Afanador

After the success of SONOMA in spring 2025, Marcos Morau returns to Copenhagen Danser — this time with AFANADOR, his first collaboration with Ballet Nacional de España.

With Afanador, Marcos Morau and Ballet Nacional de Espańa have managed to conjure up the essence of Spain, with flamenco, castagnets and bullfighting in a total contemporary masterpiece.

Morau drew inspiration for the work from two photobooks by Colombian photographer Ruvén Afanador, with the titles Ángel Gitano and Mil Besos. Afanador's theatrical style fits perfectly with Marou's elegant and dramatic universe, and the two performers share a surreal and cinematic quality in their work that makes them a true dream couple.

Afanador's photographs of flamenco dancers, taken during photo sessions in Andalusian Spain, are translated by Morau into movement — a mixture of traditional Spanish dance and his own distinctive style. The black-and-white images have also inspired the scenography (by Max Glaenzel), the lighting (by Bernat Jansà) and the costumes (by Silvia Delagneau). Composer Juan Cristóbal Saavedra's electronic and percussive music employs bells, Easter drums and songs, as well as flamenco guitars and voices to evoke the spirit of Andalusia.

Dramaturgically, Afanador emerges as yet another example of Marcos Morau's singular and unique artistic voice. In an accompanying text to the work, he writes: “If, by definition, the elements of tradition create reassurance, what happens when they become strange and unrecognisable? (...) I want people to come and see us with that mindset — like in certain dreams, where we recognize places, people and landscapes — and without understanding the specific events, we know that it's really about ourselves.”

As an audience, we may not be able to answer Morau's question about what happens when elements of tradition become anything but traditional. But we can greatly enjoy the fruit of his brilliant explorations -- as in this work: a dreamy escape into the at once alien and familiar landscape that is Afanador.

“Breaking molds with a sensational, hypnotic, and visually exquisite show” - Ara.cat, Mar 2024

“The performance is a sensory experience that transcends the limits of traditional dance” - CinemaGavia.es, Feb 2024

“... Afanador, a work that will surely go down in the history of BNE. As arresting as it is striking, the show demonstrates an entirely novel vision of Spanish dance that lacks for nothing” - Marta Carrasco, ABC

The performance is presented by: Copenhagen Dancer