Report
of an interview of Tamara Rojo by David Bain
Swedenborg Hall, London
28 March 2002
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click for a larger image
Although coinciding with the beginning of the Easter weekend, the Ballet Association’s
March meeting was packed to hear Tamara Rojo talk. She captivated her audience
with a lively account of her career and an intelligent analysis of her approach
to roles. Time sped by, leaving much more to be asked. A good excuse for the
Association to ask her back another year!
Tamara Rojo, from Madrid, started dancing because both her parents worked.
They put her into various classes after school, but not ballet. One day her
mother was late and she was invited in to a ballet class. The class started
and, aged 5, she wanted to join in. When her mother arrived, she didn’t
want to leave it as she was enjoying it so much. Eventually her parents relented
and allowed her to join the class. Like all schools, they started by making
sure class was enjoyable- later it was hard work, but she was hooked.
When a little older, Tamara saw some children dancing on a children’s
television programme. She wanted to join them and auditioned for Victor Ullate.
She wasn’t amongst those he chose from the barre work, but as she sat
down and stretched her feet, he said “and you”.
Why does Spain produce so many ballet dancers? Spain is food and dance! Dance
is part of them! But there is a paradox, as Spain has no major ballet companies.
Victor Ullate has a very mixed background. His good technique comes from Maria
de Avila, the de Cuevas company and Rosella Hightower. This is a very strong,
hard and square technique - dancers such as Trinidad Sevillano and Marta Barahona
come from this background. He also has a Cuban influence and a French one,
from his time with Bejart, where technique is more refined, with freer arms.
Lucia Lucarra and Angel Corella were contemporaries of Tamara with Ullate.
Victor Ullate was not appointed director of the National Ballet Company. He
was determined to show everyone this was a mistake and set up his own company
and school.
It was nothing like the Royal Ballet School. It was a private school, which
initially Tamara attended from 6-9pm every night after having had a day in
an ordinary school. It wasn’t too bad, as this is Spain and you eat late.
Tamara attended the school from age 9 to 16. Very early on she was asked to
join the morning class as well. This meant only having half time education,
which her mother wasn’t very happy about. She attended class from 10am-1pm,
normal school from 2.30-5.30pm and back into ballet class from 6-9pm. Ballet
class was all practical. There were no classes in stagecraft or mime, no history
of dance or theory.
Aged 16, Tamara joined Ullate’s company. The repertoire was a mix of
Ullate, Kylian and van Manen. The company, only about 20 dancers, toured Spain,
Italy and, sometimes, France. When Tamara was 19, she entered the Paris Ballet
Competition. Initially Victor Ullate didn’t support her entry, but Angel
Corella had decided to leave the company and had entered Paris. So Victor
felt the company should be represented, but he had booked a holiday in Venice,
so Tamara went to Paris alone, with none of the support other dancers were
receiving from their companies - physiotherapists, etc. She won the gold medal
and Jury prize; Angel Corella won the male gold.
Tamara returned to dance with company, touring for another six months, but
had decided the time was right to move on. She was offered a contract, with
Scottish Ballet, by Galina Samsova. Galina had been on the jury in Paris and
promised a repertoire of Swan Lake, Nutcracker, La Sylphide and Romeo and
Juliet. Victor Ullate was not happy! But aged 20, Tamara now moved to Scotland.
She arrived not speaking a word of English, but “they don’t either”.
She remembered the taxi driver talking not stop from the airport and not understanding
a word. However, she had a great time. She enjoyed working with Galina, who
is an excellent teacher. The whole staff in Scottish Ballet helped her a lot.
When she danced Cranko’s Juliet, it was as if another world had opened
up. Daria Klimentova and Fiona Chadwick were dancing with Scottish Ballet
at this time.
After she had been there for six months, Galina Samsova was fired- “a
terrible decision”. Offers of contracts happened quickly. She was called
by Roland Petit to join his company in Marseilles as “etoile”. Derek
Deane had seen her dance Juliet and asked her to join English National Ballet,
but only offered her Senior Soloist. It was a difficult decision. Tamara doesn’t
like companies run by a choreographer/director as they become narrow and restrictive
and can be self-indulgent. So she chose ENB. The right decision as Petit left
Marseilles soon after.
She arrived at ENB towards the end of a season, in time for the company’s
small tours, where they split into two companies and tour small theatres -
Bexhill,etc. They would arrive, do a dress rehearsal and performance the first
day and two performances the next day. Because Daria Klimentova and Marta
Barahona went off injured, she ended up doing four pas de deux a performance,
eight a day - Don Quixote, Sleeping Beauty and two modern pas de deux. She
danced the classics at ENB, a new production of Nutcracker where Clara was
created on her and the Albert Hall version of Romeo and Juliet. She found
this similar to Cranko’s in mood, as Derek had known MacMillan’s
and there are similarities between MacMillan’s and Cranko’s. Tamara
is unusual in having danced three versions of Juliet. The difficult part is
learning the steps to the same music when they are very similar. Its easy
if they are very different. But “Juliet is the same at heart”. Cranko’s
and MacMillan’s are more romantic. Derek Deane’s is more modern,
especially in Juliet’s private moments. Derek wanted this to be rougher,
more up to date - for example in the poison scene. Tamara prepares by reading
the book, watching videos and having a good coach. She gave a very detailed
account of how she saw the character of Juliet.
Tamara has guested twice with the National Ballet of Cuba. They tour Spain
regularly. It is an excellent company and provided excellent role models for
the Ullate school - she remembers the young Careno and Acosta. She has danced
Giselle with them on two separate occasions and hopes to go again this year.
Asked about her teacher, David Howard, who teaches in New York. She was fortunate
to meet him, as he is one of the greatest teachers in the world. He is ex-Royal
Ballet and now teaches as a guest with the Company. Asked why he is good,
Tamara stressed that he is very aware of a dancer’s real anatomy. He
works with real bodies, knows what they can and cannot do. She gave examples.
He warms up slowly, but doesn’t waste time talking. He just does. This
helps with stamina, speed and muscle warmth. The barre work is very gradual,
but the centre work is very much danced and very demanding. In planning his
classes, David starts with the end point. He knows his target, his objectives,
and then works back. The class, therefore, is coherent.
Tamara was asked about her quoted admiration for Gelsey Kirkland. She is fortunate
to have seen lots of videos, some with David Howard, but never saw her dance
live.
Because ENB has to make money, its repertoire became very repetitive. Tamara
realised she had had enough. In the summer of 1999, Monica Mason came to rehearse
MacMillan’s Rite of Spring. This was another awakening. Monica is wonderful.
She gives the context, explains what Kenneth wanted in every movement. Tamara
realised she wanted to dance more MacMillan, so she contacted Anthony Dowell,
but all contracts were taken. Anthony said he would get back to her if the
opportunity arose, but she didn’t expect it to happen. Monica came back
around Christmas to do final rehearsals of Rite of Spring and asked if she
still wanted to join. She was offered a contract for the following September.
Rite of Spring was an intense time. Being part of a death-related ballet was
amazing - the main solo is exhausting, the others rough and wild. She also
had to tell Derek she was leaving. Another director stopped talking to her!
She had six months, no longer the first cast. Naturally Derek based his new
Beauty on dancers who were staying.
At the end of the season, Tamara went back to Spain on holiday where she received
a call asking if she would come and dance the last night of the Royal’s
Giselle as Darcey Bussell was injured. It was a very different production
from those she had danced in Spain and Cuba. She was coached by Donald Macleary
and had Inaki Urlezaga as a partner. The experience was a delight.
Tamara’s first season with the Royal was very classical, including Swan
Lake, Ondine, Romeo and Juliet, Shadowplay, Giselle, Song of the Earth, Symphonic
Variations. Shadowplay was fun, a bit of a joke. She was only on for a couple
of minutes. In contrast, Song of the Earth was amazing. It is beautiful, poetry.
Dancing it with Carlos Acosta and Jonathan Cope was amazing. She really like
Ondine, but against her will. She hated the music when she first heard it.
She hates counting - just doesn’t do it. In Ondine the counts are irregular
- the choreologist would say 7, 9, 5, 8 - “I can’t even remember
my telephone number”. Gradually she got involved in the role by watching
videos over and over. Then she had Donald Macleary coaching and it was totally
different. It’s a tender and sweet ballet, that she really enjoyed.
Asked about developing Ashton style, Tamara is not sure what it is. She has
danced two Ashton ballets, Ondine and Symphonic Variations. They are both
very different. Ashton style changed according to for whom he was choreographing.
Ondine was totally for Fonteyn. Symphonic is very cool and classical.
Tamara was asked about repertoire in response to audience comments on the
new season.“Ross is a man with his own will”. The ideal company
repertoire is a mix of classical and creations. Tamara includes Cranko, Ashton,
MacMillan and other heritage as classical. She stressed they were in the repertoire
because previous directors took risks with new choreography. New creations
are necessary if a company is to survive. People talk about the lack of ballet
divas now. Divas are made by choreographers - Ashton made Margot. Tamara created
many ballets with Victor Ullate and two ballets with Christopher Hampson in
ENB, but has yet to create a role with the Royal Ballet. The lack of new works,
shefeels is understandable. The new choreographers working with the company
need to work with dancers first. She believes these first two seasons under
Ross Stretton are setting up the opportunity for new works from established
choreographers in future years.
Tamara has enjoyed working with different choreographers this season. She
sees Mats Ek as following directly from Ashton and Macmillan. Not in style,
which is very different, but in terms of meaning. There is always a reason
for every movement, just as with Ashton and MacMillan. It is all very intellectual.
In contrast Nacho Duarto’s work Por Vos Muero is very beautiful. It is
lovely and fun to dance, but there is no depth of meaning to it. His choreography,
like Balanchine’s, makes use of the same repertoire of steps. Tamara
finds Ek much more interesting. He analyses everything.
Tamara is very enthusiastic about Carmen. She spoke vividly of the three different
men she dances with. The husband who makes her steal and sell herself; Don
Jose, who falls in love with her like many others; and Escamillo, who is her
equal. Jonathan Howells, Tom Whitehead and Bennet Gartside dance these roles
with her.
Time ran out. Asked for an embarrassing moment on stage, Tamara told of dancing
Amor Brujo in Spain. She had to run on, slipped, sat down with her dress over
her head and got a sympathetic “ahh!” from the whole theatre - not
the response the character was supposed to receive.
Tamara was a delight to interview. This report cannot attempt to relay the
atmosphere of the meeting. As the interview went on, one more “Don Jose”
on stage fell under her spell. No doubt, many others did in the audience!
© The Ballet Association 2002
Report written by David Bain, based on notes taken by Gerald Dowler
Corrected by Tamara Rojo
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