Ballet Nacional de España takes Afanador on tour to the emblematic Théâtre du Châtelet

Paris surrenders to Spanish talent. The company directed by Rubén Olmo arrives this Friday at the emblematic Parisian theatre with one of its most avant-garde productions, inspired by the photography of Ruven Afanador.

Afanador is synonymous with innovation in Spanish dance. Its great success, in the words of Rubén Olmo, director of the Ballet Nacional de España, lies in its originality. “Until now, audiences had never seen this kind of show in Spanish dance or at the Ballet Nacional de España.”

Stages in Korea, Italy, Belgium, France and, of course, Spain have vibrated with the choreographies and overwhelming force of Afanador.

“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,” Olmo explained.

With Afanador, the aim is to show photographer Ruven Afanador’s surrealist vision of flamenco through the language of dance, and 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 explained by Marcos Morau, who is responsible for the concept and artistic direction of Afanador.

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 has enjoyed uninterrupted success since its premiere in Seville, at the Teatro de la Maestranza, in 2023. In addition to filling 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, it has also achieved the same success on 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; and Les Théâtres in Aix-en-Provence, France.

In 2025, Afanador won over audiences and critics alike, crowning the year with numerous awards: five Max Awards, two Talía Awards and the Catalonia Critics’ Awards, among others. All of them are clear proof of the admiration of both audiences and critics for this ballet.

Program:

AFANADOR

Ballet Nacional de España

Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris, France

Friday, March 27^th, 2026, 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, March 28^th, 2026, 4:00 p.m.

Saturday, March 28^th, 2026, 8:00 p.m.

Sunday, March 29^th, 2026, 4:00 p.m.

Tuesday, March 31^st, 2026, 8:00 p.m.

Wednesday, March 1^st, 2026, 8:00 p.m.

Thursday, March 2^nd, 2026, 8:00 p.m.

Last tickets on sale

https://www.chatelet.com/en/programmation/25-26en/ballet-nacional-de-espana/