Afanador sells out at the Teatro de la Zarzuela

After winning over thousands of spectators in Spain and Korea, Afanador was performed this July in Madrid, achieving a full sell-out across the 11 performances held at the Teatro de la Zarzuela.

This work presents photographer Ruven Afanador’s surrealist vision of flamenco through the language of dance, inviting audiences to discover a universe built from fascination and desire. The Colombian artist’s acclaimed 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.

Premiered in December 2023 at the Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville, Afanador has toured with great success to 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, and the Korean cities of Yeosu and Seoul.

“Afanador is an example of how dialogue between different artistic disciplines enriches when it is undertaken without prejudice,” and of how “Spanish dance can benefit from this exchange while maintaining its character and essence,” said Rubén Olmo, director of the Ballet Nacional de España, on the significance of this artistic creation.

The first performance, held on July 9^th at the Teatro de la Zarzuela, was a charity performance aimed at raising funds to support the humanitarian work of UNRWA, the United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees, in the Gaza Strip.

This initiative was promoted by the Ministry of Culture and the National Institute of Performing Arts and Music, INAEM, at a time of major humanitarian crisis, in which more than two million people in Gaza are suffering the consequences of the war between Palestine and Israel.

With a full house, all proceeds from this special performance of Afanador went to UNRWA’s emergency programs, which provide essential services in Gaza during this tragedy.

The work has already received many awards in 2025: five Max Awards, two Talía Awards, and the Catalonia Critics’ Awards, among others. All of them reflect the admiration of both audiences and critics for this ballet.

In addition, with the aim of continuing to raise awareness of Afanador, the booklet Afanador for Young People, written by Elna Matamoros, has just been published. It brings this show — featuring flamenco and other styles of Spanish and contemporary dance — closer to today’s audiences.

Program:

AFANADOR
Ballet Nacional de España

Teatro de la Zarzuela, Madrid
July 9^th–20^th, 2025