Ruven Afanador, AFANADOR

Choreographed by multi-award winning Marcos Morau and performed by the National Ballet of Spain, AFANADOR is inspired by photographer Ruven Afanador’s rich visual interpretation of flamenco. Specifically looking to Ruven’s books Sombra (Merrell 2004), Mil Besos (Rizzoli 2009), and Angel Gitano (Rizzoli, 2014), Morau’s ballet ultimately melds the art of dance and Ruven’s surreal images with the spirit of Spanish tradition.

Described best by Morau, “Ruven Afanador is a creator of characters that he models from real people, he is a creator of worlds that emerge from the beauty of light and shadows… From my gaze and with my language, I get close to his world to reach another one to set his characters in the context of my own body of work and give movement to photography.”

The world premiere takes place in Seville, at the Teatro de la Maestranza on December 1st, 2023. In February 2024 the ballet will travel to The Teatro Real in Madrid, and from there will continue onto Valencia.