The Ballet Teatro Espanol De Rafael Aguilar is bringing Carmen, the classic story of fiery passion, lost love and betrayal, to Taiwan next week, starting Sunday at the Taiwan International Convention Center Theater.
The tale of Carmen, whether in literature or on the stage, has always been seen as quintessentially Spanish, even though the story was penned by French dramatist and writer Prosper Merimee in 1846, while the famous score comes from the 1875 opera by another Frenchman, Georges Bizet.
The Spanish didn't reclaim the story of a flirtatious gypsy girl who is killed by the infatuated soldier Don Jose, for their very own until just a few decades ago.
Rafael Aguilar has long been considered one of Spain's most important choreographers and a key force in retrieving flamenco from the kitschy, gypsy, folkloric performance hell for tourists that it had been reduced to. He was the first to take classical flamenco and combine it with classical ballet and theatrical narrative.
Despite Spain's pride in him, Aguilar and his wife Manuela founded the company that bears his name in Paris in 1960, since his home country, under its then ruler Generalissimo Francisco Franco, was not open to new ideas in dance, or much else at that time.
Aguilar was not the first to take Carmen and turn it into a ballet. That precedent was set by the French choreographer Roland Petit in 1949, for his Ballets de Paris.
Aguilar was not even the first to turn Carmen into a flamenco legend. That was done by the Spanish filmmaker Carlos Saura, in the first of three brilliant
flamenco-centered films he made with another of Spain's dance greats, the late dancer and choreographer Antonio Gades.
One of the most amazing aspects of the 1983 film was how it made audiences discard the notion that a dancer had to have a certain body type and a certain physical beauty. The men and women who performed in the film came in all sizes and shapes and a wide range of ages -- but once they started to dance, they were all passion -- and all mesmerizing.
The award-winning film captivated audiences around the world and brought flamenco to a whole new audience. Aguilar, in turn, used Saura's film as the basis for his own colorful and erotic Carmen, which debuted in 1992.
Aguilar's Carmen is famous for his sensual choreography and heady mixture of flamenco and ballet. He was often quoted as saying, "To be Carmen means to be free, beyond all moral obligations."
Aguilar died 10 years ago, but the 35-member company of dancers, musicians and singers that he founded continued on under the direction of his wife until her own death in 1998.
Their long-time friend, dancer and collaborator, Carmen Salinas, is now the artistic director. Aguilar's unique works are the company's sole repertory.
During a tour of Australia last year, Salinas was quoted as saying that unlike ballet, flamenco is something that "you can feel ... You feel temperament, you feel passion."
Temperament and passion -- the two words that sum up Carmen, whether on the page, the stage or in music.
What: Ballet Teatro Espanol De Rafael Aguilar
Where: Taipei International Convention Center (台北國際會議中心), 1 Xinyi Rd, Sec 5, Taipei
(台北市信義路五段1號)
When: Sunday and Monday, Oct. 9 and 10
Tickets: For the Taipei performances, the only tickets remaining are priced from NT$1,500 to NT$3,000. Available at ERA ticket outlets nationwide
Additional performances (at 7:30pm unless otherwise noted):
Wednesday, Oct. 12 in Hsinchu (新竹市立演藝廳)
Thursday Oct. 13 in Tainan (台南市立文化中心)
Friday Oct. 14 in Kaohsiung (高雄至德堂)
Saturday Oct. 15 in Taichung (台中中山堂) and Sunday Oct. 16 at 2:30pm
Ticket prices range from NT$400 to NT$2,500 and are available through ERA ticketing
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