Les ballets espagnols de «La Argentina»

A production by Antonio Najarro's company that revives part of the repertoire of Antonia Mercé, La Argentina, with the pieces she took to Paris in 1929 as part of her Ballets Espagnols.

This show revives works associated with Antonia Mercé, La Argentina, the creator who renewed the language of Spanish dance in the 20th century. The programme brings together some of the choreographies that the artist presented in Paris in 1929 with her Ballets Espagnols, a proposal that combined the Spanish repertoire with avant-garde currents.

Among the pieces are Juerga, by Julián Bautista, and Triana, by Isaac Albéniz, two titles premiered by La Argentina in 1929, alongside other choreographies from her repertoire. At that time, Mercé worked with Spanish composers and visual artists, so that her shows served as a meeting point between disciplines. Antonio Najarro, Gold Medal of Merit in Fine Arts 2023 and former director of the Ballet Nacional de España, now recalls these creations.

The production also seeks to recapture the open spirit of those Ballets Espagnols, with a conception of Spanish dance that engages with music and the visual arts. It is a co-production of the Teatro de la Zarzuela, the Fundación Juan March, the Palau de les Arts de Valencia, the Teatro de la Maestranza de Sevilla, the Auditorio de Tenerife and the Festival Internacional de Música y Danza de Granada, with the collaboration of the Ballet Nacional de España. It is staged at the Teatro de la Zarzuela, located on calle de Jovellanos in Madrid, whose programme focuses mainly on opera.