The three shows in the 2021–22 season combine the most traditional Spanish dance with contemporary works

“All of us at the Ballet Nacional de España are going to work hard to ensure that, in the 2021/2022 season which is now beginning, we regain the performance schedule we lost over the previous two seasons due to the health crisis caused by Covid-19,” announced Rubén Olmo. “The three programmes we have premiered so far under my direction – Invocación, Centenario Antonio Ruiz Soler, and La Bella Otero, whose touring life begins now – are available for theatres, festivals and auditoriums to choose whichever they prefer, whether narrative or pure dance, to bring to their city or country,” he adds.

The first tours will take place in October at the Víctor Villegas Auditorium in Murcia (7^th October) and the Teatro Real in Madrid (13^th–16^th October). The programme Centenario Antonio Ruiz Soler commemorates the figure of what was the most versatile dancer and choreographer in Spanish dance, marking 100 years since his birth and 25 since his death; it is one of the three programmes with which the Spanish national dance company will tour Spain and other countries. As well as reviving the maestro’s choreographies that represent the pinnacle of his talent across three distinct styles – the escuela bolera, stylised folklore and the stylisation of flamenco – it includes new works faithful to his style and aesthetic.

A month later, Invocación, the first of the programmes designed by Rubén Olmo, which premiered in 2020, will be performed for audiences at the Dance Open Festival in St Petersburg (Russia) on 8^th and 9^th November. This programme, featuring choreography by Rubén Olmo, Antonio Najarro and Mario Maya, will later be performed at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid (10^th–22^nd December), the Casa Colón in Huelva (5^th March 2022) and the Palau de les Arts in Valencia (21^st–24^th April 2022). Meanwhile, La Bella Otero, the latest production premiered by the Ballet Nacional de España last July, will be performed on 26^th and 27^th May 2022 at the Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville. These are the dates confirmed so far, although the plan is to add further tours to this schedule up to July 2022.

The management team’s intention is to resume touring in other countries as soon as possible. Although, for the moment, the only confirmed international performance is the company’s participation in the Dance Open Festival in St Petersburg in November, the way is being paved to resume touring in other countries, despite the fact that health requirements still make this complicated. “We are exploring the possibilities of taking the productions to various countries and we have some very interesting proposals,” says Rubén Olmo.

Streamed choreography workshops

Furthermore, the Ballet Nacional de España will continue this season with live broadcasts of choreography workshops led by various choreographers for the dancers at its headquarters. This initiative, entitled #BNEenMovimientoPerpetuo, began in 2020 with the participation of Manuel Reyes, Belén López and Marcos Morau (La Veronal).

For this second edition, Rubén Olmo has sought to raise the profile of folklore from diverse origins and styles and has invited Manuel Segovia, co-director of Ibérica de Danza and winner of the 2001 National Dance Award for Creation; Miguel Ángel Berna, director of Danza Viva; and Jon Maya, founder of Kukai Dantza, to collaborate with the BNE. The Aragonese jota, Castilian folklore and the fusion of Basque dance and the avant-garde will be the themes explored over three days with the dancers, and the results will be streamed live on social media on 5^th, 19^th and 26^th November.

The first workshop will be led by Manuel Segovia, whose vision of Castilian folklore is highly eclectic, owing to the influence of the wide range of disciplines he has mastered, from classical and contemporary dance to flamenco. The workshop led by Miguel Ángel Berna will offer a contemporary take on Spanish dance and, in particular, stylised folklore. Jon Maya will bring these choreographic workshops to a close with his contemporary approach, based on the interaction of traditional Basque dance with other artistic disciplines and dance styles. He will be accompanied by a creative musician who will perform live improvisations.

In addition to tours and live broadcasts, the company will revive some of the works from the Ballet Nacional de España’s repertoire this season and begin preparations for the new show, which will premiere in December 2022 at the Teatro de la Zarzuela.

School visits to rehearsals are back

As part of the educational activities that the Ballet Nacional de España has been running since 2017, visits to the company’s headquarters by school groups – which had been suspended since March 2020 – will resume.

Likewise, the workshops promoting Spanish dance among young children, part of the #BNEalCole and #BNEalColeEnGira projects, will continue alongside the Ballet Nacional de España’s performances. During this season, these activities will also be extended to special needs schools in the Comunidad de Madrid. This initiative is part of a series of measures being launched with the aim of making dance more accessible to all groups. In this regard, educational publications will also be produced in an easy-to-read format.

2021/2022 Season Tour Schedule
Ballet Nacional de España

7^th October 2021
Auditorio Víctor Villegas. Murcia
Centenario Antonio Ruiz Soler
Orquesta Sinfónica de la Región de Murcia. Musical Director: Manuel Coves.

13^th–16^th October 2021
Teatro Real. Madrid
Centenario Antonio Ruiz Soler
Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid. Musical Director: Manuel Coves

8^th–9^th November 2021
Open Dance Festival. Saint Petersburg (Russia)
Invocación

10^th–22^nd December 2021
Teatro de la Zarzuela. Madrid
Invocación
Orquesta de la Comunidad de Madrid. Musical Director: Manuel Coves

5^th March 2022
Casa Colón. Huelva
Invocación

21^st–24^th April 2022
Palau de les Arts. Valencia
Invocación
Orquesta de la Comunitat Valenciana. Musical Director: Manuel Busto
Tickets on sale from 2^nd February.

26^th–27^th May 2022
Teatro de la Maestranza. Seville
La Bella Otero
Orquesta Sinfónica de Sevilla. Musical Director: Manuel Busto
Tickets on sale from 2^nd November.