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'Dance sets me free'

English National Ballet’s Mexican star Isaac Hernández on his ‘Old Testament ‘ family — and his life as a new dad

September 23, 2021 17:51
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6 min read

Isaac Hernández appears remarkably perky given that he is coping with the demands of getting back on stage coupled with the far more exhausting needs of a new baby. Sitting in one of the spacious reception areas of the English National Ballet’s new home in Canning Town, the dancer — a lead principal with the company — looks far younger than his 31 years, with a deliciously unruly mop of curls and dark, expressive eyes. He proudly shows off photos of little Mateo, who has clearly inherited his parents’ good looks —his mother is the company’s artistic director and supremely elegant Spanish ballerina, Tamara Rojo.

His arrival has clearly changed Hernández. “Mateo came along and gave me a sense of purpose,” he says. “I wondered what it was going to do for me on the stage. What I found was that there was a lot more clarity in my head about what dance meant and what Mateo meant for me as well. I was able to let go of a lot of noise which was in my head before. It went away and I was able to enjoy my time dancing. But then right after the performance would finish, I would think of Mateo and run back to him. I realised that even though dance is my identity and has a very important place in my life, it is no longer the only source of happiness that I have.”