Julio Bocca has announced his decision to take “a temporary break as artistic director” of the National Ballet of Uruguay, a post he has held since 2010.

Bocca said,

This is not a goodbye but a ‘see you later’!

though the period of absence hasn’t been defined. The motive given in his letter was for ‘personal reasons’. The Argentine newspaper La Nación however reports that Bocca has continually been frustrated by beaurocratic problems and the actions of the trade unions with protests at a gala evening and orchestra strikes resulting in the company performing to a recording.

Bocca has appointed as his substitute the Uruguayan dancer Sofia Sajac, who has been “right hand” during his time running the company.

The announcement came a day after the premiere of Swan Lake which opened the current dance season.