She Wants to Make San Francisco Ballet an ‘Arrow to the Future’

Coming from Tamara Rojo, three words go a long way: “That, I believe.”

Rojo, the artistic director of San Francisco Ballet since 2022, wants dancers to have autonomy — more than just input, a real choice in how to interpret a role. There’s a difference between watching dancers ripple through steps, however beautifully, and watching their ideas about a role unfold in real time. When Rojo sees a moment she believes, it means they’re performing steps with meaning and intention.

“What I really want is for them to go through the exercise of asking themselves questions,” Rojo said in her office after back-to-back “Swan Lake” rehearsals last month. “That’s something that is not encouraged in our training in general as dancers. We are given very clear guidance and very clear feedback all the time: ‘That’s wrong. That’s right.’”

Her rehearsals are entertaining. Coaching the principal dancer Misa Kuranaga as Odette in “Swan Lake,” Rojo said: “What does it mean to suddenly have a man touch you after how long — three years, six years, 10 years?”

Odette is a princess, turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer. “I have no idea how long you’ve been in this situation,” Rojo said. “And then, why you would break away?”

When Kuranaga’s partner suggested that a dramatic problem in “Swan Lake” might be solved by merely adjusting his spacing, Rojo tried to suppress a giggle. She failed.