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A contemporary reimagining of the classic 'Carmen' offers a new lens through which to view this timeless tale, though the protagonist's fate is still one of sorrow.

2025-06-27 08:27:18 By Jennifer Smith

Gustavo Ramírez Sansano's 2012 choreographic masterpiece is poised for its Dallas debut with an invigorated presentation.

Ballet Hispánico is premiering a new version of choreographer Gustavo Ramírez Sansano's... — Ballet Hispánico is excited to introduce a revamped interpretation of Gustavo Ramírez Sansano's "CARMEN.maquia" in Dallas, an event organized by TITAS/Dance Unbound. (Marius Fiskum)

Tragic endings for female leads in operatic and ballet productions are not uncommon, often resulting from a lover's jealousy. Bizet’s Carmen adheres to this pattern, even in Gustavo Ramírez Sansano’s modern dance interpretation. However, the choreographer has revolutionized the visual and kinetic aspects of this ageless drama, from stage and costume design to dance movements.

Rechristened CARMEN.maquia, drawing a parallel to “tauromaquia,” the Spanish term for bullfighting, an expanded rendition of Sansano’s 2012 choreography is set to premiere in Dallas, courtesy of TITAS/Dance Unbound. The performance will feature the esteemed, New York-based Ballet Hispánico.

The performances coincide with significant Carmen milestones. The character, a passionate and self-assured woman who spurns her lover, the soldier Don José, for the bullfighter Escamillo, was first created 180 years ago in 1845 by French author Prosper Mérimée. Subsequently, French composer Georges Bizet adapted Mérimée’s story into an opera 150 years ago in 1875, which, despite its peak in popularity, continues to be staged regularly.

The transition of Carmen to dance was realized in 1967 with the National Ballet of Cuba's premiere of artistic director Alberto Alonso’s one-act Carmen Suite, with Bizet’s score reimagined by Russian composer Rodion Shchedrin. For CARMEN.maquia, Sansano has enriched the opera’s 35 minutes of instrumental music with additional Bizet pieces and Pablo de Sarasate’s 1881 Carmen Fantasy.

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