Tamara Rojo: “Ballet in Spain is worse now than when I left”


Many dancers have made an important dance career outside of Spain, but none have gone as far as the Spanish Tamara Rojo, director of the English National Ballet (ENB). About to turn 48, the award-winning dancer says goodbye to the stage before embarking on a new stage as director of the San Francisco Ballet from 2023. This week, the Barcelona public will be able to see her dance for the last time at the Liceu with the renewed version of ‘Giselle’ made by Akram Khan, Indian choreographer and dancer specializing in kathak, Indian classical dance, and contemporary dance. Lars von Trier’s film ‘Dancing in the Dark’, starring singer Björk, was the spark that led her to think of another ‘Giselle’, a character who for her “is capable of seeing beauty in everything, even in very difficult circumstances”, as the protagonist of the film.

This ‘Giselle’ is a reflection on the true meaning of the original work with a new way of telling this story

His version, faithful to the original but different, has been a breath of fresh air in a world as traditional as that of classical ballet. Although there were some protests at the Teatro Real, the truth is that this new version of ‘Giselle’, with different gestures and theatrics, away from the romantic context, has marked a milestone. Has become one of the most requested pieces of the ENB, a institution with 70 years of history that Rojo has captained for the last 10 years.

“It is already an emblematic work. It embodies my idea of ​​respecting tradition and understanding it, but inviting contemporary creators to make their own versions, something quite common in opera, not so much in classical ballet,” says Rojo at the Liceu, where this ballet is finally presented this Wednesday. “It’s a reflection on the true meaning of the original work, with a new way of telling this story.” A version that emphasizes social inequality. Instead of peasants and nobles two worlds appear, that of immigrant workers of a garment factory, the outcasts, and the rich businessmen.

Tradition and modernity

The music has been reworked by Vincenso Lamagna from the original score by Adolphe Adam. Award-winning Hong-Kong designer Tim Yip signs the sets and costumes. “There are melodies that can be recognized. For example, at the beginning of the second act, the melody of Mirta, the queen of the Willis, is there, but it has a different tonality that gives it a darker twist. This character is more present because in this version Giselle and Mirta are the same person, only with opposite visions. His passage to two is a duel between which course to take in the face of a love betrayal, revenge or forgiveness”.

Booing seems like a great honor to me. Fights don’t scare me. The public must express what they feel

Are you afraid that there may be an adverse reaction from the purists at the Liceu? “Booing seems like a great honor to me. Fighting doesn’t scare me. The public must express what they feel, after all, they are the consumer. Let’s see, not in the middle of silence, but they are free to express themselves. All the great figures I admire, from Diaghilev to Nureyev, Nijinsky, Nijinska, Rambert were booed at some point, they or their works”.

The dance star is impressive after having debuted as a mother last year at age 46 with the support of his partner, the Mexican dancer Isaac Hernández, 16 years younger. The acclaimed artist has never regretted leaving Spain in 1996, without a doubt, her best decision. “I am sad to say that the situation of ballet is worse than when I was a teenager. There are no longer private companies that gave a professional alternative to dancers. And many of the schools that trained generations of great dancers that we have been around the world, or they do not exist or now they work in a different way. Now it is more difficult for young people who want to have a future in dance, both for their training and professionally”. She herself trained with Víctor Ullate, whose school had to close, as did her company, which closed its doors after 31 years due to the economic infeasibility of the project.

I have danced more than I could have dreamed of in all the theaters of the world and for that I am grateful for the public support

Red says goodbye to the stage with this ‘Giselle‘ what he will dance twice at the Liceu, on Wednesday and Saturday with his partner as Albrecht. “The Liceu is the second theater where I danced as a professional, the first was the Zarzuela”, he recalls. With her he will travel this summer to New York and will say goodbye to Paris in October. “I haven’t danced for more than two years and with this I’m retiring. It’s just a natural development that I’m very pleased with. I have been very lucky. I have danced more than I could have dreamed of in all the theaters of the world and for that I am grateful for the public support. I’m more than ready to leave the stage. There are people full of talent who must also have their moment and their opportunity”. She will continue to explore her facet as a choreographer. She has already made a version of ‘Raymonda’, which she took to the Crimean War, premiered by the ENB, and another of ‘Cinderella’ with the Swedish National Ballet.

Mission accomplished

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When he takes stock of his time at the ENB, his eyes shine. “I am very proud of the ccatalog of new works made in these ten years and also of our new headquarters, which has transformed the way we work and that of other English companies that come to create their works there. That saved us during the pandemic. Having seven studios made it possible to work in bubbles and create digital content. I am leaving the company financially strong, with a great cast of dancers and international tours for the next few years.”

His next challenge is in the US. He does not rule out continuing to rely on Akram Khan on the other side of the Atlantic, but wants to work with North American creators. He cites the choreographer Andrea Miller, among others. “In the ENB I have developed a work taking into account the cultural context of the United Kingdom and the type of dance that the public is used to seeing there. The San Francisco Ballet has its own quirks. I know less about that culture but I am reading about US history. It is a different institution. His current season has nine new creations, that has never happened in ENB.”


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