Could the Chancellor be the father of a future prima ballerina?
George Osborne’s nine-year-old daughter Liberty has worked hard throughout the holiday season, having a walk-on part in the English National Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker at the ENO, which has only just closed.
The production was warmly received by the critics, with the Telegraph hailing it as having “an air of absolute artistic integrity, rather than a desperate urge to please”. Another critic
singled out the performance of the younger performers: “The party scene feels like a proper party … Students from the English National Ballet Schools are spontaneous as they play and dance, oohing over new toys and rushing to join in the games.”
All of which would have been music to the ears of the ENB’s artistic director Tamara Rojo, the Spanish dancer who took over the job only last year.
Osborne is a big supporter of the ballet and opera — last autumn he attracted censure for leaving the office early to attend several Royal Opera performances of Wagner’s Ring Cycle. Tony Hall, exiting chief executive at Covent Garden, fiercely attacked Osborne’s critics, arguing that we should be thrilled to have politicians who appreciate the arts. He also pointed out that this was a case of reverse cultural snobbery, saying: “Would the Chancellor be condemned for attending a football match? I suspect not.”
