The artistic director of the English National Ballet said she is ‘lucky’ to be dating a dancer who is 16 years her junior.
Tamara Rojo, 43, defended her 18-month long relationship with boyfriend Isaac Hernandez, 27, who is her subordinate and a senior dancer at the company.
Ms Rojo, who was born in Canada to Spanish parents, also dismissed reports that their relationship has caused friction with other performers and had led to resignations from the ENB.
Opening up about her relationship to the Evening Standard, Ms Rojo said the ‘age gap doesn’t seem to be there’, adding she would ‘highly recommend’ dating someone younger. She said: ‘He makes me feel lucky. He’s amazing.’
She also refused to dismiss the possibility of marriage – or having children, but joked: ‘I think I have left it a bit late for 11.’
Younger man: Tamara Rojo, 43, the artistic director of the English National Ballet, is dating Isaac Hernandez, 27, who is her subordinate and a senior dancer at the company
Happy: The artistic director, pictured on stage with Hernandez, said she felt ‘lucky’ to be dating the ‘amazing’ dancer and would recommend an age-gap relationship
The Jimmy Choo-loving dancer has played to great acclaim all the leading roles in ballet including those of Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Coppelia and Romeo and Juliet – and has been frequently compared to Dame Margot Fonteyn.
Critically acclaimed Ms Rojo, who became artistic director in 2012 and also previously enjoyed a relationship with fellow dancer Alan Jones, has been universally praised for changes she has made at ENB.
But current and former employees told The Times last month that they feel uncomfortable with her romantic relationship with Mr Hernandez.
Claims: Ms Rojo also dismissed reports that their relationship has caused friction with other performers and had led to resignations from the ENB. Pictured, Rojo and Hernandez
Passionate: Ms Rojo and Hernandez on stage. The couple have been dating for 18 months, and Rojo hinted this week that she would not rule out the possibility of having children
Ballet star: Swan Lake with Tamara Rojo and Matthew Golding at Gatehouse Theatre in Stafford. Rojo has spoken of her desire to stamp out eating disorders in the industry
Some claimed the relationship could be a conflict of interest.
Their relationship ‘changed the dynamics of the company — and not for the better,’ one source said. ‘That was one of the reasons several people left.’
Several other people also confirmed that this was a factor in their decisions to resign.
However Ms Rojo dismissed the claims, saying there was no way for her to show favouritism by promoting Mr Hernandez as ‘he has won all the awards you can possibly win’. She also pointed out that she ‘doesn’t deal with contacts’.
In a statement, ENB said that it had worked with Ms Rojo to ‘implement improvements’ for dancers and employees.
The star dancer on stage in 2013. In a statement, ENB said that it had worked with Ms Rojo to ‘implement improvements’ for dancers and employees
Outspoken: The glamorous former dancer (pictured at the South Bank Show Awards in 2010) has previously compared ballet to ‘porn’
Rojo (pictured with co-star Carlos Acosta in Romeo & Juliet) this week dismissed reports that her relationship with Hernandez has caused friction with other performers
‘Recently these have included significantly increased medical provisions, such as access to sports scientists and psychologists, nutritionists and ice bath facilities; clearer and more generous reporting lines for dancers and more training for their managers.
‘We take the safety and wellbeing of our dancers and everyone who works with us extremely seriously. We are committed to providing a safe environment, free of harassment and bullying of any sort, and respond to any specific concerns that are raised.’
Outspoken dancer at the helm of the English National Ballet
Ms Rojo, who once hit out at the prevalence of eating disorders in the industry, has previously claimed that ballet is ‘like pornography’ because it is often choreographed by men.
After taking the helm of the ENB in 2012, she spoke of the need for more female choreographers for her company, after saying that because of the many male directors in dance, “Like in porn, it shapes the way you look at things”.
The dancer and director told Time Out magazine that relationships are often shown from a male perspective and that she wants to see certain issues ‘approached by women on stage’.
Miss Rojo said that men often approach dance choreography in a ‘more physical’ way by starting with the steps, rather than women who often begin with the ‘emotional landscape’.
Reflecting on her busy first year as director at the ENB, she told the Spectator in 2012: ‘This job is very intense, very time-consuming: lots of meetings, lots of dinners, lots of interviews.’