Tamara Rojo
A conversation on leadership and gender equality in the dance world.
What events have led you to become a director of a major ballet company? Was this always your post-dance career aspiration?
“Not at all. It was not until my 30s that I started to think, ‘Okay, so what happens when this is over?’
[Becoming an artistic director] wasn't even my idea at first. I just happened to be very inquisitive. Some things that were happening [within the dance world] that did not make sense to me. And whenever I asked, ‘Why do we do things this way?’ The answer was always, ‘This is how we've always done it.’
When I shared my frustrations with my father, he said, ‘Well, if you think you can do better, then do it.’ And something sparked within me when he said that, because I thought, ‘Yes, I do think I can do it better.’”
According to various sources, only 33% of artistic directors have been female, and only 20% of ballets have been choreographed by women, yet 93% of teachers are female, and 78% of ballet dancers are female. Did you realize it was such a male-dominated position prior to starting down this path? From your experience, what would you consider the main factors that contribute to this discrepancy?
“I didn't realize that until I became artistic director myself.
When I looked back on my career, I realized that I had never performed a ballet choreographed by a woman, and that there were very few female voices in choreography…The original choreography director of the Royal Ballet was a woman. The main companies were generated by women. But, even those women mainly commissioned male choreographers. That created a legacy of perception that men choreograph and women dance.
But this is obviously not exclusive to ballet. You see it in all the art forms. Most of the writers in theater are men. Most of the film directors are men. Most of the painters are men. There's also an expectation about what women are interested in. They tend to be educators, physiotherapists, or yoga teachers. Those are more ‘caring’ professions than being a choreographer or an artistic director.
Then, there's also the realities of motherhood. Many dancers retire soon after motherhood and disappear from the industry altogether. There are social realities as well as inherent traditions that are not exclusive to our art form that contribute to this issue, and they're not easy to fix.”
Do you have any personal experiences that can attest to the gender inequality in the realms of choreographic and leadership roles within the dance world?
“I don't feel that there has ever been an occasion where the fact that I was a woman has damaged my career.
In my home, it was never discussed that I couldn't achieve whatever I set out to achieve because I was a woman. I was oblivious to that reality. I just kept going forward and doing what I wanted to do. If somebody had objections because I was a woman, I had no idea.
However, [I began to realize that] from the beginning of ballet, [directors] had it in their heads that choreography belonged to men. That became true in their actions and also in people's perceptions of career options for women versus men in this industry. The women were recycled into being ballet mistresses, rehearsal directors, or school teachers. The expectation became apparent that women could aspire to fill those roles, but they could not aspire to be a choreographer.”
What do you believe is the most important asset that the introduction of females into leadership roles and choreographic roles is bringing to the ballet community?
“I've thought about this. What is the difference between female choreographers and male choreographers? To me, there is no difference. We're all individuals, and it would be unfair to describe you [William Stout] only as a male dancer. You are many more things than that. Your way of dancing is not equal to all other male dancers just because you share a certain genetic disposition.
In the same way, I don't know that there's a particular quality that comes with femininity in choreographic roles. But, it's important to have representation of everyone.
It needs to be understood that if you have the interest, the qualifications, and the talent, there is a place for you.”
It seems that you have made it your mission throughout your time as Artistic Director to promote female choreographic voices through “Broken Wings,” “Carmen,” and “Mere Mortals.” Can you speak more to that?
“Female choreography is something that interests me and that I want to continue to support.
But I think my aspirations are far broader. I want to promote diverse voices in general.
I also feel that we are the San Francisco Ballet, and San Francisco is a very diverse city. So, we need to represent our city. When we go on tour, they need to feel that we represent them.”
What can be done to further promote a diverse array of voices within San Francisco Ballet and companies across the globe?
“Lead by example and be successful at it.
Those two things are not always easy to achieve. In order to really create change, what you do has to be excellent. It cannot be inclusive at the expense of being excellent. And some people make that mistake.
Inclusivity has to go hand in hand with the aspiration of excellence, because it is when you do truly excellent work by a diverse group of people that you can change the direction of the art form and garner the attention of other artists and other directors.”
Do you see yourself as breaking the glass ceiling for future women looking for leadership roles?
“I don't think I do, because there have been others before me.
But I do feel that it is important to do your part. You never know what impact you're going to have. Sometimes it doesn't have to be a huge impact. You only need to inspire one person to make a difference.”
