Barcelona Flamenco Ballet (BFB) addresses the ubiquitous myth of Carmen in its new project. This new interpretation of Bizet’s work introduces previously unknown elements into flamenco. It goes beyond the traditional framework in which flamenco has historically been classified and adapts it to the realities of modern society. The values for which Carmen is a woman of our time today, and the adaptation of flamenco music and ballet in the distinctive handwriting of David Gutierrez place the work in a new paradigm of universal myth and flamenco of the 21st century.

Despite the passage of time, Carmen retains her message of freedom and courage in the face of an unequal world where women are still fighting for their rights. Carmen is the prototype of a woman who stands up to a hostile and violent male world from which she does not survive, but leaves her example to posterity.

Carmen is pain, passion, and a cry for freedom — feelings that the art of flamenco masterfully conveys in its most wild and primitive form. The Barcelona Flamenco Ballet (BFB) tells the story written by Prosper Mérimée about the love affair between the gypsy Carmen and the bullfighter Escamillo. Here, the language of flamenco is also the best means of artistic expression for demonstrating emotions and the ideal driving force for conveying the passion of the main characters.

The characters of Mérimée, Bizet’s music, and BFB flamenco come together in a show open to the public today. Lovers of opera, flamenco, dance, music, theatre, and the performing arts in general will discover a new aesthetic benchmark in this “Carmen,” where the blending of cultures and emotions will open the door to the art of the 21st century.

With “Carmen,” the Barcelona Flamenco Ballet (BFB) seeks to pay tribute to Prosper Mérimée and his connection to Spain, and in particular to Barcelona. He knew the city, spoke Catalan, and even the Caló language, the language of the Roma. For his connections with Barcelona, for his love of diversity and the blending of cultures, BFB feels indebted to the brilliant writer Prosper Mérimée.