The Ballet Nacional de España sings and dance to Christmas so that we are all together despite the distance.

Madrid, 23 December 2020. “Quien nos caliente en diciembres tan fríos / Quien nos reúna a familia y amigos / Quien nos alegre la noche cantándole a la Navidad / Sirva su cuna para que el mundo se reúna / En una sola familia / Que se perdonen faltas y pecados / Un villancico a toditos reconciliados”. [May someone warm us up in cold December / May someone unite family and friends/ May someone cheer up the night by singing to Christmas / May his cradle be the place where the world unites / In one single family / May offences and sins be forgiven / A carol to reconcile everyone] The Ballet Nacional de España wishes to send a message of union with family and friends, even though we cannot be together this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. So, a video has been recorded of two flamenco carols and has been shared on our website and social networks.

“Apart from its family message, we have chosen Sirva tu cuna, by Jerez cantaor Fernando Fernández Pantoja ‘Terremoto’, as a homage to a great figure of cante”, explained Rubén Olmo, director of the Ballet Nacional de España. The flamenco musicians of Spain’s public dance company have contributed their falsetas to play down the melancholy of the lyrics, increasing the pace and intensity of the music, according to cantaor Gabriel de la Tomasa, who was joined by guest cantaor Juan José Amador ‘El Perre’.

In the recording of this video, the Ballet Nacional de España also had the special appearance of cantaora Sandra Carrasco, who had previously worked with the company in Electra, by Antonio Ruz. Flanked by BNE cantaora Saray Muñoz and the guest cantaoras Luisa Carmona and Noemí Humanes, the Huelva artist sings several verses by the Cadiz cantaor Canalejas de Puerto Real, arranged by BNE guitarist Diego Losada. The carol was danced in bulerías mixing folklore steps with flamenco music.

All the artists and technicians who took part in the recording previously underwent a test for qualitative detection of Covid-19, which was carried out on the same day at the Ballet Nacional de España headquarters, as performing with a facemask on or observing social distancing was not possible.

In a year in which we have all had to overcome many difficulties, the Christmas message from director Rubén Olmo, with costumes by Palomo Spain, was: “The Ballet Nacional de España wishes you that hope brings light to these festive days. Hope that in 2021 we may return to the life and work that Covid-19 took away from us. Hope that we have learned to appreciate the time we share with our loved ones, to value culture as an essential element for people and to fight for what is really worthwhile. Merry Christmas and a new and different 2021!