BALLET DE BARCELONA
Carmen
A story of passion, freedom, and fate.
Choreography: Jimmy Gamonet de los Heros
Adaptation and Staging: Iliana López & Franklin Gamero
Music: Georges Bizet / Rodion Shchedrin
Costumes: Iliana López & Franklin Gamero
Lighting Design/Technical Direction: Adrià de Francisco
Artistic and Executive Director: Chase Johnsey
Ballet Master: Leandro Pérez Sanabria
Original Premiere: 1997 — Miami City Ballet
“A powerful recreation of the legendary heroine.”
“Great theatrical intensity, with flashes of Balanchine-inspired musicality.”
“A compelling tribute to women’s self-determination.”
Ballet de Barcelona presents a powerful recreation of the legendary heroine Carmen — a timeless story of passion, freedom, and fate. Choreographed by Jimmy Gamonet and adapted by Iliana López and Franklin Gamero, this production combines neoclassical precision with vivid theatricality and an unmistakable Latin spirit. Set to the iconic music of Georges Bizet and Rodion Shchedrin, Carmen explores the dangerous tension between desire and possession, following a woman who refuses to surrender her freedom at any cost. Through Gamonet’s deeply musical and emotionally charged choreography, the familiar story becomes both intimate and visceral — a confrontation between love and obsession, independence and control. Under the artistic direction of Chase Johnsey, Carmen emerges as a bold tribute to female self-determination and to the enduring artistic legacy of Jimmy Gamonet.
About the Production
Created by renowned Peruvian choreographer Jimmy Gamonet de los Heros, Carmen reflects the distinctive artistic language he developed throughout an international career spanning Europe and the Americas. As Miami City Ballet’s founding resident choreographer, Gamonet became known for combining neoclassical precision, Latin sensibility, powerful musicality, and vivid theatrical storytelling.
The ballet has been adapted for Ballet de Barcelona by Iliana López and Franklin Gamero, former principal dancers of Miami City Ballet and two of Gamonet’s closest artistic collaborators. Having originated roles in numerous works by the choreographer, they bring a direct and deeply personal understanding of his movement language, musicality, and dramatic intentions.
Under the artistic direction of Chase Johnsey, the production places Gamonet’s choreography within Ballet de Barcelona’s contemporary identity. Johnsey shaped the production’s artistic and visual direction, bringing its choreography, design, and dramatic interpretation into a cohesive theatrical experience while preserving the integrity of the original work.
More than a revival, Ballet de Barcelona’s Carmen is a living continuation of Gamonet’s legacy—passed from the artists who helped shape his work to a new generation of dancers and audiences.
