Classical dance versus flamenco. Tamara Rojo and María Pagés offer two very different interpretations of movement, although their choreographies share a common air of beauty and sincerity.
Classical dance versus flamenco. Tamara Rojo and María Pagés offer two very different interpretations of movement, although their choreographies share a common air of beauty and sincerity. The ballerina and the flamenco dancer will have the honour of playing the leading roles at the Inaugural Gala of the Spanish Presidency of the EU (Teatro Real, Friday 8 January, 18:45 pm), which will be a transcendent reflection of European creativity.
The repertoire of Tamara Rojo includes 'Carmen' by George Bizet, with choreography by Roland Petit, and 'Don Quijote' by Marius Petipa, with music by Ludwig Minkus. The ballerina will be accompanied by the complementary and masculine dance of Lienz Chang and Romel Frómeta, leading performers from the Cuban school of dance.
María Pagés is performing three of her own dances with music provided by members of her company. At the end of the performance they will be joined by the Spanish National Choir to sing the European anthem.
Both artists performed on the same stage in the Teatro Real in 2008 at the Ellas Crean festival, one of the leading European events for women's culture and creativity, which will also form part of the cultural program of the Spanish Presidency.
The gala will begin with the handover of the European Presidency and will end with the release of thousands of balloons from various locations around Madrid, turning the sky above the city blue
A Presidency for the people
The inaugural gala will be broadcast live on the Presidency Web site and by Televisión Española (TVE) on Channel 2 and TVE International. The Puerta del Sol and Plaza de Colón will also be fitted with giant screens to allow residents and visitors to Madrid to enjoy the show.
This extensive media coverage reflects the Spanish Presidency's firm commitment to transmitting and sharing the spirit of Europe among its people. Europe will once again be at the heart of Madrid.
Tamara Rojo
After her first steps at the Víctor Ullate Ballet, Tamara Rojo (Montreal, 1964) achieved her first international success at the Paris Competition, and shortly afterwards joined the English National Ballet, and then the Royal Ballet in London, where she has been the principal dancer since 2000.
She received the Gold Medal of Merit for Fine Arts in 2000 and the Prince of Asturias Prize for Arts in 2005. Today, Tamara Rojo's dancing is both universal and European thanks to her outstanding performances, from Swan Lake to Giselle, including Romeo and Juliet, Don Quijote, Manon and the admired ballets of Kenneth McMillan and Frederick Ashton.
María Pagés
The dancer and choreographer María Pagés (Seville, 1963) is at the height of her artistic and creative career. With her personal interpretation of flamenco, this dancer 'with infinite arms' performs her art with no boundaries and is praised time and again by the whole of the dance world.
María Pagés won the National Dance Prize and the ADE Choreography Prize in 1996, and has designed numerous dances since creating her own company in 1990, from 'Sombra' to 'Flamenco y Poesía', including 'Ilusiones FM' and 'Flamenco Republic'. She has also collaborated with Plácido Domingo and her latest creation alongside the choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui is the show called 'Dunas'.