Franco Dragone Collaborates with Spanish National Ballet for New Work at the Matadero, June 12-30

2013 is very much a year of change for the FDEG group. Following the renewal of the group's management team at the start of the year and the confirmation of major contracts all around the world, founder Franco Dragone is now focusing on European projects. On 12 June 2013, at the Matadero arts centre in Madrid, the premier of an exceptional artistic cooperation between Franco Dragone and the Spanish National Ballet will take place.

This project is the result of a meeting between two artists: Antonio Najarro, the young choreographer who directs the prestigious Spanish National Ballet, the high altar of flamenco and traditional Spanish dances, and Franco Dragone, the globally renowned director and creative genius behind the shows A New Dayby Céline Dion, Le Rêve in Las Vegas, The House Of Dancing Water and Taboo in Macau, and just recently Story of a Fort, Legacy of a Nation in Abu Dhabi.

Franco Dragone will offer a stunning production, inspired by the paintings of Joaquín Sorolla and his vision of Spain, somewhere between tears and laughter. A recurring highlight of this production will be the various regional dances of the Iberian Peninsula as painted by Joaquín Sorolla between 1913 and 1919. With this spectacular production, Franco Dragone evokes this country, lending it an air of tension. Tension between the reality of Spain in the time of Joaquín Sorolla, and how this is depicted in his paintings. Tension between the flourishing Spain that was able to finance the magnificent renovation of the Matadero, and the Spain that we see today where culture, like the Spanish people, is suffering from a terrible crisis, not completely dissimilar to the situation of over a hundred years ago.

To ensure the success of this exceptional project, Franco Dragone has teamed up with hugely talented professionals Pascal Jacob (for the co-production) and Vincent Lemaire (for the scenography). The choreography has been entrusted to a team of four Spanish choreographers under the direction of Antonio Najarro: Miguel Fuente, Arantxa Carmona and Manuel Liñán. The music by Juan Colomer and the costumes by Nicolas Vaudelet develop meaning-laden counterpoints between the luminous brushstrokes of Joaquín Sorolla, "the painter of light", and a darker reality.

This meeting between two universes promises the spectator an unforgettable experience that is both bold and emotional. Performances will take place from 12 to 30 June in the stunning setting of the Matadero, the former slaughterhouse that has been converted into a magnificent centre of art and culture.

Franco Dragone, an artistic director and producer with a world- wide reputation, founded his company in 2000: Franco Dragone Entertainment Group. In his mind, entertainment is a fundamental artistic gesture that consists in changing the way people look at the world, and the way the world looks at people. Each of these events constitutes a major innovation and pushes back the limits of the art of live shows.

Among the most significant achievements of the past decade: Celine Dion A New Day, The Dream (Las Vegas) The House of Dancing Water (City of Dreams, Macau). Based in La Louviere in Belgium, the company shines throughout the world bringing to the region, as wherever he sets up, a major impact in terms of jobs, excellence and expertise.

For more information, visit www.dragone.be.

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