What a Difference a Female Director Can Make! Vogue: #MeToo Finally Makes Waves In The Ballet World With English National Ballet’s She Persisted

By Alyson Lowe

6 April 2019

Conjure up an image of classical ballet, and pointe shoes, tutus, a corps of fluttering ballerinas and exaggerated stage make-up will spring to mind. Visually, women are everywhere in ballet, but, this is very often where it stops; they are seen as objects of beauty, but historically it has rarely been anything more. Feminist discourse in the art form is only at its very fledgling stage, with women’s voices in the classical realm remaining especially silent.

Led by creative director (and ballerina) Tamara Rojo, the English National Ballet’s latest trilogy, She Persisted, gives those voices to these previously seen-but-not-heard women – and they’re big, bold, loud ones. A trilogy of works, all crafted by female choreographers, the production takes over London’s Sadler’s Wells for two weeks. This isn’t the first time Rojo has led a women-first project. Back in 2016, She Said similarly showcased female choreography, but it’s season two that proves Rojo is very serious about permanent change after #MeToo’s impact through the arts world.

Read the full article in Bhttps://www.vogue.co.uk/article/she-persisted-english-national-balletritish Vogue.