La Bella Otero returns to the stage at Teatros del Canal

La Bella Otero comes to Teatros del Canal after a highly successful previous season. This season, it returns to Madrid on December 14^th, 15^th and 16^th, with Patricia Guerrero as guest artist on the 14^th, Noelia Ruiz on the 15^th and 16^th, and the special collaboration of Maribel Gallardo.

La Bella Otero can be considered an “operatic ballet” in the broadest sense of the term. It is a large-scale production, both in terms of the number of dancers and the deployment of costumes, recreating the world of the Parisian Belle Époque, as well as through the dramaturgical development of the story.

Rubén Olmo, director of the Ballet Nacional de España, places dance at the service of storytelling in order to achieve a fusion of styles — from folklore to flamenco and stylized dance — to tell, through dance, the story of a woman who reinvents herself after a tragic event in her childhood, triumphs as an artist and courtesan, and ends up ruined by gambling. “It is a very emotional and also dramatic show, because it tells the story of a woman who reaches the very top and ends up alone and forgotten,” explains the director.

The plot, dramatized by Gregor Acuña-Pohl, has selected some of the most significant moments in the artist’s biography that could be expressed through dance, without attempting to be exhaustive. “I have tried to stay close to the historical figure and turn it into a ballet that moves the audience, without judging her. The most important thing for me was to show a person with great magnetism, charisma and strength.”

“It is a role that I am passionate about and that gives me so many good things,” says guest dancer Patricia Guerrero. “I am portraying a great woman, many things about whom I admire, and I very much enjoy having the opportunity to perform her.” The Cádiz-born dancer and choreographer is currently a leading figure in avant-garde flamenco and has recently been appointed director of the Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía. For Patricia, “La Bella Otero is a work with a harsh underlying story, but it is dynamic, entertaining, fresh, and full of colour and energy, which will make us all enjoy it, both on and off stage.” Patricia Guerrero will perform the role of La Bella Otero on December 14^th, a performance that includes a post-show meeting with the audience.

For Noelia Ruiz, dancer of the Ballet Nacional de España, embodying La Bella Otero “is a very special moment, both artistically and personally. It is the first time I have taken on the interpretation of such an important character, and without a doubt I am very nervous, but I am also very excited and eager to step into Carolina Otero’s skin and rise to the occasion in order to tell her great story.” The young dancer hopes to “fill the stage with history, dance and passion alongside my colleagues from the Ballet Nacional de España.” Noelia Ruiz will bring Carolina Otero to life in the performances on December 15^th and 16^th.

La Bella Otero once again features the special collaboration of Maribel Gallardo, répétiteur of the Ballet Nacional de España, to portray the protagonist in her later years. “Taking up the character of Madame Otero again, beyond what it means to step into the shoes of such a fascinating woman despite her tragic life, means reliving the emotion of feeling the stage and the warmth of the audience. Unfortunately, the artistic life of a dancer is very short, and only rarely does life give you an opportunity like the one I am fortunately experiencing, intensely and gratefully.”

Composer and conductor Manuel Busto has coordinated the musicians from different styles who composed the music for this ballet, integrating them into the score he created. The remaining compositions were created by Alejandro Cruz Benavides, Agustín Diassera, the group Rarefolk, and flamenco guitarists Diego Losada, Víctor Márquez, Enrique Bermúdez and Pau Vallet.

The design of the nearly 200 costumes that make up the wardrobe for the work was created by Canary Islands designer Yaiza Pinillos, dressing the dancers for periods and settings as diverse as a Galician village, Belle Époque Paris and a café cantante. The set design is by Eduardo Moreno, who uses a single architectural element to identify the time and place of each scene with only a few simple additions. The lighting, designed by Juan Gómez-Cornejo, adds an emotional element to each setting.

Since its premiere at Madrid’s Teatro de la Zarzuela in 2021, La Bella Otero has also toured to Seville, Málaga, Granada, Oviedo and Bogotá, among others.

Program:

La Bella Otero

Teatros del Canal, Madrid
December 14^th and 15^th, 2023, 8:30 p.m.
December 16^th, 2023, 7:30 p.m.