BNE’s compelling Afanador: a dazzling, surreal view of Andalusia

Spanish National Ballet in Marcos Morau's Afanador

By Cristina de Lucas, 11 February 2024

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“The overall effect of this theatrical mix is potent”

Reviewed at Teatro Real: Sala Principal, Madrid on 9 February 2024

Afanador (Marcos Morau, Lorena Nogal, Shay Partush, Jon López)

Ballet Nacional de España

Max Glaenzel, Set Designer

Silvia Delagneau, Costume Designer

Bernat Jansa, Lighting Designer

Roberto Fratini, Dramaturgy

Marc Salicru, Video

Ruvén Afanador, Photography

La Veronal

Rubén Olmo, Dancer

Fast Forward: Hamburg Ballet’s mixed bill proves a mixed success

Vikki Jane Vile, 22nd February

All that glistens... the world premiere of Xie Xin’s The Moon in the Ocean is the highlight of a mixed bill programme spanning 90 years of choreography.

***11

NDT 1’s Wildsong: innovative dance set to cinematic scores

Mark Vicente, 20th February

Wildsong presents a refreshing take on contemporary movement rooted in classical technique while revisiting a recent conceptual work of much acclaim, both performed by artists at the peak of their physical prowess.

****1

Marcos Morau’s Romeo + Juliet: lessons in volatility

Deborah Weiss, 3rd April

An unconventional dance take on Prokofiev's ubiquitous ballet for Opera Ballet Vlaanderen in Antwerp is not for the faint-hearted.

***11

Overture and Angels’ Atlas: transcendental in Berlin

Katja Vaghi, 28th April

Pondering upon society and the human condition: Marcos Morau’s Overture and Crystal Pite’s Angels’ Atlas at the Staatsballett Berlin.

****1

Nachtträume: Marcos Morau’s devastatingly brilliant production

Maggie Foyer, 4th November

Zürich Opera House welcomes a revival of Marcos Morau's dark but brilliant Nachtträume for Ballett Zürich.

*****

Worth the sacrifice? Ballett am Rhein's Sacre offers mixed results

Vikki Jane Vile, 28th May

The programme’s middle work sees a detour from Stravinsky, to the music of Richard Strauss, lending itself to more lyrical work and some respite from the drama it's sandwiched between.

***11

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Cristina de Lucas

After a career in the legal field where she combined her job as an Attorney at Law with collaborative roles in various local and international cultural enterprises, Cristina de Lucas turned to dance research and criticism in 2009, when she moved to London. She obtained her doctorate from the Department of Dance at the University of Roehampton (London). Her fully-funded thesis focused on the confluence between dance and narrative in the repertory of the British choreographer Kenneth MacMillan. Her research has received several awards, such a full Vice-Chancellor scholarship and the 2014 SDHS Graduate Student Travel Grant. She also reviews dance and cinema, contributing regularly to several publications in Spain and UK.