{"id":273354,"date":"2026-04-17T23:38:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T23:38:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/273354\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T23:38:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T23:38:10","slug":"carmen-maquia-a-wonderful-retelling-l-a-dance-chronicle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/273354\/","title":{"rendered":"CARMEN.maquia, A Wonderful Retelling | L.A. Dance Chronicle"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ballet Hisp\u00e1nico\u2019s<\/a> CARMEN.maquia arrived at The Soraya<\/a> in a beautiful sea of stark white. It is based on Bizet\u2019s opera Carmen, telling the dramatic story of a love triangle between a soldier, a bullfighter, and a Gypsy.\u00a0 \u00a0This reimagining has enlisted Spaniards, \u00a0choreographer Gustavo Ram\u00edrez Sansano<\/a>, set design and construction, Luis Crespo<\/a>, lighting design by Emilio Lavar\u00edas \u00a0and celebrated costume designer, the late David Delf\u00edn to add to the authenticity of this production.\u00a0 There is music from several Bizet compositions and the Bolero and Habanera, probably the most recognizable compositions, are taken straight from the opera.\u00a0 Mr. Sansano has added \u201cmaquia\u201d\u00a0 to the title to emphasize a battle to the death. (Note: In Spanish, bullfighting is called \u201ctauromaquia.\u201d)<\/p>\n

The prelude begins with a lone figure on the stage clearly consumed with angst as he paces in the shadows.\u00a0 The movements elicit a feeling of being emotionally trapped and a desperate attempt to gain control as the dancer reaches, shakes, contracts, and releases.\u00a0 The curtains slowly open to reveal a pure white set. According to Luis Crespo, the primary inspiration behind the set design was Picasso.\u00a0 He goes on to state that Picasso was obsessed with Carmen and her \u201cuntamable, fierce spirit who ends up being subdued by \u00a0masculinity.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Huge panels hang featuring designs that focus on eyes and mouths that appear in Guernica, \u00a0a large 1937 oil painting by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso and regarded by many to be the most moving and powerful anti-war painting in history.\u00a0 Choreographer, set designer, and costume designer were united in their vision of black and white as opposed to the Spanish clich\u00e9s of red costumes with dots and castanets.\u00a0 This led to the connection with Picasso who created many black-and-white drawings of Carmen.<\/p>\n

\"Amanda<\/a><\/p>\n

Amanda Ostuni as Carmen (in black) and Ballet Hisp\u00e1nico New York company dancers in \u201cCARMEN.maquia\u201d \u2013 Photo by Luis Luque, Luque Photography.<\/p>\n

Act 1 begins and the dancers fill the stage, creating a vibrant community of diverse personalities.\u00a0 The movement vocabulary is a fascinating mix of pedestrian prancing, ballet, modern, and floorwork done with effortless abandon.\u00a0 The women, except Carmen, are all dressed in costumes that are flowing white skirts with a variety of tops.\u00a0 No two women are dressed exactly alike, and their personalities shine bright with each nuanced flick of the wrist and tilt or turn of the head.\u00a0 \u00a0A pas de deux ensues with the two guards that have just watched the women depart.\u00a0 The men are so much fun to watch.\u00a0 There are comedic moments that arise between the acrobatics, turns, continual jumping and fast, intricate arm movements.\u00a0 The duet becomes a trio of men with fancy footwork.\u00a0 The movement vocabulary throughout the suite appears to be focused on nuance and the development of character and personality.\u00a0 Complicated port de bras paired with movement phrases that are extremely sharp and quick.\u00a0 The dancers, especially the women, function as a Greek chorus commenting on the drama as it unfolds.\u00a0 They are wonderfully engaging and animated in addition to being gifted artists capable of consistently demonstrating technical proficiency at a high level.<\/p>\n

\"Amanda<\/a><\/p>\n

Amanda Ostuni as Carmen in \u201cCARMEN.maquia\u201d with Ballet Hisp\u00e1nico New York \u2013 Photo by Luis Luque, Luque Photography.<\/p>\n

When Carmen arrives, the lone person on stage in black, the entire tone of the movement for the women changes.\u00a0 The choreography is still fast and furious but with a heightened sensuality with arms stretched wide and hips moving from side to side with a flirtatious air.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Carmen, danced by Amanda Otsuni, is clearly the focal point and commands the stage with her charisma and presence.\u00a0 The music goes faster and faster and she never misses a grand battement, tendu, d\u00e9gag\u00e9, or sharp turn of the torso.\u00a0 The men, especially Don Jos\u00e9, danced by Amir J. Baldwin, are clearly enamored.\u00a0 Mica\u00ebla, danced by Francesca Levita, enters and the mood abruptly changes.\u00a0 She dances with an elegance and passion that stretches to the ends of her fingers.\u00a0 Her arms and legs seem to be endlessly caressing and gently holding on to Don Jos\u00e9. The movement is characterized by deep contractions and a never-ending undulating quality that embraces the floor along a black rope.\u00a0 Mica\u00ebla and Don Jos\u00e9 perform an intricate floor sequence with rises and falls, from the knees to sitting, to rolling, to standing and ending in an embrace.\u00a0 These two artists perform the entire sequence effortlessly and with a palpable passion and deep connection to one another.<\/p>\n

\"Ballet<\/a><\/p>\n

Ballet Hisp\u00e1nico New York Company Dancers Amanda Ostuni (left) and Amir J. Baldwin (right) in \u201cCARMEN.maquia\u201d \u2013 Photo by Luis Luque, Luque Photography.<\/p>\n

A fight occurs in the factory and Carmen is arrested.\u00a0 It is here that we see that the dancers are skilled actors.\u00a0 They create a tension filled atmosphere with their movements and nuances.\u00a0 This is essentially mime at its best and when Carmen is arrested by Don Jos\u00e9 we see the black rope used to arrest her.\u00a0 Carmen\u2019s beautiful hands tell so much of the story during this flirtatious interlude.\u00a0 She becomes the ultimate temptress and the choreography changes as the music changes.\u00a0 Both Don Jos\u00e9 and Carmen frantically catch every accent in the music with a flick of the wrist, a toss of the head, a grand battement, ronde jambe, and long, long, long develop\u00e9 stretching across the floor. They whirl and twirl around one another and then with one another in a pas de deux that feels like a sparring session.\u00a0 It abruptly ends with Carmen escaping from the cell.\u00a0 The set plays a crucial role creating the illusion of a cell or jail that Carmen and Don Jos\u00e9 must remain within throughout the dance.\u00a0 They are trapped in this small space but yet able to execute this intricate \u201clarge and grandiose\u201d choreography using every little bit of the space available behind the white walls that surround them.<\/p>\n

The remaining sections of the first act are characterized by the chorus of women engaging in mime while Carmen\u2019s suitors frantically dance to be chosen and acknowledged by Carmen.\u00a0 The music is loud and dramatic but the men\u2019s movements are intricate and nuanced with quick fast steps, turns, and small jumps.\u00a0 The music builds but the dancing does not.\u00a0 Escamillo, the Toreador, danced by Dylan Dias McIntyre, enters to much musical fanfare and the music continues to build.\u00a0 He steps in with swagger, braggadocio, and arrogance.\u00a0 The chorus of girls swoon and Carmen simply stares.\u00a0 Once again, the music, now \u201cStand Up and Fight!\u201d is loud and dramatic but the male dancers\u2019 movements never seemed to match the largesse of the music.\u00a0 Mr. McIntyre, a gifted artist with tremendous technique, continually, posed, preened and postured displaying his beautiful muscles and technical prowess as he hit every line to perfection.\u00a0 Wonderful turns, clean footwork, sharp, quick jumps, with a grand jet\u00e9 and tour scattered throughout.\u00a0 The pas de deux with Carmen and Escamillo was quite a change of pace from his solo.\u00a0 It is a study in elevating pedestrian movements to sheer sensuality and seduction.\u00a0 Escamillo continually caresses Carmen\u2019s entire body and when they arise from the floor the partnering is seamlessly exquisite.\u00a0 The energetic chorus of men and women hit the stage and fill the stage with personality\u00a0 and energy.\u00a0 This is followed by a pas de deux with Don Jos\u00e9 that shows a different side of Carmen. She is clearly smitten and the way she uses her arms and hands to capture longing is quite moving.\u00a0 The lifts are so interesting and unique.\u00a0 The entire dance is characterized by a constant push and pull that mimics the emotional focus of the story at this point.<\/p>\n

\"Ballet<\/a><\/p>\n

Ballet Hisp\u00e1nico New York Company Dancers Amanda Ostuni (left) and Amir J. Baldwin (right) in \u201cCARMEN.maquia\u201d \u2013 Photo by Luis Luque, Luque Photography.<\/p>\n

Act II is filled with duets and trios and the chorus moving through the action commenting via mime and intricate movement phrases.\u00a0 Each pas de deux with Carmen and Don Jos\u00e9, Carmen and Escamillo, Mica\u00e9la and Don Jos\u00e9, is stunning.\u00a0 The way the choreographer fuses the intricate movement phrases with character development is fascinating.\u00a0 Each gesture, toss of the skirt, flick of the wrist, turn and tilt of the head makes a character statement. The characters are given tremendous depth due to the movement and the way they relate to one another.\u00a0 In my opinion, the music selected for these pieces fuse beautifully with the movements and compliment the story being told. All the dancers demonstrate exceptional technical prowess and a consistent commitment to creating characters that are integral to the story.\u00a0 Their musicality is unparalleled as movement phrases are often punctuated with pauses and fluctuations in tempo and dynamics that every single dancer is able to hear and allow it to influence the intricate gestures that characterize the choreography.\u00a0 Music, theatre, dance, and art come together in CARMEN.Maquia to retell a well-known story with a fresh take on Bizet\u2019s most celebrated opera, CARMEN.\u00a0 It is the story of a woman who refused to be defined by cultural values and mores past and present and it resonates as loudly today as it did when it was first presented 150 years ago.<\/p>\n

To learn more about Ballet Hisp\u00e1nico, please visit their website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For more information about The Soraya, please visit their website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Written by Leah Bass-Baylis for LA Dance Chronicle.<\/p>\n

Featured image: Ballet Hisp\u00e1nico New York Company Dancers Francesca Levita (left) and Amir J. Baldwin (right) in CARMEN.maquia \u2013 Photo by Luis Luque, Luque Photography.<\/p>\n

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