One of the leading figures in contemporary dance, Marcos Morau, director of the company La Veronal and recipient of the 2013 National Dance Award, makes his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu with Afanador, an original production by the Spanish National Ballet, directed by Rubén Olmo.
From October 12 to 17, the Gran Teatre del Liceu will stage six performances of Afanador, directed by Marcos Morau and performed by the Ballet Nacional de España. The groundbreaking production was met with critical and public acclaim during its world premiere on December 1, 2023, at the Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville. The 90-minute performance features 33 dancers from the ballet company.
Marcos Morau draws inspiration from renowned Colombian fashion photographer Ruvén Afanador, a portraitist of dancers, actors, and musicians based in New York. Afanador has immersed himself in the world of flamenco in two books (Ángel gitano, 2009, and Mil besos, 2014), and he also created the poster for the 2008 Flamenco Biennial.
In his portraits, Ruvén Afanador delves into the flamenco universe and the world of bullfighting, capturing their extravagant essence. The Valencian choreographer was captivated by the photographer’s ability “to create characters by molding real people” and his creativity in generating worlds “born from the beauty of light and shadow.” The resulting performance is fueled by Afanador’s unique photographic approach, exploring how an outsider to the flamenco world becomes enchanted by its physiognomy and is seduced by its “direct and piercing” language, which Morau likens to “a sharp knife.”
By constructing suggestive and plastic imaginaries through the lens of another creator, always with great respect and admiration, Morau embarks on an artistic hybridization between two mediums—photography and dance—in search of “a new universe.” As the choreographer himself explains, Afanador led him to reflect on the vital relationship between photographic and choreographic composition: the carnal challenge of capturing life—something that, by definition, resists being captured.
Morau is fascinated by Afanador’s ability to create characters using a radical interplay of light and shadow. Afanador’s highly theatrical and distorted vision immortalized renowned flamenco artists from all generations, such as El Torta and Concha Vargas, as well as figures from the flamenco avant-garde like Israel Galván and Eva Yerbabuena, without forgetting historical dancers like José Antonio or Rubén Olmo himself.
As a photographer and visual artist, Morau often starts from black-and-white snapshots in this choreography, a drastic chromatic contrast that transforms the costumes and set design, by Silvia Delagneau and Max Glaenzel respectively, into waterfalls, avalanches, and storms. The audience is confronted with a surrealist work that subverts the familiar and turns the comforting elements of tradition into strange, unrecognizable forms.
The choreography has been created by Marcos Morau himself, along with Lorena Nogal, Shay Partush, Jon López, and Miguel Ángel Corbacho, assistant director of the Ballet Nacional de España. The composition is accompanied by large bows, gallows, and flamenco dresses with long trains, set to music composed by Juan Cristóbal Saavedra “Equipo” with a special contribution from singer-songwriter María Arnal. The journey, which traverses the thresholds of dream, death, and life, is guided by dramaturg Roberto Fratini Serafide, with audiovisual design by Marc Salicrú and lighting design by Bernat Jansà.
With the support of:
Benefactor of the Dance Circle
Collaboration with 080 Barcelona Fashion Week
The Gran Teatre del Liceu and 080 Barcelona Fashion Week, taking place from October 14 to 17, are joining forces to raise visibility for both events and strengthen the shared values between fashion and culture. The Afanador dance production brings to life the work of Ruvén Afanador, an internationally recognized fashion photographer noted for his artistic quality and collaborations with prestigious magazines such as Elle, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times Magazine.
The premiere will feature the participation of designers from this edition of the 080, offering a platform to highlight the creative dialogue between both sectors. This initiative reflects the merging of talent and the desire to strengthen the visual and performing arts culture of the city.
