Ballet: Carmen

The internationally acclaimed Carmen by Swedish choreographer Johan Inger is a sensual, psychological, and visually intense ballet that reveals Bizet’s iconic story from a new angle. Inger received the Prix Benois de la Danse for this work – one of the most prestigious awards in the ballet world – following its premiere in 2015 in Madrid with Compañía Nacional de Danza.

Inger approaches the classical love triangle in a fresh and bold way. At the heart of the story is a child witnessing violence, and through this gaze Carmen emerges as a femme fatale from a world full of passion, fear, intoxicating freedom, and destructive force. Inger’s Carmen unites the languages of contemporary dance and classical ballet into a powerful and passionate whole. The musical landscape of the production is built on Bizet’s and Shchedrin’s famous motifs, enriched by composer Marc Álvarez’s modern, rhythmic, and dark-hued original score.

Carmen is a ballet where passion burns, jealousy destroys, and the price of freedom is high.