Ballet Hispanico Collaborates with The Apollo for CARMEN.MAQUIA

Ballet Hispánico, the nation's premier Latino dance organization, returns to the Apollo stage with its celebrated CARMEN.maquia by Gustavo Ramírez Sansanoon Fridayand Saturday, December 7 and 8, 2018 at 8:00pm. Ballet Hispánico is sponsored by GOYA, which has sponsored the company since 1977.

A Picasso-inspired, contemporary take on Bizet's beloved classic, the physically charged and sensual choreography fuses contemporary dance with nods to the Spanish paso doble and flamenco. Originally created for the Luna Negra Dance Theater of Chicago, CARMEN.maquia premiered in New York at the Apollo in 2014, the first full-length narrative dance work in Ballet Hispánico's nearly 50-year history.

"We are thrilled to return to the Apollo Theater with Gustavo Ramírez Sansano's CARMEN.maquia. We are committed to making dance accessible to all audiences with multi-cultural marketing efforts and low-cost ticket prices. We are happy to partner with the Apollo, once again, to make this goal come to fruition," said Artistic Director & CEO Eduardo Vilaro.

"We are thrilled to continue our collaboration with Ballet Hispánico; we feel their voice and presence is vital to this city's cultural landscape. They embody the epitome of artistic excellence," said Kamilah Forbes, the Apollo's Executive Producer.

"We are honored to sponsor Ballet Hispánico and value working with organizations who share the same mission in bringing communities together while celebrating the richness of our history and culture," said Rafael Toro, Director of Public Relations of Goya Foods.

Choreography by Gustavo Ramírez Sansano
Music from Various Works by Georges Bizet, performed by the Slovak Philharmonic, Praha Philharmonic, New Zealand Symphony, and National Symphony Orchestras, and by the Arte Ensemble. Carmen Fantasy, by Pablo de Sarasate, performed by the Apollo Symphony Orchestra
Set Design and Construction by Luis Crespo

Costume Design by David Delfín

Costume Construction by Travis Halsey, Diana Ruettiger

Lighting Design by Joshua Preston

Tickets begin at $10 and are available online at www.apollotheater.org/event/ballet-hispanico2018, by phone at (800) 745-3000, or in person at the Apollo Theater Box Office at 253 W. 125th Street, NYC. For more information, visit www.ballethispanico.org.

Ballet Hispánico's New York Season is made possible by Jody & John Arnhold, the Howard Gilman Foundation, GOYA Foods, Inc., The Harkness Foundation for Dance, The Frances Lear Foundation, MetLife Foundation, The SHS Foundation, The Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, The Scherman Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, Inc., with public support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Univision Communications, Inc. is Media Sponsor of Ballet Hispánico.

This performance at the Apollo is sponsored by Citi.

Gustavo Ramírez Sansano was Artistic Director of Luna Negra Dance Theater (2009-2013), and now he combines his work as a freelance choreographer with the direction of Titoyaya Dansa, the company he founded in Spain with Veronica Garcia Moscardo in 2006. Sansano has received numerous awards for his choreography, including first prize at the Ricard Moragas Competition in Barcelona (1997), Prix Dom Perignon Choreographic Competition in Hamburg (2001), and Premio de Las Artes Escénicas de la Comunidad Valenciana (2005). Sansano has been commissioned to create works for many companies such as Nederlands Dans Theater, Compania Nacional de Danza, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Luzerner tanz Theater, Ballet BC, The Hamburg Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Ballet Hispánico, and Luna Negra Dance Theater, among others.

Photo Credit: Christopher Duggan