Ballettensemble
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger

Valbona Bushkola, Andrea Porro
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger

Lucas Leonardo, Valbona Bushkola
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger

Valbona Bushkola, Lucas Leonardo
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger

Quinn Roy, Valbona Bushkola
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger

Ballettensemble
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger

Quinn Roy, Valbona Bushkola
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger

Cassiano Rodrigues, Valbona Bushkola, Josef Vesely, Cosimo Damiano Gorgoglione und Ballettensemble
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger

Valbona Bushkola, Lucas Leonardo
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger

Valbona Bushkola und Ballettensemble
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger

Lucas Leonardo, Valbona Bushkola
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger

Quinn Roy, Valbona Bushkola, Lucas Leonardo
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger

Chigusa Fujiyoshi, Samuel Pellegrin
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger

Ballettensemble
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger

Lucas Leonardo, Mikino Karube
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger

Mikino Karube, Lucas Leonardo
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger

Lucas Leonardo, Mikino Karube
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger

Ballettensemble
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger

Andrea Porro, Samuel Pellegrin
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger

Chigusa Fujiyoshi
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger

Chigusa Fujiyoshi und Ballettensemble
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger

Ballettensemble
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger

Chigusa Fujiyoshi und Ballettensemble
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger

Ballettensemble
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger

Carmen / Rosa / Boléro

Valentina Turcu / Reginaldo Oliveira / Yonggeol Kim

Premiere: October 25, 2025 / Salzburg State Theatre

Synopsis

Audiences will feel transported to the Iberian Peninsula on this ballet night. For the first time, the grand stage of the Salzburg State Theatre presents three different choreographic styles in one evening, enabling our ballet ensemble to showcase the great variety of their dancing skills and their full powers of interpretation.

Using the memorable melodies of Georges Bizet’s opera “Carmen”, composer Rodion Shchedrin wrote a ballet for strings and percussion for the prima ballerina Maya Plisetskaya. According to the composer, the ballet is intended to “always sound a few degrees hotter than the opera”. Valentina Turcu’s choreography focuses on the contradictory psychological makeup of the protagonist.

The central performance of the ballet night is Reginaldo Oliveira’s ballet “Rosa”, an exploration of Spanish pop in combination with modern flamenco, based on the songs of pop legend Rosalía and her unconventional interpretation of this passionate music. After “Frida’s World”, his immensely successful tribute to the spirit of Latin America, the Salzburg State Theatre’s principal choreographer will now stage an exciting choreography inspired by Spanish rhythms and popular music.

Russian dancer Ida Rubinstein commissioned Maurice Ravel to write “Boléro” in 1928. Bronislava Nijinska, sister of the legendary dancer Vaslav Nijinsky, created the choreography, and together they staged the world premiere of the work at the Paris Opera. Rubinstein danced on a table, circled by 20 men whose seemingly lascivious movements increased with the music’s crescendo until the tension was released orgiastically in the final chord – a veritable scandal at the time!

Award-winning Croatian choreographer and director Valentina Turcu is internationally renowned for her expertise in narrative performances and received her artistic education from Maurice Béjart. Yonggeol Kim danced at the ballet of the Paris Opera and is now a celebrated choreographer in his native Korea.

Reginaldo Oliveira has presented many facets of his choreographic work as the Salzburg State Theatre’s principal choreographer. After “Tanto… Tango!” and “Frida’s World”, his latest work “Rosa” pays homage to the temperamental rhythms of the Iberian Peninsula in the modern interpretation of Spanish artist Rosalía.

Duration: 2h 30 min. / two intermissions

We offer introductory talks 45 and 30 minutes ahead of each evening performance.

Content Notes

Play video "https://www.salzburger-landestheater.at/uploads/youtubeThumbs/youtubeThumb_uR9trZJvN-8.jpg"

Reviews

An der Begeisterung bei der Uraufführung am Samstag lässt sich ermessen, dass Oliveira - der parallel sein Tanzstück "Frida" in Rio de Janeiro präsentierte - mit der videoclipartigen Ästhetik neue, junge Publikumsschichten ins Landestheater locken könnte. [...] Valbona Bushkola, im Vorjahr charismatische Frida Kahlo, brilliert auch als Carmen mit herber Erotik und kraftvoller Präsenz. [...] Das Ballettensemble des Landestheaters erweist sich als Star des Abends, das sich im neoklassischen Spitzentanz von 'Carmen' ebenso überzeugend bewegt wie in den Ganzkörper-Choreografien von 'Rosa' und 'Boléro'.

Salzburger Nachrichten

„Valbona Bushkola als Carmen strahlt wie ein Edelstein. Ihr Tanz zeigt, wie technische Perfektion in ausdrucksstarker Körperlichkeit emotionale Rauschzustände hervorrufen kann – fantastisch. Schon in den ersten Takten von Rodion Schtschedrins 1967 komponierten „Carmen-Suite“ [...] zeigt die Compagnie ihre hohe Qualität. [...] Rosalías variationsreiche Musik, die modernen Flamenco mit Popmusik verbindet, findet in Oliveiras komplexer Bewegungssprache eine stimmige optische Illustration: [...] Bewegte Körper, die wie Klangwolken auf und absteigen, mal miteinander, dann wieder gegeneinander – ein Tanzereignis ohne Etikette, das den Zuschauer in meditativem Schweigen versinken lässt.“

Reichenhaller Tagblatt