You are currently browsing the In praise of … Tamara Rojo category.
Tamara talks to BBC John Wilson about my favourite work of art, a ballet by the pioneering choreographer Mats Ek, based on Federico García Lorca’s play “The House of Bernarda Alba” and created for the Swedish Cullberg Ballet company in 1978.
The series profiles Tamara Rojo, arguably one of the world’s most celebrated and popular dancers, as she takes up her biggest challenge to date – Artistic Director of English National Ballet.
Tamara Rojo will be profiled on 9th May on Sky Arts nd the programme is produced by Suzannah Wander. It has been a lynchpin of arts and culture broadcasting for over thirty-three years, exploring the works of some of the finest living artists, musicians, performers and writers.
“We’re delighted that The South Bank Show returns to Sky Arts with such an extraordinary line-up,” comments Melvyn Bragg. “From David Hare to Alfie Boe, Tamara Rojo to Paula Rego, these remarkable people are among the finest contemporary artists at work today and it has been a huge privilege to secure exclusive interviews and access for the series.”
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
London Theatre Guide – The Priory wins Best New Comedy, Mear, Goldberg and Rambert …
Acclaimed ballet dancer Tamara Rojo talked to psychoanalyst Luis Rodríguez de la Sierra about the relationship between ballet and psychoanalysis. They will explored the psychological themes within classical and modern ballet and compared the craft of choreography with the practice of psychoanalysis.
“A dancer never reaches a limit, he never does. It would be like saying that someone has reached his limit as a human being. We are in constant evolution and, therefore, I still have many things to achieve.” Tamara Rojo, Principal Dancer with The Royal Ballet
www.connectingconversations.org
Tamara Rojo and Sergei Polunin will return to the Royal Opera House for three farewell performances of Marguerite and Armand on 12, 15 and 21 February. The pair danced the ballet to acclaim in October 2011.
Tamara Rojo at the Mikhailovsky Theatre EVENTS Mikhailovsky
Tamara Rojo at the Mikhailovsky Theatre Principal Dancer at the Royal Ballet Covent Garden Tamara Rojo is a guest artist with the Mikhailovsky Ballet.