Transferring cultural money away from London, according to one of ballet’s biggest stars, “punishes” the city and would not assist anyone.
Tamara Rojo, outgoing Artistic Director of the English National Ballet, is concerned about the future of the United Kingdom as a worldwide cultural hub.
She alleged that Arts Council England made “simplistic” decisions.
The council’s stated objective is to “ensure a more equitable distribution of money across the nation.”
The government instructed the development agency to relocate taxpayer-funded investments outside of London. It just unveiled a £446 million plan for the next three years for England’s cultural institutions.
An additional £43 million is spent annually on culture offerings outside of London. However, tens of millions of dollars have been removed from some of the capital’s most prestigious institutions, and several have lost all Arts Council support.
Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan stated that while the government continues to support cultural icons such as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Royal Shakespeare Company, “this announcement will ensure that organizations in places that are all too often overlooked receive the support they require to transform access to the arts for everyone.”
However, Rojo worries the United Kingdom’s cultural dominance is under threat.
After ten years at the helm of the English National Ballet, she is leaving this week for San Francisco Ballet, resulting in a 5% decrease in revenue.
Rojo stated that she supported increasing investment around the nation, but not “at the price of London,” adding that this would not benefit the United Kingdom.
The renowned Spanish dancer thinks that cultural institutions in capital cities foster innovation, bringing prosperity, unity, identity, investment, and tourism.
“I’m not certain that penalizing London will assist anyone else.”
According to Arts Council England, London will still receive one-third of the announced investment.
Tamara Rojo arrived in the United Kingdom more than 25 years ago as an unknown dancer. As the main dancer with the Royal Ballet and then the English National Ballet, she became a box office draw.
Her breakthrough came in 2000 when she replaced an injured Darcey Bussell in Giselle at Covent Garden in London. Rojo was often compared to Margot Fonteyn after her birth.
However, in her final week at ENB, when she was presumably more at liberty to speak her thoughts, she stated that she believed current immigration laws could have barred her from entering the nation.
She feels “very thankful” to the United Kingdom because “all that my career has given me is because Britain welcomed a Spanish immigrant who did not know English.”
Now, she is concerned that the same 28-year-old may require a visa under post-Brexit regulations that prohibit free movement from the EU.
“I would have failed the English examination. And because I had not yet accomplished anything, I would not have had enough points” [to obtain a visa].
Some could claim that a British-born talent could have taken her position, or that once she had established herself as a prima ballerina, Rojo would have had no trouble working in the UK.
It is impossible to say whether she would have felt loyal enough to reside in the United Kingdom for over 30 years or whether she would have given her creative flair to English National Ballet on stage and as its artistic director for more than a decade under those circumstances.
Rojo has put the English National Ballet on the map and promoted the work of female choreographers. She has choreographed her first full-length ballet, a version of Raymonda, which is currently on tour, performing in Bristol this week and Southampton the next week.
Rojo will be the first woman in history to lead San Francisco Ballet. She has already hung up her ballet shoes and has stated that she will not be enticed to return. Now 48 years old, she has abandoned the strenuous daily fitness regimen that demanded dance.
Together with the Mexican dancer Isaac Hernández, she has a small son.
“I’ve promised my significant other that for the next two years I’m going to eat whatever I want and accomplish nothing. I’ve been dancing for 43 years since I was five years old, and I need a break.
“I’m taking great pleasure in doing nothing”
However, she does offer an exercise recommendation for us all. “The center is always the center. You will avoid a great deal of back pain.”
Consequently, she returns to the Bristol Hippodrome. She may be in her final days of employment, but she has a rehearsal to attend.
