Festival Ballet Providence Presents Viktor Plotnikov's CARMEN In Up Close On Hope Series

Festival Ballet Providence (FBP) will present Viktor Plotnikov's fiery and romantic Carmen in the fall program of the Company's award-winning Black Box series, UP CLOSE ON HOPE. November 1-3 and 8-10, 2019. The show takes place in FBP's intimate 95-seat Black Box Theatre, 825 Hope Street, Providence, RI. This unique setting immerses audiences in the dancers' every movement, offering an emotionally powerful experience as well as the opportunity to witness the athleticism of dance like never before.

"This production is one of both our and our audience's favorites," said FBP Artistic Director Mihailo (Misha) Djuric, adding, "We are thrilled to bring Carmen back in this wonderful small theater setting, giving audiences the rare chance to become completely involved in Viktor's unique choreography, the graceful energy of the dancers, and in the passion and drama of the story."

FBP Resident Choreographer Viktor Plotnikov said, "What always excites me is the dancers' interpretation, which brings uniqueness to each performance. Once the dancers take the ballet into their bodies, they have their own way of expressing it." He continued, "The choreography remains mostly the same, but different dancers can have completely different ways of presenting the story. So, while It doesn't change from year to year, it changes from night to night the audience experiences each performance differently."

Carmen is based on Georges Bizet's opera, one of the most beloved ever written. The fast-paced drama unfolds with passionate effect, a story of intimate love, jealous rage and shocking betrayal that has been savored by audiences around the world for more than a century. In Plotnikov's version, the ballet opens with Micaëla serving as narrator, and the action unfolds in flashback, as the tragic story of her one-time lover, Don Jose, and his sensual affair with the free-spirited gypsy girl named Carmen plays out on stage. But when the pompous and conceited toreador Escamillio arrives with flare and fanfare, passion and tragedy take center stage and the ballet reaches a jealous and tragic boiling point.

Carmen was Plotnikov's first major work for a ballet company, commissioned and premiered at The Vets by FBP in 2003. Its success lead to numerous commissioned works by the Company and his tenure with Festival Ballet has been the most productive in the Company's history. In 2010, Djuric named him Festival Ballet Providence Resident Choreographer.

In this production, the cast includes Jennifer Ricci and Eugenia Zinovieva sharing the title role, with Mamuka Kikalishvili and Alex Lantz (Don José), Brenna DiFrancesco and Kirsten Evans (Micaëla), and David Dubois and Mamuka Kikalishvili (Escamilo) all returning to their roles for the second time (with the exception of Kikalishvili who is premiering in both roles), revisiting these complex characters with both experience and a fresh approach.

For tickets, visit our website: https://festivalballetprovidence.org/2019-2020-season/up-close-on-hope-program-1/

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