Women’s History Month promises to get off to a strong start at San Francisco Ballet this March.
Tamara Rojo, the company’s artistic director since 2022, is set to mount her reimagined version of Raymonda, an 1898 grand ballet that’s rarely performed in full (often only the third act is staged). And it’s easy to see why this classic needs an update.
“Many of my choreographer colleagues were very hesitant to take on Raymonda,” said Rojo. “It’s a very complex ballet, with a complex narrative, [and] was a little bit of a land mine.”
After encountering skepticism early on, Rojo realized that she would have to be the creative force behind the reinterpretation. Her new production of the ballet, which premiered in 2022 in London, marked her debut as a choreographer, coming at the end of her tenure as artistic director of English National Ballet.
Now, this revitalized Raymonda is slated for its North American premiere on Saturday, March 1, at San Francisco’s War Memorial Opera House.
Rojo has moved the story from the Crusades of the medieval era to 19th-century Crimea and Britain, and Raymonda is no longer a passive protagonist but a character in command of her own destiny. Her arc is inspired by the life of Florence Nightingale, the English nurse and social reformer who served during the Crimean War.
“One of the problems [with the original character] is she has no agency,” Rojo said. “Florence Nightingale completely transformed nursing but was also leading at the time of the suffragette movement. Women went to war and were witnesses to it and started to have professions and be financially independent. I felt in that way [Raymonda] would have agency — not be a passive interest for choreography but a driving force.”
At the same time, Rojo had a keen interest in the ballet’s original choreography by Marius Petipa, having danced the third act during her storied career as a principal with The Royal Ballet in London. She researched Petipa’s production for nearly five years, assisted by dance historian and notation specialist Doug Fullington.
“We looked at original scripts and recreated some of the solos and original choreography,” Rojo said.
The result is a title character who’s rooted in tradition but decidedly breaks from it. One of the principal dancers slated to step into the role at SF Ballet is Sasha De Sola, who joined the company as an apprentice in 2006. This will be her first full-length Raymonda, although she too has danced the third act and admits to having a love for the classical repertory.
“The thing that draws me most [to] the classics is the storytelling through structure,” said De Sola. “It’s always a challenge, but I really revel in that — letting the body, the music, and the mind speak to what I’m trying to imbue in the steps.”
De Sola outlined where Rojo’s take on the character of Raymonda departs from Petipa’s but noted that the character still has “seven variations that she dances alone, and it’s a very demanding role.”
And the overall intention is different.
“First and foremost, she has more agency and a sense of purpose,” De Sola said. “I see her as a fully realized woman that really is aware of her needs, desires, her purpose, what she wants to leave to the world. Also, she kind of defies the social conventions that are expected of her from her family. Throughout the ballet, she’s not necessarily struggling but exploring different forces and how they pull her in different directions.”
In creating her Raymonda, Rojo called upon some longtime collaborators. At English National Ballet, Music Director Gavin Sutherland and cellist and music librarian Lars Payne adapted and edited Alexander Glazunov’s lush score, which drives much of the action. Designer Anthony McDonald fashioned some 640 costumes — with nary a tutu in sight — while playwright and screenwriter Lucinda Coxon served as dramaturg.
For help with the character dances, Rojo turned to Russian choreographer Vadim Sirotin.
“I’m no expert in character dances,” she explained. “I needed someone that is. Sirotin is the best in the world, and ballet’s better for it. The [dances] are technically demanding, energizing, and have real style and respect for the time.”
Then there’s Cuban dancer Loipa Araújo, who was a principal with the Cuban National Ballet, among other companies, and is now, at 83 years old, still sought after for her singular style and teaching skills. She helped stage Raymonda for its world premiere and is doing the same for its San Francisco debut.
“Tamara had been working on Raymonda by herself for two years,” recalled Araújo. “But she didn’t have a consistent story. Very few companies perform Raymonda, but she kept on working because of the beautiful music.”
It was perhaps inevitable that Araújo would become involved, given her long-term working relationship with Rojo.
“Loipa has been my mentor for 30 years,” gushed Rojo. “She was first my coach at The Royal Ballet and worked with me in every classical role. She’s incredibly knowledgeable and generous and supportive, while also demanding that you do your very best. She holds me to the highest standard lovingly, and I’m so grateful for her support and all the years we’ve worked together.”
With Raymonda, Rojo is not only telling a powerful story but also, in a way, addressing the state of classical ballet today — in the process expanding the possibilities of the art form.
“The misunderstanding about ballet is it’s an old art form,” Rojo said. “[But] ballet has almost no canon. We have about 10 classic ballets, [and] the rest are from the 20th century. We’re one of the self-innovating art forms.”
Evolution involves “respecting the past and studying it,” Rojo pointed out, “[while] continuing to be at the forefront of this constant innovation. We constantly challenge and respect the canon.”
Rojo sees her current company as the perfect place to pursue this project.
“The best contemporary artists are those that understand and are masters of the art. That’s what San Francisco Ballet is,” she said. “We’re also at the forefront of innovation [and] are relevant to audiences of today. That’s why the art form continues to be alive.”
This story was first published in Datebook in partnership with the San Francisco Chronicle.
