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A woman with dark hair in a red dress has her hand around the neck of a man with brown hair in a white shirt with his back to the camera.

Carmen

10 - 17 April 2024

Johan Inger’s Carmen is a captivating vision that blends athleticism and passion, reimagining Bizet’s opera through dance, unveiling a seductive tale of love and tragedy.

A seductive tale of betrayal and obsession

Johan Inger’s award-winning production of Carmen is an exhilarating journey that thrusts Georges Bizet’s 19th-century opera into the modern world with a breathtaking display of athleticism and passion.

Created in 2015, Inger’s contemporary retelling of Prosper Mérimée’s 1845 novella is a darkly compelling story of the dangerously seductive Carmen, whose love affair with Don José ends in brutal tragedy. Broadening its gaze beyond its fiery heroine, Inger’s Carmen is seen through the eyes of a boy bewildered by the ugly manifestations of machismo.

Using Georges Bizet's famous score, Inger has reimagined the classic opera, transporting it to dance in a fascinating production. Including sublime passages for soloists and duos and ensemble sequences of consummate virtuosity, Carmen brings you the heat of southern Spain in a powerfully unique production.

Presented by The Australian Ballet

A man with dark hair in a white shirt holds a woman with dark hair in a red dress around the wait with his hand on her leg.

Johan Inger made his mark with the company with I New Then, and Carmen will further showcase his unique contemporary eye. The story of Carmen is told in a very modern, arresting and alluring way and the title role is a dream for any artist to dance. I look forward to seeing the dancers tackle one of the most ambitious contemporary productions we’ve programmed.

David Hallberg, Artistic Director of The Australian Ballet

Artist information

Choreography 
Johan Inger

Music 
Georges Bizet/ Rodion Shchedrin

Additional original music
Marc Álvarez

Original editor of Carmen Suite by Bizet Shchedrin 
Musikverlag Hans Sikorski, Hamburgo

Dramaturgy
Gregor Acuña-Pohl

Costume design 
David Delfín

Set designs 
Curt Allen Wilmer (AAPEE)

Lighting design 
Tom Visser

Assistant to the choreographer
Urtzi Aranburu

Assistant to set designer
Isabel Ferrández Barrios

Other information

A ballerina in white dress performing on the stage.
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