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A radical reimagining of Bizet’s heroine Carmen, through dance, music and the theatre of Flamenco

“Vastly entertaining. It turned the physically towering, tremendously high-spirited Pagés into a feminist heroine” The Times (UK)

The undisputed queen of modern flamenco, María Pagés, vibrant ode to womanhood uses flamenco with poetry in the unforgettably beautiful and radical reimagining of the story of Bizet’s heroine Carmen. Accompanied by an ensemble of dancers and six of Spain’s most talented musicians, Yo, Carmen can be seen at Arts Centre Melbourne’s Hamer Hall from 11 – 12 March 2019.

Sevilian dancer and choreographer María Pagés creates an excitingly bold and multi-faceted blend of Carmen and the songs that inspired it. She reclaims and remakes the original story as a vibrant, contemporary ode to the essence of what it is to be a woman.

A pioneer in contemporary flamenco, iconoclastic Seville-born dancer and choreographer María Pagés has challenged traditionalists with her sensual rethinks of Spanish dance, and her confrontations of hard issues. She found international fame as a guest artist with Michael Flatley’s Riverdance, forming her own dance company in 1990 before going on to win a dazzling collection of international awards.

María Pagés and her company have been invited to perform on some of the world’s most prestigious stages including Radio City Music Hall, Sadler´s Wells, Théâtre National de Chaillot (Paris), the Kremlin Palace, Hong Kong Cutural Centre, Teatro Beaux Arts (Brussels), Auditorio Parco della Musica in Rome and Komische Oper in Berlin.

Yo, Carmen’s featured musicians – including violin and cello alongside flamenco guitarists and singers – provide a live soundtrack of Bizet’s familiar opera tunes, the popular songs that inspired them, and gripping original flamenco.

The music doesn’t solely rely on Bizet’s original Carmen score, incorporating the pieces that inspired Bizet as well as some adaption of classical Flamenco music, with original compositions by Rubén Levaniegos, Sergio Menem and David Moñiz.


“Neither the sky nor the earth rest unchanged after María Pagés has danced.” - José Saramago (Nobel Prize for Literature)

“… Pagés is not just a dancer; she is a master storyteller and dance is her pen.” - The Straits Times, Singapore

“María Pagés' flamenco poem to womanhood is brazen and brilliant” - The List, Edinburgh


Arts Centre Melbourne and Arts Projects Australia presents Yo, Carmen 11 – 12 March 2019 Arts Centre Melbourne, Hamer Hall Tickets now on sale at artscentremelbourne.com.au