00:00Carmen, instantly recognisable, globally renowned, and Madrid Ballet Flamenco Company has produced
00:13arguably its most Spanish incarnation, with flamenco song and dance centre stage.
00:22Playing Carmen is so intense that three actors share the lead role.
00:28Nani Hernandez and Irene Flores are two of the three, and they have already toured 11 cities across China.
00:37It was an amazing experience for us. There's nothing like it.
00:42Chinese audiences love Carmen, and it's a joy to perform there.
00:50The theatres are enormous and they're always full.
00:53After the show they want to meet us and take photos with the dancers.
00:56We love the warmth and affection we get from Chinese people. They really appreciate our performance.
01:02Welcome to Madrid's Gran VÃa, known as Spain's Broadway.
01:07This Carmen has been a huge success. Almost 2 million people have seen it worldwide.
01:13Now the company is getting ready for its China tour, when it will translate its iconic arias into Mandarin Chinese.
01:22Spanish soprano Estibaliz MartÃn is preparing to interpret famous songs like the Habanera and the Toreador in Mandarin.
01:31I think that performing the opera songs in Mandarin Chinese will bring Carmen and our culture a little closer to Chinese people and give it another dimension.
01:40China is a country where I feel very comfortable because I have performed there a number of times before.
01:46We always want to engage and connect with our audiences.
01:51In 2025, Carmen celebrates 150 years on stage.
01:57And for director Luciano Ruiz, it's as relevant and relatable as ever.
02:03She is our guiding light. She taught me how to direct. She taught me how to create.
02:11Carmen was a leader in her time, and she would be a leader today, too, thanks to her personality and charm.
02:17The way she uses her intelligence and independence, she was ahead of her time.
02:25Carmen, at her most fiery and flamenca, is now ready to bring China closer than ever to her intimate, tragic and hypnotic story.
