcracker. She danced the world’s first Snow White show, created for her by choreographer Ricardo Cué. The title role for Isadora was re-created for MacMillan’s widow, artist and set designer Deborah MacMillan, the late ballet songwriter.
Severe injury
In 2000, Tamara Rojo was asked in a short notice to replace the Royal Ballet acting principal Darcey Bussell in the title role in Giselle. Ignoring her sprained ankle, Tamara Rojo learned the role within two weeks and continued to receive positive reviews. In 2002, while dancing to Clara’s Nutcracker, Rojo began to tremble on stage. Sent to a private hospital after the game, he found that his appendix had ruptured and was told to take six weeks off. However, she started dancing only after two o’clock, and returned to the hospital. Rojo admitted some years later that it was “absolutely wrong [to keep dancing injured or sick] and I don’t think anyone should do this. It really shouldn’t.”
In 2003, while preparing for an Australian Royal Ballet tour. Rojo suffered from a viral infection so severe that his foot swelled up to the size of a tennis ball. Doctors recommend an operation on her foot, a surgery that could possibly complete her operation. Months later, after hours of counseling, she began to dance and said that the trauma changed her outlook on life.
