Ballet Nacional de España presents Afanador at Baluarte

The company directed by Rubén Olmo arrives at Baluarte Theatre in Pamplona this weekend with a production that has been captivating the country since its premiere in December 2023. And not only on Spanish stages: this production, inspired by the photography of Ruven Afanador, has left its mark on theatres around the world, from South Korea and Italy to Austria and Belgium, with Paris the latest city to surrender to the magnetism of Afanador.

It is one of the company’s most avant-garde productions. To speak of Afanador is to speak of innovation in Spanish dance. It is precisely this originality that, in the words of Rubén Olmo, director of the Ballet Nacional de España, is responsible for its great success: “Until now, audiences had never seen this kind of show in Spanish dance or at the Ballet Nacional de España.”

Since its premiere, Afanador has received the affection of audiences both in Spain and abroad, as well as numerous recognitions from critics. And Afanador is here to continue making audiences vibrate with its hypnotic choreographies.

As Olmo explained: “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.”

Flamenco through a distorting lens

The Spanish production focuses on photographer Ruven Afanador’s surrealist vision of flamenco through the language of dance, seeking to draw audiences into discovering a universe created from fascination and desire.

The acclaimed works of the Colombian artist, Ángel Gitano and Mil Besos, served as the starting point for creating this show, in which Spanish dance fuses with contemporary dance to “see the world of flamenco through a distorting lens, a lens born of dreams, desire and memory,” as Marcos Morau, who is responsible for the concept and artistic direction of Afanador, has stated.

Ruven Afanador freezes movement with all the beauty and strength of Spanish art, while Morau allows those same bodies to move again. In this way, he reveals the tension between vitality and stillness, between gaze and desire. The paradox of photography becomes tangible: a medium that freezes movement, yet is capable of revealing an entire current of life. In Afanador, in Morau’s words: “the bodies move again, not to imitate the photograph, but to understand what lies within that stillness.”

The choreography has been created by Marcos Morau himself, Lorena Nogal, Shay Partush, Jon López and Miguel Ángel Corbacho, assistant director of the Ballet Nacional de España. Large bows, pitchforks and batas de cola accompany the musical composition created by Juan Cristóbal Saavedra, with the special collaboration of singer and composer Maria Arnal. This journey through worlds dancing along the boundaries of the dreamlike, death and life comes together with dramaturg Roberto Fratini Serafide, Marc Salicrú’s audiovisual design and Bernat Jansà’s lighting design.

Afanador’s path has not stopped shining since its premiere at the Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville in 2023. It has filled Spanish venues such as the Teatro Real, Teatro de la Zarzuela 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 Palacio de Festivales in Santander, as well as international stages including Yeulmaru Theatre in Yeosu, Korea; GS Arts Center in Seoul, Korea; the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma; the Concertgebouw in Bruges; the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France; the Maison de la Culture in Grenoble, France; Les Théâtres in Aix-en-Provence, France; and the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, France.

Afanador captivated both audiences and critics throughout 2025, culminating the year with numerous awards: five Max Awards, two Talía Awards and the Catalonia Critics’ Awards, among others.

Program:

AFANADOR

Ballet Nacional de España

Baluarte Theatre, Pamplona, Spain

Sunday, April 19^th, 2026, 7:30 p.m.