Ballet Hispanico: Carmen.maquia and Club Havana

Concert Films • NR • Directed by: Georges Bizet, Pablo de Sarasate, Francisco Repillado, Dámaso Pérez Prado, A.K. Salim, Miguel Gonzalez Fontanills, Israel Cacho Lopez, Ballet Hispanico, Christopher Bloom, Kimberly van Woesik, Melissa Fernandez, Mario Ismael Espinoza, Martina Calcagno, Shelby Colona, Kassandra Cruz, Mark Gieringer, Christopher Hernandez, Johan Rivera Mendez, Eila Valls & Lyvan Verdecia • 95 minutes

Hailed as a “masterpiece” by the Chicago Sun-Times, CARMEN.maquia (2012) – like Bizet’s iconic opera about a passionate gypsy – is riveting from start to finish. The physically charged and sensual choreography fuses contemporary dance with nods to the Spanish paso doble and flamenco. With a visual concept inspired by Picasso’s black-and-white palette, and movement that is full of elaborate partnering, CARMEN.maquia is a bold and electrifying reimagining of this fiery and tragic tale. Club Havana (2000) is a portrait of the glamorous Havana of the 1950s during the heyday of Cuban music, dance and nightlife. The intoxicating rhythms of the conga, rumba, mambo, and cha-cha are brought to life by choreographer Pedro Ruiz, a native of Cuba, in this re-imagined nightclub filled with the exhilarating sounds, colors and ambience of that golden era.