With dance and acting as the thread of the play, we meet José, who tells about his life, and Carmen, who is running away from her own myth. We are introduced to the ‘cigarrera’, introduced by Mérimée — a woman ‘tied’ to the patriarchal society of 19th century Spain. She is a gypsy that fights, lives and behaves in a way that rejects typical customs and traditions, and ultimately creates a life in which she is able to decide her own destiny.
Based on the French novel, this ballet aims to avoid the popular myth of Carmen by uprooting the femme-fatale prototype as presented by Bizet in his version of the opera. She is a struggling, independent woman ahead of her time who, taking advantage of the stereotypes of her people, manages to own her freedom, even choosing death before losing it.
Carmen and José, the main characters of our story, live a life full of love and jealousy worthy of Romanticism, but this is approached from the perspective of a Realistic tragedy which, like many of its predecessors, ends with the lover’s death. Although, unlike other stories, it is not a pure love that is presented, but one corrupted and frustrated by jealousy.
