‘Carmen’ at National Hispanic Cultural Center
State Street Ballet debuts in NM with classic ‘Carmen’
French composer Georges Bizet’s “Carmen” is a body of work that most people know. This is the reason Rodney Gustafson and his company State Street Ballet took on the opera.
“The piece is widely known,” Gustafson says. “My company looks for pieces that can be relatable to a lot of different audiences. We try to make the arts available for the masses. And ‘Carmen’ is one of the stories that has gotten better over time.”
“Carmen” is set in southern Spain and tells the story of the downfall of Don José, a naive soldier who is seduced by the wiles of the fiery gypsy Carmen.
José abandons his childhood sweetheart and deserts from his military duties, yet loses Carmen’s love to the glamorous toreador (bullfighter) Escamillo, after which José kills her in a jealous rage.
Choreographer William Soleau weaves together both classical and modern influences into the play.
State Street Ballet was founded in 1994 and is known for melding familiar storylines with exciting dance movement and mutlimedia visuals and always putting a twist on the classic plays.
This will be the first time State Street Ballet will perform in New Mexico. Though Gustafson has been coming to New Mexico yearly to conduct auditions for local dancers.
“I find that New Mexico would be a great market to begin to perform in,” he says. “I’ve seen some great talent from the auditions I have conducted. I’m looking forward to a new audience getting to see what we do.”
The production will be travelling with almost 20 dancers and before the performances, company members will do some community outreach.
“With every stop, we try to host some sort of class for students and the community,” he says. “It’s important for us to keep trying to inspire younger dancers and performers. We’re hoping this is the beginning of a great relationship with the National Hispanic Cultural Center.”
Gustafson says dance allows audiences to see music, which is why he became a dancer and eventually started his own dance company.
“Our world is comprised of a symphony of movements whose rhythms define the melody of life itself. This melody weaves through the complexities of joy, sorrow, fear and ecstasy, allowing the human spirit to evolve, creating song and dance,” he says. “In its most organic form, our own heartbeat establishes the tempo of our lives and from that beginning we as humans have been graced with the threads of creativity. This power of imagination can shine a light into our soul where the essence of beauty is discovered and the artistry of performance is born. The evolution of this marriage between song and dance allows for the very fabrication of the magical idea we call ‘art.’ ”