Tamara Rojo, artistic director of the San Francisco Ballet, discusses the need for risk-taking and innovation in the arts, and how preserving dance goes hand in hand with it.
"every time you bring back the same work, less people will come. You are cannibalizing yourself. So that's not really a long-term strategy that you can rely on.
" One of the first things Tamara Rojo did when she became artistic director of the San Francisco Ballet in 2022 was to commission a major new work on a very hot, very San Francisco topic: AI. "I wanted to be somewhere where the answer is, 'Let's try,' rather than, 'We've never done it this way,'" Rojo told NPR about her decision to move to a city known globally for innovation.
Rojo had spent decades working in the United Kingdom, first as a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet and English National Ballet and then as artistic director and lead principal dancer, presents a departure for the nearly 100-year-old dance institution. The jagged, earthbound movement, grainy electronic-driven soundtrack and pulsating AI-generated visuals of the hour-long ballet, presented a departure for the company programmatically.
Also, Rojo's choreographer pick,"What I love about Tamara is that she is defiant in what she believes in," Barton said at the San Francisco Ballet's headquarters during a break from rehearsingyear after year. Every now and again, though, someone like Rojo comes along and truly shakes things up – even if that has meant ruffling tutus in the process.
Rojo was only 19 when she volunteered to represent her small, Madrid-based dance school and company at the prestigious Paris International Dance competition in 1994. During her years as a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet, Tamara Rojo danced many famous roles including Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty. In this 2006 dress rehearsal at The Royal Opera House, the Cuban ballet star Carlos Acosta partnered Rojo as Prince Florimund.
"I don't know what happened, but my hand went up," Rojo said. "I didn't think about it. I just went 'me!
'" She won gold, and soon went on to dance for the Scottish National Ballet, the English National Ballet, and, starting in 2000, the Royal Ballet. The ballerina became known for her consummate technique as well as her ability to bring emotional depth to roles like Odette/Odile inRojo has taken that same boundless ambition from the stage to the artistic director's chair — making moves that match daring with success.
As the English National Ballet's artistic director and lead principal dancer from 2012 to 2022, she helped transform the company into an international dance powerhouse, in large part through her radical approach to programming. Rojo's efforts included bringing ballet to the Glastonbury Festival for theand oversaw its move from a cramped building in the"old money" South Kensington neighborhood of London to sprawling new studios in hip Canning Town.
"Rojo was hugely resourceful and creative about how she revitalized that company," Howard said. Sitting in her office at the San Francisco Ballet in dressy white sweatpants and an extravagantly ruffled blue blouse, the Spanish native, who turns 52 on Sunday, said the survival of her artform depends, at least in part, on risk-taking. — every time you bring back the same work, less people will come," Rojo said.
"You are cannibalizing yourself. So that's not really a long-term strategy that you can rely on.
"in London this summer. According to the company, it has brought in millions of dollars in ticket sales and drawn crowds of first-time ticket-buyers to the San Francisco Ballet. Many of them have stuck around for the post-performance DJ parties. These are part of Rojo's ongoing desire to open things up by turning the company's lobby into a friendlier space involving collaborations with local cultural groups and artists.
"We have this platform. We don't have to be a gatekeeper. That's actually bad for the arts," Rojo said.
"And so who else can we invite to be part of our actions? "inspired a whopping, $60 million gift from an anonymous donor — one of the largest ever given to an American ballet company. This windfall is mainly earmarked to fund new work. Barton, the choreographer, said she remembers when Rojo invited the donor into the rehearsal room.
"She's very convincing when she believes in something," Barton said. "If I had the means, I would give it to her too. "But not everyone is on board with the changes she's made and her leadership style. Rojo of perpetuating a culture of intimidation and downplaying injury.
Those dancers also objected to her romantic relationship with one of her company's lead dancers, Isaac Hernandez, who moved with her to the San Francisco Ballet. They have a son together, but have since separated. NPR, English National Ballet said the company had worked with Rojo"from the start to implement improvements across the company," including better access to medical care, more training for managers and a new building.
Arts Council England, which funds and supports the arts across that country, said at the time it was satisfied with the new policies and processes put into place; English National Ballet said it worked with"unions and staff to ensure that feedback was heard and concerns were addressed. Asked about the allegations this week, the ballet told NPR that"No formal grievances were substantiated.
" Looking back, Rojo says that it was challenging to learn how to be a manager while still dancing, and to make changes in an industry where management is so male-dominated. A 2025from the Dance Data Project revealed of the 217 artistic directors leading classically based dance companies in the U.S. and internationally, 30% are women, while 70% are men.
"I came in very strong and very fast," Rojo said. "And that, combined with 'Women that succeed need to be put in their place,' was very difficult. "It's hard to say if similar disagreements over leadership happened when she took over San Francisco Ballet. A handful of high-profile company members have, including Hernandez.
The dancers declined to comment. San Francisco Ballet said the number of roster changes is similar to the number before her tenure. Part of Rojo's creative vision is an unusual, new two-year program aimed at identifying and training the next generation of dance leaders while they continue to perform on stage. De Sola is a participant.
"Many times you're required to almost wait until the end of your career to be able to pursue these things," De Sola said. "And I feel grateful that I've been able to do these in tandem. " Rojo said she believes ballet dancers are capable of being great leaders if they're taught how to do it.
"You just need to have a vision that is specific and relevant to the institution that you want to direct and that is financially sustainable," she said. "And you also need to make great art. "KPBS keeps you informed with local stories you need to know about — with no paywall. Our news is free for everyone because people like you help fund it.
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