Afanador continues its European tour in Austria

After opening the 40th edition of the Romaeuropa Festival, the Ballet Nacional de España’s next stop with Afanador will be the Festspielhaus in the Austrian city of St. Pölten.

In the final four months of 2025, Afanador will also be performed in four European cities in Belgium and France.

For Rubén Olmo, director of the Ballet Nacional de España, the success of Afanador lies in offering audiences something different, something they had not seen before in Spanish dance or at the Ballet Nacional de España: “It is a work that surprises; it is different from anything that had been done until now. The success of Afanador lies in its inspiration. We always draw inspiration from writers, poets, and so on, but never from a photographer, from a photo shoot. It is something innovative in the world of dance.”

Afanador presents photographer Ruven Afanador’s surrealist vision of flamenco through the language of dance, encouraging audiences to discover a universe built from fascination and desire. The Colombian artist’s successful works Ángel Gitano and Mil Besos are the starting point for this show, in which Spanish dance joins contemporary dance to “see the world of flamenco through a distorting lens, a lens born of dreams, desire and memory,” as explained by Marcos Morau, who is responsible for the concept and artistic direction of Afanador.

Its premiere in 2023 at the Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville marked the beginning of a long series of tours and successes. Afanador has filled venues including the Teatro Real in Madrid, Teatro Mira in Pozuelo de Alarcón, Teatros del Canal in Madrid, Les Arts in Valencia, the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Yeulmaru Theatre in Yeosu, Korea, GS Arts Center in Seoul, Korea, the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid and the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma.

Afanador is being recognised by audiences and critics alike, as shown by the many awards it has received throughout 2025: five Max Awards, two Talía Awards and the Catalonia Critics’ Awards, among others. All of them are a clear example of the admiration of both audiences and critics for this ballet.

Continuing its work to promote Spanish dance, the Ballet Nacional de España has just published the booklet Afanador for Young People, written by Elna Matamoros. Its pages invite readers to travel through and enjoy this ballet alongside Ruven Afanador, Marcos Morau and the artists of the Spanish National Ballet. “We have attracted many young people with this show, and I am very happy about that,” explained the BNE director.

Program:

AFANADOR
Ballet Nacional de España

Festspielhaus, St. Pölten
Friday, September 26^th, 2025, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, September 27^th, 2025, 7:30 p.m.

Ticket sales: https://www.festspielhaus.at/de/programm/marcos-morau-ballet-nacional-de-espana-director-ruben-olmo/42761