Zaguán & Alento by Ballet Nacional de España (Spain)

With Zaguán & Alento , Ballet Nacional de España (BNE) is challenged by a personal proposition from the company director, Antonio Najarro, which aims to showcase the company’s new aesthetic and stylistic approach following the outstanding success of the recovery of folkloric tradition and the different Spanish dance styles.

Zaguán, seeks to portray a transitional space with an array of perspectives, it is a flamenco ballet in which several young artists of the current scene, Mercedes Ruiz, La Lupi and Marco Flores, will showcase their personal vocabulary, approach and style.  The arts group will also bring us Soleá del Mantón, an emblematic work of Blanca del Rey, one of the greatest female choreographers of Spanish flamenco. The score of Zaguán has been composed by flamenco guitarist Jesús Torres with arrangement by David Picazo. Nicolás Fischtel is responsible for lighting and the designer Yaiza Pinillos has created a complete wardrobe of costumes with a rich range of fabrics.

Alento is a living reflection of Najarro's style as a creator, as well as of his personal vision of classic Spanish dance.  It is a reminder of his choreographic trajectory, inspired by the scores of composer, guitarist and fellow traveller Fernando Egozcue who has created music full of rhythm and sensitivity. His music was performed by the Community of Madrid Orchestra and Egozcue himself.  The costumes for Alento are the exquisite designs of Teresa Helbig (ACME), with lighting by Nicolás Fischel.

Programme Length

The running time of each performance is approximately 2 hours including one 20-minute intermission.

Audience is strongly advised to arrive punctually.  Latecomers and audiences who leave their seats during the performance will only be admitted to their own seats during the intermission.

The Ballet Nacional de España (BNE), under the direction of Antonio Najarro since September 2011, is the greatest exponent of Spanish dance today, showcasing all Spanish dance styles on the most prestigious stages in the world through very different shows ranging from classic to the avant-garde, as in ‘Seville Suite’, to folklore, as in Sorolla. The BNE’s director takes on new projects featuring young choreographers with very different personalities and dance aesthetics with the purposes of propagating and preserving Spanish dance and reaching the widest possible audience.

Founded in 1978 among the projects of the National Institute for the Stage Arts and Music, the BNE is one of the best known in the world and an ambassador of the Spanish culture. The first artistic director was Antonio Gades (1978–1980).

The Ballet has evolved in accordance with the times but has preserved its interest in all styles of Spanish dance, performing choreographies such as those of escuela bolera, flamenco and stylized Spanish dance. It has combined tradition and modernity, not forgetting important aspects such as training and new projects. 

The BNE has been internationally acclaimed by audiences and critics, obtaining numerous awards: The Critics’ Prize for Best Foreign Show (1988) at the New York Metropolitan; the Japanese Critics’ Prize (1991); the Critics’ Prize for Best Spectacle (1994) at the Bellas Artes Theatre in Mexico City; a prize awarded by the Spanish newspaper El País for ‘Poeta’ (1999); and the Critics’ Prize as well as the prize awarded by the audience at Spain’s VI Festival de Jerez de la Frontera (2002) for the choreography of Fuenteovejuna by Antonio Gades.

In 2008, 2010 and 2012, the BNE obtained Teatro de Rojas Awards in Toledo for Best Dancing Performance, and in August 2010, the Festival Internacional del Cante de las Minas La Unión gave the BNE the Stage Arts Extraordinary Prize for its magnificent contribution to the preservation and spread of the best flamenco.

Antonio Najarro has promoted both the company’s more traditional choreography and supported other initiatives. For example, the BNE has fused dance with fashion using stage costumes and has had dancers on the catwalk during designer Duyos’ show during Madrid’s fashion week (MBFW Madrid). Additionally, dancers created their own works and presented them to the public in open sessions during the Dancers of BNE, Create festivals of 2013 and 2014. Najarro also endorsed David Palacin’s photographic exhibition Sorolla in the Museum Sorolla based on the show of the same name, and welcomes the visits of conservatories and schools throughout Spain in BNE rehearsals.

Zaguán & Alento by Ballet Nacional de España (Spain)

DATE

VENUE

PRICE

21.09.2018 (Fri)
20:00

22.09.2018 (Sat)
20:00

23.09.2018 (Sun)
15:00

Auditorium, Sha Tin Town Hall

$460, 380, 300, 220, 160

BUY NOW

DATE

21.09.2018 (Fri)
20:00

22.09.2018 (Sat)
20:00

23.09.2018 (Sun)
15:00

VENUE

Auditorium, Sha Tin Town Hall

PRICE

$460, 380, 300, 220, 160

BUY NOW

Flamenco Dance Workshop

DATE

VENUE

PRICE

22.09.2018 (Sat)
11:00

Auditorium, Sha Tin Town Hall

$150

BUY NOW

DATE

22.09.2018 (Sat)
11:00

VENUE

Auditorium, Sha Tin Town Hall

PRICE

$150

BUY NOW

Tickets available from 29 June onwards at all URBTIX outlets, on Internet, by Mobile Ticketing App and Credit Card Telephone Booking.

Half-price tickets available for senior citizens aged 60 and above, people with disabilities and the minder, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients. (Limited tickets for full-time students and CSSA recipients available on a first-come-first-served basis).

Group Booking Discount: 10% off for each purchase of 4-9 standard tickets; 15% off for 10-19 standard tickets; 20% off for 20 or more standard tickets.

Patrons can enjoy only one of the above discount offers for each purchase.  Please inform the box office staff at the time of purchase.

Internet Booking   www.urbtix.hk

Credit Card Telephone Booking   2111 5999

Ticketing Enquiries   3761 6661

Programme Enquiries   2268 7323

Internet Booking   www.urbtix.hk

Credit Card Telephone Booking   2111 5999

Ticketing Enquiries   3761 6661

Programme Enquiries   2268 7323

The programme does not represent the views of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.

The presenter reserves the right to change the programme and substitute artists.