The nine-time award-winning production will be staged in the Symphony Hall on Saturday and Sunday
The Ballet Nacional de España (Spanish National Ballet – BNE), under the artistic direction of Rubén Olmo, returns to the Auditorio de Tenerife this weekend with Afanador. The production will be staged in the Symphony Hall on 5 September at 7.30 p.m. and on 6 September at 6.00 p.m., opening the cultural venue’s new season. Created and directed by Marcos Morau, the production is inspired by the flamenco photography of Ruven Afanador (Bucaramanga, Colombia, 1959).
Marcos Morau explains that the work draws inspiration from Ruven Afanador’s books Ángel gitano and Mil besos, as well as from the photographer’s shoots. According to Morau, Afanador views flamenco through a distorting lens shaped by dreams, desire and memory. The choreographer also sees a strong affinity between the Colombian photographer’s surrealist vision of flamenco and the artistic language he has developed over his years at the helm of La Veronal. Roberto Fratini, the production’s dramaturg, explains that the work seeks to reflect the way in which Ruven Afanador sees his models.
With nine awards to its name across 2024 and 2025, Afanador has established itself as a landmark production in contemporary Spanish dance and a defining work for the Ballet Nacional de España. At the 2024 Godot Awards, Afanador won Best Choreography in Spanish Dance and Flamenco, while the 2024 Catalan Performing Arts Critics’ Awards named it Best Choreography. Both distinctions recognised the work of Marcos Morau, Shay Partush, Jon López and Miguel Ángel Corbacho.
At the 2025 Max Awards, Afanador received five honours: Best Dance Production, Best Stage Direction (Marcos Morau), Best Lighting Design (Bernat Jansá), Best Costume Design (Silvia Delagneau) and Best Original Score for a Stage Production (Juan Cristóbal Saavedra, Enrique Bermúdez, Jonathan Bermúdez, Gabriel Georgio González and Roberto Vozmediano). At the Talía Awards, presented by the Spanish Academy of Performing Arts, the production received a further two accolades: Best Dance Production and Best Choreography.
The Ballet Nacional de España, under the artistic direction of Rubén Olmo since September 2019, has been Spain’s leading public dance company since its foundation in 1978, when Antonio Gades became its first director. The company is one of the production units of the National Institute of Performing Arts and Music (INAEM), part of Spain’s Ministry of Culture.
The BNE’s mission is to preserve, promote and pass on Spain’s rich choreographic heritage in all its stylistic diversity and traditions, encompassing academic, stylised and folk dance, the escuela bolera and flamenco. It also seeks to engage new audiences and strengthen its national and international profile while maintaining full artistic and creative autonomy.
Tickets, priced at €15 (€5 for under-30s), can be purchased on the website www.auditoriodetenerife.com, at the box office from Monday to Friday between 10:00 and 17:00 and on Saturdays from 10:00 to 14:00, and by telephone on 902 317 327 during the same hours. Check the special discounts for students, unemployed people and large families, among others.