Pivot Culture and Fate in Three Worlds
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Carmen · Rosa · Bolero: A Night of Dance at Landestheater
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The Landestheater presented a captivating evening of dance with the three-part production Carmen · Rosa · Bolero, featuring works by Valentina Turcu, Yonggeol Kim, and Reginaldo Oliveira.
the Choreographers and Their Visions
Valentina Turcu choreographed the Austrian premiere of Carmen to the music of Rodion Shchedrin. Bolero by Maurice Ravel was choreographed by Yonggeol Kim. Reginaldo oliveira, the lead choreographer at the Salzburg State Theater, directed Rosa, set to songs by the Spanish singer Rosalía Vila Tobella.
The three productions transported the audience through stylistically, musically, and creatively distinct worlds. A unifying element was the theme of carrying and being carried, the expressive power of body language, and the lightness of movement, creating an evening filled with emotion and ecstasy.
Carmen: A Bold Interpretation
While the plot and melodies of Carmen are well-known, rodion Shchedrin’s instrumentation of the suite, featuring 24 percussion instruments, significantly departs from Georges Bizet’s original opera. The performance served as a tribute to Shchedrin, who sadly passed away on August 29, 2025, as noted by Armin Frauenschuh, dramaturge and management director of the State Theater Ballet.
Dancer Valbona Bushkola’s portrayal of Carmen was notably striking, radiating not only eroticism but also self-confidence and independence. She desired both Don José (danced by Lucas Leonardo) and the bullfighter (danced by Quinn Roy), rejecting commitment to a single man and ultimately paying the price with her life. The desperate Don josé, torn between love and murder, laid her body on a bed of rose petals.
Valentina Turcu, an internationally recognized choreographer from Croatia, is known for her psychologically insightful story ballets and her poetic choreographic style. The acrobatics within the pirouettes, lifts, and jumps weren’t merely decorative; they actively contributed to the narrative’s progression through dramatic body language.