The character Carmen embodies the classic flamenco stereotype of the untamable, exoticized and sexualized woman like no other. She is the object of a male fantasy that is still subject to male interpretation today. At the same time, she symbolizes the omnipresence of the male gaze and the eroticization of women in flamenco.
Using the character of Carmen, Swaantje Gieskes and her team shed light on patriarchal patterns and power structures and create a form of flamenco that frees itself from the constraints of the male perspective and classification. The result is a diversity of motifs and forms of femininity whose multi-layered interpretation is not determined by beauty, goodness, and skill as sexualized categories of physical norms, but as an authentic expression of pride and identity.
The fireworks of passion take place elsewhere.
Konzept, künstlerische Leitung, Tanz: Swaantje Gieskes. Co-Choreografie, Video, Tanz: Rosanna Terracciano. Co-Choreografie, Tanz: Phyllis Akinyi. Musik: plastiq. Bühne: Raphaela Andrade. dramaturgische Beratung: Matthias Quabbe. Outside-Eye: Lisa Rykena. Produktionsleitung: Uta Engel. Produktionsassistenz: Marco Merenda.
Uraufführung: 16.11.2023, Lichthof Theater Hamburg
FREE CARMEN ist eine Produktion von Swaantje Gieskes. Gefördert durch die Behörde für Kultur und Medien Hamburg, Hamburgische Kulturstiftung, Sheherazade Stiftung, Canada Council for the Arts. Der Rechercheprozess wurde gefördert durch Fonds Darstellende Künste.