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May 17, 2012. K.Juan Carlos I delivers the Gold Medal for Fine Arts (awarded by the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts) to Placido Domingo, Pedro Almodovar, Tamara Rojo, Paco Pena, Sara Baras at the Palace of la Zarzuela in Madrid, Spain.
Tamara Rojo, one of the world’s most highly regarded ballerinas, is to become artistic director of English National Ballet, it was announced last night.
The 37-year-old dancer will take over in September from Wayne Eagling, whose unexpected departure after seven years was announced in February.
Rojo, a principal dancer at the Royal Ballet where she was in rehearsals on Thursday, said she was honoured to be taking over at a company she spent three years with in the late 1990s.
“I applied for the job, I wanted it and I’m really excited,” she told the Guardian. “Of course I’m a little scared but I would be crazy if I was not. It is going to be hard work.”
Some ballet fans might be disappointed if they do not see so much of a prima ballerina very much at her peak but Rojo said she intended to continue dancing. “I’m not sure I will be doing less, I will be doing different probably,” she said. “I will be dancing and directing.”
Rojo takes over in difficult economic times. The ENB, which tours extensively nationally and internationally, was hit with a 15% cut in Arts Council funding last year and will receive £6.1m in 2012-13.
“We have to be imaginative,” said Rojo. “We have to try to attract audiences in different ways and at the same time try to make politicians realise that the arts are worth it – that we are not animals, we are human beings and we need art to survive.
“We need to feed the soul as well as the body and that’s what the whole arts world needs to get across.”
Rojo said she would remain true to ENB’s core purpose – classical ballet for all – and would also seek out collaborations with other art forms – with theatre, music and fashion.
Rojo spent three years with the company after she left Spain in 1996, making a significant splash for performances including Clara in Derek Deane’s The Nutcracker, which prompted the Times to call her “dance revelation of the year”. After that she joined the Royal Ballet where her reputation has gone from strength to strength.
John Talbot, the ENB’s chairman, released a statement in which he also had kind words for Eagling. “We look forward to the continuing success of the company which has thrived under Wayne Eagling’s artistic direction over the last seven years,” he said.
“Tamara will use her worldwide reputation and creative vision to form inspiring collaborations throughout the UK and the world. She is looking forward to developing, mentoring and showcasing young talent within the company, and building the profiles of those who are already performing at the highest level.”
Source: The Guardian
Tamara has just been appointed Resident Guest Teacher of the Royal Ballet School
One of Tamara’s passions is to pass on her knowledge to young dancers and students, following the traditions of ballet. The technique of classical dance is based on the achievement of excellence and the scientific base of each movement. Tamara Rojo has cultivated these fundaments and has become an accredited teacher.
Although her schedule is very tight she tries to find the time to impart masterclasses to young professionals and students of important companies and schools
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