Isaac Hernández to leave San Francisco Ballet
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Isaac Hernández will leave the San Francisco Ballet at the end of this season. His contract expires on 1 July.
Hernández joined the company as a principal dancer in 2022 after his wife, Tamara Rojo, was appointed the artistic director of the company. She left English National Ballet after ten years as its director. While she was there she invited Hernández to guest in Swan Lake and subsequently invited him to join ENB as lead principal in 2015.
In 2018 there was a minor scandal as their relationship came to light after 18 months together. The Standard newspaper called him a “smouldering Mexican, 16 years her junior” and The Times reported from anonymous sources that members of the company were “uncomfortable” with the relationship and that there was possibly “a conflict of interest” as Hernández was a “direct subordinate”. However, Rojo said, “Isaac and I have always been very open and clear and honest about the fact we were in a relationship, both with the members of the company and with our board and my chairman. There has never been any conflict of interest at any time.”
Hernández and Rojo were engaged later that year, and their son Mateo was born in 2021.
Hernández first joined SFB as a corps de ballet member in 2008 and become a soloist in 2010. His younger brother, Esteban Hernández, joined him there in 2013 (was made a principal in 2019). Isacc Hernández joined the Dutch National Ballet in 2012 before going to ENB. He returned with Rojo and his son in 2022.
Hernández and Rojo have declined to comment.
On 11 June, Isaac Hernández wrote on Instagram:
It’s been in the paper that I’ve decided to leave SFB. That is correct and right now all I can say is thanks.
Thank you to my colleagues in all departments of the SFB I’ve felt so loved by all of you, many have known me since I’m 18. To All my Partners Dores, Nikisha, Frances, Sasha and Jasmine… I also want to thank the board and all of SFB supporters and the audience, I am taking some remarkable artistic memories. I must thank Tamara, I have been working for her vision for 10 years and I have felt privileged to have been part of so many brilliant moments for ENB and Sfb. I feel incredibly proud to have been a part of productions like AK Giselle, Creature and now here in SF Mere Mortals by Aszure, this pieces that were truly groundbreaking and will be performed long after I retire from dance. I have been exposed to so many styles and artistic challenges that have only made me a much better dancer than I ever thought I could be.
The future is really exciting, more news about this soon.
Graham Spicer, aka ‘Gramilano’, is a writer, director and photographer based in Milan. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy. His articles have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the Danza in Italia column for Dancing Times magazine. Graham was the historical advisor on Codice Carla, the 2023 documentary on Carla Fracci.
Graham also works as a dance photographer, and his photos have appeared in many books, theatre programmes, and magazines, including Dancing Times, Dance Spirit and Ballet2000, as well as all the major Italian newspapers.
He is a member of the Dance Section of The Critics’ Circle.
Divorce? Sad…