NEW PERFORMANCE 10/10
Best flamenco show in the world!
Compañía Antonio Gades
2 September, Odeon of Herodes Atticus SOLD OUT!
NEW PERFORMANCE: TUESDAY 10 OCTOBER
INFO - TICKETS: +30 2111010050
SPECIAL PRICES FOR GROUP TICKETS
Sensual, fiery, temperamental: Carmen, the legendary show by Antonio Gades and Carlos Saura, an iconic piece of flamenco, returns to the Odeon of Herodes Atticus under the auspices of the Spanish Embassy.
Created by two important figures of Spanish art, dancer and choreographer Antonio Gades and director Carlos Saura, the dance theatre version of Carmen debuted in Paris in 1983, shortly after the eponymous film by Gades/Saura, which swept the awards in international festivals. Inspired by Prosper Mérimée novella (1845), the performance caused a sensation, creating an iconic character that became synonymous to the national soul of Spain, making French critics exclaim in awe: “Mérimée brought Carmen to France, but Gaudes and Saura restored her in Spain.”
As in the first, extremely successful presentation of the performance in Greece, back in 2008 at the Badminton Theater, Carmen will be staged in Greece by the Compañía Antonio Gades, the company founded by the great dancer, serving as guardian of Gades’ legacy. Four of the top dancers of the company portray the main roles: Esmeralda Manzanas plays Carmen, José Huertas plays Don José, Jairo Rodriguez plays the Bullfighter and Miguel Ángel Rojas performs the role of the Husband. The protagonists are joined by exceptional dancers and musicians. Stella Arauzo, longtime artistic partner of Gades and artistic director of the Compañía respectfully revives Gades’ original choreography.
Αntonio Gades: A dancer and internationally acclaimed figure
Gades was the first artistic director of the Ballet Nacional de España, following the restoration of the democracy in 1978, and one of the greatest Spanish dancers of the 20th century.
Born in 1936 in a poor neighbourhood of Alicante, he went into dancing by accident. In 1954, he was discovered by the famous Pilar López, who recruited him in her company. In 1961, he moved to Italy, where he worked as dancer and choreographer at the Teatro dell’Opera in Rome. He collaborated with Anton Dolin in Ravel’s Bolero and subsequently worked together with Gian Carlo Menotti in Bizet’s Carmen at the Festival di Spoleto. He also worked at La Scala in Milan, in Carmen and Falla’s El Amor Brujo. In 1974, he came to know international success with Blood Wedding, a choreography inspired by Lorca’s play. He then worked for three years with the Cuban National Ballet and Alicia Alonso. In 1978, he toured USA as Hilarion in Giselle. In 1981, after meeting Saura, he adapted Blood Wedding for the big screen, followed two years later by the movie adaptation of Carmen. In 1994, he presented his final choreography,Fuente Ovejuna, in Geneva, based on Lope de Vega’s eponymous drama. He passed away in 2004, having established himself as one of the defining figures in flamenco.
Guarding a rare legacy: Foundation and Compañía Antonio Gades
A few months before his death, Gades founded the Antonio Gades, whose goal is to guard Gade’s legacy, to promote flamenco and to defend the Spanish cultural identity. Along with the foundation, the Compañía Antonio Gades,, the company founded by the great master, continues its work; by now, its name has become synonymous to flamenco. Guided by Stella Arauzo, who played Carmen for many years next to Gades (succeeding the great Cristina Hoyos) and Dominique You’s technical direction – he was Gades’ right-hand man – the company consists of both experienced and young, talented artists. The Compañía revives iconic works of its founder, stepping into his shoes, in the footsteps of his talent, aesthetics, and insight.