http://www.harpersbazaar.com/ukSEE STOCKISTS FOR DETAILS. MAKE-UP BY GINA KANE AT CAREN, USING CHANEL DESERT DREAM AND LE LIFT. HAIR BY EARL SIMMS AT CAREN, USING AUTHENTIC BEAUTY CONCEPT. MANICURE BY MICHELLE HUMPHREY AT LMC WORLDWIDE, USING BIO SCULPTURE
April 2020 | HARPER’S BAZAAR | 133tackle a new story. Set in a military facility in the Arctic, where
the ice is melting, Creature will address two urgent issues that
are shaping our world: climate change and artificial intelligence.
‘We need to have conversations about the morality behind tech-
nological advances,’ says Rojo. ‘The beauty of dance is that it’s
about emotions. The issues around the creation of life or artifi-
cial intelligence are not just about facts, but about asking how
we feel about this. It’s a perfect subject to express in movement.’
Creature will form part of the ENB’s 70th-anniversary pro-
gramme, which also features Rojo’s first foray into choreography
with Raymonda, and beloved classics such as The Nutcracker.
Now that the company is operating from a purpose-built space
in City Island with state-of-the-art facilities including a costume
atelier supported by Chanel, the possibilities are boundless.
‘The building is the physical affirmation of our ethos – conceived
as a transparent home for dance, so that it can reach the widest
possible audience,’ says Rojo. Here, apprentices can gain skills
in every aspect of the backstage process, from stage manage-
me nt to produc t ion , a s pa r t of a n on g oi n g out re ach prog r a m me.
‘I am the caretaker of a legacy – a culmination of many people’s
sacrifices to bring the company to where we are now,’ Rojo
says of her vision. ‘At the same time, it’s my duty to create the
legacy of the future.’
‘Creature’ by Akram Khan is performed by the English National Ballet
at Sadler’s Wells from 1 to 8 April (www.ballet.org.uk/creature).amara Rojo and Akram Khan are leaning on a ballet
barre, engaged in a tête-à-tête. It says a lot about
their work ethic that a photo-shoot with Bazaar
doubles as an opportunity to discuss their upcoming produc-
tion Creature, inspired by Woyzeck, an expressionist drama by
the German playwright Georg Büchner, and Mary Shelley’s
Frankenstein. They’re about to start rehearsing in earnest at the
English National Ballet’s new east-London headquarters, and
there’s a frisson of expectation around the reuniting of these
two creative visionaries.
This will be the second time that the artistic director of the
ENB and the choreographer have collaborated on a full-length
piece; the first was Giselle in 2016, a triumph of dynamic reinter-
pretation that broke classical rules by weaving in multifarious
influences and giving focus to the recent migration crises. Rojo
had wanted to bring Khan on board from the moment she joined
the company eight years ago. ‘Akram tells stories that are both
British and relevant on a wider cultural level,’ she tells me. ‘I
genuinely believe that his language was appropriate for a ballet
company for today, and we could find a new language together.’
Her decision was not without risk: Khan, whose background is
in classical Indian and contemporary dance, was entering the
rarefied world of ballet, while Rojo, against a backdrop of budget
cuts and scrutiny, had ‘decided to ask a Bangladeshi choreo-
grapher to break this untouchable masterwork apart’. ‘The
whole process was about understanding tradition, but removing
the layers of dust,’ she says. ‘In understanding the original Giselle,
we created something completely different.’ Khan agrees: ‘It was
about stretching and pushing the boundaries of the art form. We
have very different cultural perspectives, but we share similar
aesthetics, principles and value systems.’
For their next project, Rojo felt strongly that they shouldTALK ING POINTS
Far right:
Tamara Rojo wears
cotton cardigan, £3,160;
silk chiffon skirt, £7,990,
both Chanel. Ring, her
own. Akram Khan wears
grosgrain jacket; silk
poplin shirt, both from a
selection, Alexander
McQueen. Hat and
trousers, his own.
Below: Rojo’s pointe shoesT