TAMARA ROJO
Awarded a CBE for her services to ballet in the Queen’s 2016 New Year’s Honours.
Honoured by the South Bank Sky Arts Outstanding Achievement Award 2022, for her ten transformational years as artistic director of the English National Ballet.
She is on the Board of Arts Council East, Dance UK, the Anglo-Spanish Society, a Patron of the Ipswich-based DanceEast Academy and Adviser to Spain’s Superior Counsel of Artistic Studies.She began her ballet training in Madrid at the Victor Ullate School. While training with Mr. Ullate, Tamara danced with the Ballet de la Comunidad de Madrid in an extensive repertoire that included classical roles such as Giselle, Les Sylphides, Balanchine’s Theme and Variations and Allegro Brillante, as well as ballets by Christie, van Dantzig, van Mannen, and many works specially choreographed for her by Mr. Ullate.
Tamara won a Gold Medal at the Paris International Dance Competition and a Special Jury Award unanimously given by a judging panel whose members included Natalia Makarova, Vladimir Vassiliev and Galina Samsova. Ms. Samsova asked her to join the Scottish National Ballet where Tamara danced the principal roles in Swan Lake, Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet and Bournonville´s La Sylphide.
After SNB, she received a personal invitation from Derek Deane to join English National Ballet. Within six months she was promoted to Principal. She danced the full range of ENB’s principal roles, including Deane’s Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, Alice in Wonderland, Makarova’s La Bayadere, Paquita Balanchine’s Who Cares? and Corder’s Cinderella. Mr. Deane created the roles of Juliet (Romeo and Juliet) and Clara (The Nutcracker) for her. Her performances as Clara broke attendance records at the London Coliseum and The Times named her “Dancer Revelation of the Year.” Other ENB repertoire included The Chosen One in MacMillan’s Rite of Spring, Tetley’s The Sphinx and Voluntaries, Stevenson’s Three Preludes and Lander’s Études. She collaborated, once again, with Deane for the creation of Strictly Gershwin at the Royal Albert Hall.
Tamara joined The Royal Ballet as a Principal at the invitation of Sir Anthony Dowell shortly after her highly acclaimed Guest Artist debut with the Company in Peter Wright’s production of Giselle.
Since joining The Royal Ballet, Tamara has danced the principal roles in full-length ballets such as Dowell’s Swan Lake, Makarova’s The Sleeping Beauty and La Bayadere, Mason´s The Sleeping Beauty, Nureyev´s Don Quixote and Wright´s The Nutcracker.
Her MacMillan repertory includes the title roles in Isadora (recreated for her by Deborah MacMillan), Romeo and Juliet, Manon, Mary Vetsera in Mayerling, The Woman in Song of the Earth, The Chosen One in Rite of Spring, Masha & Olga in Winter Dreams, Requiem, My Brother My Sisters, and Danses Concertantes.
While her Ashton works include title roles in Cinderella, Ondine, Marguerite and Armand, Five Brahms Waltzes in the Manner of Isadora Duncan, Homage to the Queen and A Wedding Bouquet.
Additionally, other choreographic works Tamara has danced at The Royal Ballet include Balanchine’s Jewels, Theme and Variations, Symphony in C and Tzigane, Mats Ek’s Carmen, Robbins Dances at a Gathering, Kylian’s Sinfonietta and Bourneville’s La Sylphide.
Roles created on Tamara include McGregor’s Chroma, Brandstrup’s Rushes – Fragments of a Lost Story and Goldberg – The Brandstrup-Rojo Project, Liam Scarlett’s Consolations & Liebestraum and Asphodel Meadows, Bruce’s Three Songs – Two Voices and Marston’s Three Words Unspoken.
She is a regular guest artist with The Mariinsky Ballet, La Scala Ballet, Tokyo Ballet, New National Tokyo Ballet, Ballet Nacional de Cuba, National Ballet of China, Lithuanian Ballet, Balletto Argentino, The Mikhailovsky Ballet, English National Ballet, The Royal Swedish Ballet and National Ballet of Finland. She regularly performs at the prestigious World Ballet Festival in Tokyo and many galas all over the world.
Her international repertoire includes: Roland Pettit’s Carmen, Coppelia, Thais, Notre Dame de Paris, Violon e Piano, Alicia Alonso’s Giselle and Swan Lake, Michael Messerer’s Swan Lake Vassiliev’s Don Quixote, Lev Ivanov’s Swan Lake, Nureyev´s The Sleeping Beauty and Don Quixote.
Tamara starred in the world premiere of Snow White (Blancanieves), created for her by choreographer Ricardo Cue with original musical score by famed Spanish conductor Emilio Aragón. Deutsche Gramophone released it on DVD.
Tamara has been repeatedly recognised for her artistic excellence. She won the 2010 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production with Goldberg: the Brandstrup- Rojo Project.
In April 2012 Tamara Rojo was appointed as director and Lead Principal Dancer of the English National Ballet.
King Juan Carlos decorated Tamara with Spain’s three highest Honours, The Prince of Asturias Award, the Gold Medal of Fine Arts and Encomienda de Número de Isabel la Católica.
She also holds the Honor medal award of the Granada International Festival of Music and Dance 2014, II Award Foundation Banco Santander of Hispano-British Relations 2013, the Kennedy Centre’s Gold Medal in the Arts 2012, The Laurence Olivier Award – Brandstrup – Rojo “Goldberg variations” best new dance production 2010, the Benois de la Danse Award, Gold Medal and the Special Jury Award at the Paris International Dance Competition, The Times Dancer Revelation of the Year, Critic’s Circle National Dance Award, Barclay’s Outstanding Achievement in Dance Award, Positano Dance Award, Leonide Massine Premio al Valore, the Italian Critic’s Award, and from the City of Madrid, both the International Medal of the Arts and the Interpretation Award.
Gold Medal of the Academy of Performing Arts of Spain 2021.
Honorary ambassador of the Spain brand.