CARMEN.maquia (Ballet Hispánico)

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The centerpiece of Ballet Hispánico’s season at the New York City Center was the 2014 ballet, CARMEN.maquia, yet another take on the oft-staged Bizet opera, itself based on Prosper Mérimée’s 1845 novel of the same name.  The titular anti-heroine has fascinated generations of artists.

There have been a number of ballet treatments of this classic tale: Alfonso Alonso’s Carmen Suite (1967) and the Antonio Gades/Carlos Saura flamenco take (1983); but the most notable was Roland Petit’s which, memorably, was quite sexually explicit for its time, 1949.

Strangely, this CARMEN.manquia, choreographed by Gustavo Ramírez Sansano whose updated title is a reference to bullfighting, was a very odd and confusing version that continuously worked against itself and somehow never took fire emotionally the way any successful Carmen must.  After all, it’s lust that rushes the action along and in this colorless production, the dancers had to work hard to register any emotion at all.

Ramírez Sansano and his design team—David Delfin (sets) and Emilio Lavarias (costumes)—have literally bleached the work in a black and white production that goes against the very essence of Carmen which can be described in one word: color.  Is there a more colorful work of drama with characters so full of zest and personality?

The scenario followed the usual storyline with the exception of an odd opening sequence in which Don José (Amir J. Baldwin), all in white, writhed bleakly, which, according to the program notes, signified his anguish imprisoned in his cell.  For those who didn’t read the extensive program notes, this was just a handsome dancer suffering on the floor.  There was nothing in the choreography which pinpointed a cause.

Otherwise, the plot unfolded exactly like the opera accompanied by excerpts from a number of Georges Bizet’s works.  Carmen (Amanda del Valle), dressed in black, is a charismatic standout amongst the Cigarreras, girls, who work at the cigarette factory.   She catches the eye of Don José whose straitlaced fiancée, Micaela (Amanda Ostuni) has tried to keep José on the right, moral track.

The Cigarreras flirted with the factory guards leading to all sorts of playful pairings until Carmen is at the center of a melee and is arrested.  She is freed by Don José who then is arrested for dereliction of duty.

Enter Escamillo (Omar Rivéra), the rock star toreador who is admired by the flock of Cigarreras, including Carmen, who catches his eye.

A deal out of large—blue!—fortune telling playing cards revealed to Carmen her awful fate, but not before she and Escamillo marry, leading to her murder by the jealous Don José.

The twisty, but clichéd, choreography was not without its clever and eye-catching moments, but try as he might Ramírez Sansano never fully defined the characters, hindered by the equally colorless setting and costumes.  The only variation on the relentless white of the ever-morphing pile of white bits and pieces that made up the set were several black-gray-white drops which divided the space and punctuated the action.  The painting had clear references to Picasso’s masterpiece, Guérnica.

The principal dancers worked hard to project their characters with del Valle and Rivéra, given more explicit movements to work with, registering the strongest.  Baldwin’s Don José was ironically best in his opening scene but otherwise somehow seemed too young with youthful passions. Ostuni as Michaela had the least choreographic challenges but was a lovely presence with charisma to spare.

This was obviously a major investment for the Ballet Hispánico whose artistic director/CEO Eduardo Vilaro charmingly spoke before the ballet began.  Although a bit wrong-headed creativity, it will definitely be a commercial success as the most complex ballet ever presented by this exciting New York-based modern dance troupe.

It was an audience pleaser and, in the last analysis, that’s what’s most important.

CARMEN.Maquia (through June 1, 2025)

Ballet Hispánico

New York City Center, 131 West 55^th Street, in Manhattan

For tickets, call 212-581-1212 or visit http://www.NYCityCenter.org or http://www.ballethispanico.org

Running time:  one hour and 45 minutes including one intermission