A problem at English National Ballet: principal dancer Simone Clarke has been named by newspapers as a member of the British National Party. That organisation resists being called fascist but is far-out right wing and among other questionable policies it fiercely opposes immigration, a view that Clarke is quoted as vehemently supporting.
What makes this particularly odd is that her previously acknowledged off-stage partner and father of her daughter Olivia is Yat-Sen Chang, the company's most virtuosic leading man — and an immigrant from Cuba. ENB in fact has, apart from Clarke, only one principal born in England, Sarah McIlroy. The rest come two from Estonia, two more from Cuba, two from Russia and one each from Czechoslovakia and Japan. A similar variety extends right through the company's ranks, so neither colleagues nor management are happy about the publicity and resulting criticism.
All-local companies used to be the norm but that's rare now. For comparison, the Royal Ballet also has only two English principals, the rest coming from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Cuba, Denmark, France, Italy, Japan, Romania, Russia, Spain and the USA. Dance companies have traditionally embraced diversity, which makes Ms Clarke's attitude the more regrettable.
Volume 4, No. 46
December 25, 2006
copyright ©2006 John Percival
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