Tamara Rojo CBE
English National Ballet's Artistic Director and Lead Principal and former Royal Ballet star, Tamara Rojo, will be talking with Gerald Dowler
Tamara Rojo was appointed Artistic Director of English National Ballet in 2012. She combines this role with her dancing career, performing as Lead Principal with the Company.
Trained in Madrid at the Victor Ullate School.
She won a Gold Medal at the Paris International Dance Competition and a Special Jury Award unanimously given by a judging panel led by Natalia Makarova, Vladimir Vasiliev and Galina Samsova, who asked her to join Scottish Ballet.
Within six months of joining English National Ballet, Tamara was promoted to Principal, and went on to dance the full range of the Company’s principal roles. Derek Deane created the roles of Juliet (Romeo & Juliet) and Clara (The Nutcracker) for her. Her performances as Clara broke all box office records at the London Coliseum and The Times named her “Dance Revelation of the Year.”
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 Sir Peter Wright’s Giselle, and danced there for 12 years.
Tamara has been repeatedly recognised for her artistic excellence. Her awards include: the 2010 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production; Spain’s three highest Honours, The Prince of Asturias Award, the Gold Medal of Fine Arts and Encomienda de Número de Isabel la Católica; the Benois de la Danse Award; Critics’ 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.
She is a member of the Board of the Creative Industries Federation, the Anglo-Spanish Society, a Patron of the Ipswich-based DanceEast Academy, Patron of the Flamingo Chicks and Adviser to Spain’s Superior Council of Artistic Studies.
In January 2016 Tamara Rojo became D.A. Magna Cum Laude, presenting her thesis ‘Psychological Profile of the Elite Dancer – Vocational Characteristics of the Professional Dancer’ at Rey Juan Carlos University, and was awarded a CBE for her services to ballet in the Queen’s 2016 New Year’s Honours.
Official Website: tamara-rojo.com [Photo by Karolina Kuras]