In 1933, the great Spanish poet and playwright Federico Garcia
Lorca (1898-1936) wrote his best known play Bodas de Sangre (Blood
Wedding) after reading a newspaper account of a young bride in
Andalusia who abandoned her husband-to-be on their wedding day to
escape with her childhood sweetheart.
Lorca evokes the spectacle of human passion through a
sophisticated and often surrealistic poetic technique, transforming
the love story into a tragedy of fate.
The play was staged the same year and soon became immensely
popular in Spain. Ever since, many directors and choreographers
have revived the violent and passionate story.
Among those to tackle Blood Wedding are renowned Spanish
flamenco dancer and choreographer Antonio Gades (1936-2004), and
Carlos Saura, who made it the first of his flamenco movie trilogy,
before Carmen and El Amor Brujo.
Now, another Spanish choreographer and dancer, Paco Mora, offers
a groundbreaking new adaptation of the powerful story.
After premiering the show in Malaga on May 10, Mora and his
Ballet Flamenco Espanol presented it in Madrid as part of the dance
program of Veranos de La Villa in July. And now it comes to
Beijing. The show will run at the Poly Theater from December 4 to
7, as part of the Beijing International Dance Festival.
In updating Lorca's play, Mora treads the difficult line between
innovation and honoring tradition. In his version, the rural
Andalusia that inspired Lorca and Gades is transformed into an
urban world where flamenco is the main means of expression.
A directing, choreographing, designing and dancing dynamo, Mora
is shaven headed, bearded and stocky, and boasts a strong and
expressive dance style.
The Malaga-born Mora began to stand out as a professional
flamenco dancer after creating the company La Jabera, which was
first introduced to Madrid's 7th Spanish Dance and Flamenco
Choreography Contest in 1998. Soon after, he performed in his own
shows, including Lorca baila, Carmen de Bizet, Flamencuras, Othello
and Salome.
In 2004, Mora represented Spain at the International
Heel-Tapping Dance Festival in Bogot, Colombia. It was the first
time flamenco was performed at the contest.
(China Daily November 29, 2007)