The students enjoyed Carmen, a show which symbolises gypsy culture.

Yesterday, the students at Instituto Hemingway went to a performance of Carmen, starring Sara Baras. Kanako and Yana, Hanna and Lara, Joanna and Piotr, Daniela and I went to this show at the Arriaga Theatre, in the centre of Bilbao.

I did not know what I would see in a flamenco show, as I had never seen one. I could not have imagined the strength and vitality that the dancers and musicians demonstrated. Majestic and agile, sometimes lively and sometimes slower: there are not enough adjectives to describe this flamenco ballet. The whole show is based on the colours red and black. Red represents love and life, while black is the symbol of severity and death. The most impressive and emotionally intense part of the show was the death of Carmen, with all the dancers and Carmen’s suffering.

I also noted the presence of the gypsy culture, closely linked with the origin of flamenco. We could hear guitars, maracas, gypsy singing and the famous castanets.

In my opinion, the artists were playing with their spectators, using the sets and the lights etc. They draw your eyes to one part of the stage, and then, a moment later, to the other side. Mixing music such as rock and roll with traditional flamenco music enabled the show to be accessible to everyone, regardless of their preferences or tastes.

Carine Beraudier
French student at Instituto Hemingway