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ENB's Tamara Rojo on dancers' visas in London Evening Standard


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The London Evening Standard of 17 January 2013 carried a report which gave prominence to the participation of Tamara Rojo, Artistic Director of English National Ballet, in the “Making London Even Greater” debate hosted by the Standard and Google.

She is reported as saying that non-EU dancers whose English-language skills are deemed inadequate at the Border Agency examination are unlikely to be granted visas for employment here, despite the relative irrelevance to their job, and that renewals, including that of Yonah Acosta whose visa expires soon, are at risk.

The Standard gives some direct quotes from her:

Our ballet companies and orchestras are very diverse because we have been able to really offer the jobs on a meritorious basis.” “Now they have to do certain exams and have a certain level of English that most Russians and Cubans might not be able to speak. I am finding I am unable to offer jobs to these international artists.” “We might find that in 20 years’ time we will not have the next Carlos Acosta, we will not have these amazing artists that make our city such an amazing place.”

 

http://www.standard....te-8455569.html

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Mmmm, fair enough she is concerned about losing Yonah but I would have thought she could have used the opportunity to discuss more pressing issues - like arts/ballet funding for a start. She may not have to worry about visas if the company doesn't survive.

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The context was a discussion/debate about "Making London Even Greater" or somesuch, so I think it was fair enough. There will be plenty of other occasions on which she may feel it's more appropriate to expound on the funding issue - and I'd guess we can count on her doing so when she sees the need arise.

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perhaps giving attention to the training issue would be good long term ....after all funding is perhaps in part supposed to support jobs for British people not to give foreign artists a better lifestyle by working here than in their own countries. ENB has had a school for many years but seems to attract foreign students (who can pay) and foreign teachers. Why not try to raise the standards here if they are not high enough....after all huge numbers of British children go to dance classes and there is no shortage of British ballet teachers. Nothing is too good for the taxpayer so it is wonderful to have world class artists but less time on getting them and visas and more on supporting home grown talent would have been a more welcome pronouncement in making London greater.....and how much has the rebranding cost?

Edited by restor
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restor, all the main dance schools (not just ENB) have many foreign students, especially post-16 (ENB does not take students below 16). Many of the overseas students who come to the UK have obtained funding for their training in the UK as a result of winning international competitions. Most could not afford to train in the UK otherwise. There is funding available for British students. My understanding is that it is a mixture of means tested funding and non means tested "scholarships". If you search this site you will see that there are other discussions on the subject of home grown talent, whatever that means. Would you say that someone like Sergei Polunin, who trained at the RBS from the age of 13, is, or was, home grown talent?

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At the Ballet Association (BA) Meeting in response to a question I asked Ms Rojo said that soon ENB may 'ONLY' be able to consider 'EUROPEAN STUDENTS' for the school ... (and, I suppose on anything but a long term basis, the Company ... although the latter was not immediately specified by Ms. Rojo.) She said that she might suggest 'that they get married' ... and the BA Host said (jokingly) that perhaps the BA could develop a new arm in this regard.

Edited by Meunier
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"Would you say that someone like Sergei Polunin, who trained at the RBS from the age of 13, is, or was, home grown talent?"

 

 

Personally I consider any student who has trained in Britain from the age of 11 or 12 (ok exception, Sergei was 13...) - not the ones who join for one year in the Graduate Year!) - as a homegrown talent because they trained all the way throughout the particular (RBS) system of training.

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