GERMANY: SPANISH BALLET COMPANY DANCE RAFAEL AGUILAR'S VERSION OF "CARMEN"

Record ID: 548625

  • Title: GERMANY: SPANISH BALLET COMPANY DANCE RAFAEL AGUILAR'S VERSION OF "CARMEN"
  • Date: 5th April 2002
  • Summary: SCU SOUNDBITE (Spanish) CARMEN SALINAS (THE GENERAL MANAGER OF THE BALLET) IS SAYING " But I think that Rafael Aguilar's piece "Carmen", the way it was conceived, is always up-to-date, it is something contemporary, about love, jealousy is always there, and it is presented in such a way that it will not become outdated very easily."
  • Embargoed: 20th April 2002 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: FRANKFURT, GERMANY
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVAAZ06X3E2APPN1ILZDX2H7LUWW
  • Story Text: The music stays the same but the moves are very different in Rafael Aguilar's take on Bizet's Carmen. The late Spanish choreographer's famous interpretation of the fiery gypsy tale receives a revival at the same time as Mats Ek's version of Carmen comes to London's Royal Opera House.
    The story of Prosper Mériméés classic novella and the hypnotic George Bizet score that accompanies it has long entertained audiences the world over. But in April 1992 a new version of an old classic was unveiled in Tokyo. Presented by the famous Spanish choreographer Rafael Aguilar, it took the sexually charged themes of lust, jealousy, frustration and betrayal and harnessed them to the eroticism of Spanish flamenco dance and in doing so produced an interpretation that is still seen ten years later as one of the mot convincing versions of 'Carmen' on stage today. Sadly, Aguilar died in 1995 and control of the Ballet fell to his wife Manuela, a prima ballerina who had helped start the company in 1960. She too died in 1998 and the helm was taken by Carmen Salinas, a long time friend and assistant to Rafael Aguilar. A careful guardian of the Aguilar legacy, Salinas is certain that the themes, which Rafael Aguilar sought to emphasise within Carmen, are still as relevant today.
    "And so what Rafael (Aguilar) wanted to express above all was to some extent the liberation of women, i.e. that the woman had to find freedom, had to find her place in society and that of course also applied to the gypsy woman. These taboos do not exist that much any more, but they still exist, not with the gypsies but with other ethnic groups who are discriminated against."
    So despite the fact that Aguilar's 'Carmen' is now ten years old, Salinas is convinced that the way Aguilar constructed it ensures the piece will enjoy immortality.
    " But I think that Rafael Aguilar's piece "Carmen", the way it was conceived, is always up-to-date, it is something contemporary, about love, jealousy is always there, and it is presented in such a way that it will not become outdated very easily."
    And although the story and ultimately the ending of 'Carmen' is widely known, Aguilar's version continues to charm audiences around the globe, partly due to the twenty-five dancers who grace the stage and are amongst the best Spain has to offer, but also the live music, accompanied by singers such as Pedro Gimenez, one of the best know Flamenco singers of his generation. Nowhere are the works of Aguilar better appreciated than Germany, who has really taken him to heart, and so it is particularly appropriate that the production should celebrate ten years of existence whilst on tour over here.
    As Carmen Salinas points out, German audiences may have a bad reputation, but this is definitely undeserved.
    " And they applaud at the right moment within the piece. So they understand, and it is very gratifying to dance for an audience that understands you, because it is not so much about the fact that they applaud but that they understand and appreciate what you are doing, and the German audience contrary to what people think, you know, they say "The Germans are cold" the German audience is not cold, they react if there is something that they like."
    And not only German audiences have the chance to enjoy Aguilar's 'Carmen'. The tour, which began in January, will continue until December taking in Italy, Switzerland, and Greece. Further dates in Slovakia, Austria and Holland are pending.
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