|
 The most stringent lockdown in
peacetime history has left theatres, opera
houses and ballet companies without an audience
for months, while top ballerinas, used to up to
8 hours of traiusning per day, have struggled to
leap and twirl at home.
The English National Ballet, which recently
moved to a new 93,000 square foot Bauhaus-style
headquarters in east London, said it urgently
needed state support to ensure the performing
arts industry could survive.
"We have no income," Tamara Rojo, 46, a prima
ballerina who became artistic director of
English National Ballet, told Reuters. "The
creative industries and the performing arts
bring billions to the economy, so we are not
asking for help forever - just to get back to
normal.
"Unless something happens soon, there will be no
Christmas shows - Christmas will have to be
cancelled," said Rojo, a Spanish dancer who was
famous for her dazzling fouettes.
The English National Ballet has furloughed 87%
of its staff and asked people to take pay cuts
of 20%.
With a 2-metre coronavirus social distancing
rule, a 2,500-seat theatre can hold just 600
people. With a 1-metre rule, it can hold 900
people. At both levels, any production would be
unprofitable.
"Performing to a very reduced audience doesn't
make financial sense, so unless there is support
from government to do so it is going to be very
difficult to have live performances for families
at Christmas time," said Rojo, who hopes to have
a production of Nutcracker in December.
[to top of second column]
|
 Rojo said the government should
extend the furlough and job retention scheme for
workers to prevent staff cuts across the
industry, look at theatre tax relief and
recapitalise the sector.
"We have used all of our capital, all of our
reserves to survive this long," said Rojo, who
has been leading free ballet classes from her
kitchen during the lockdown.
"It takes between 6 and 8 hours a day of
training and rehearsal to be at your peak
performance," Rojo said. "But there is only so
much you can do in your kitchen."
She hopes to bring dancers back on July 6, but
it will take 12 weeks for them to regain their
strength.
Rojo had been planning to choreograph her first
production - an adaptation of Raymonda.
(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Mike
Collett-White)
[© 2020 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2020 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
 |
