“Because, in the end, beyond the concept, what remains is the Dance. And Dance, when it is true, says everything without needing to explain anything.” This statement, with which the program notes for the new work by conclude, Jesus CarmonaIt is both a declaration of intent and a warning to navigators: don't look for too much of an argument, don't try to explain everything, this is what it is, take it or leave it.
We live in a time when misunderstanding breeds panic, so the viewer needs clear meanings or, failing that, explanations. Poetry is the complete opposite, which is why we need it so much, and this Tentative. Based on real landscapes It contains a lot. Jesús Carmona's first show after his abrupt departure as director of Spanish Ballet of the Community of Madrid, premiered at the Matadero center in the capital and included in the program of Jerez FestivalIt plays more with metaphor than with narrative, more with reverie than with reality.
The image of Carmona dragging an enormous bundle containing hundreds of tambourines is dreamlike, as is the moment when his dancers begin to pile them up in their hands, forming a tower destined to collapse again and again. That's what creating is all about, he seems to be telling us. Falling many times and getting up just as many.
The bare stage, with its exposed machinery and occasionally bathed in a Caravaggesque light, immediately evokes a rehearsal space, where Carmona meets with his company. The beginning is still a seed, a germinal idea to be refined, which translates into a choreography that, guided by powerful percussion, has something of a tribal dance about it. From there, the scenes or landscapes that unfold point to a search—one that doesn't exclude chance discoveries—for what one wants to say and how one wants to say it.
"Jesús Carmona stands out in top form, always exquisite in his stage presence and overflowing with dance resources, who with this work expressed his desire to rediscover the joy of creating. A unique finale of fandangos por bulerías, the cast lying prone, and an encore of sevillanas bring to a close a strange, risky, poetic, inexplicable journey."
Carmona is not alone on this journey. The stage direction of Luis Luque, as well as the musical one of Manu Masaedo, already present in other works by the Barcelona native and also a regular companion of Angeles Toledano...among other figures. No less than two percussion sets were installed at the back of the stage, in addition to the guitar of Kike Terron.
This percussive display has a clear impact on the final result, as it will yield an eminently rhythmic and remarkably complex piece, without detracting from the beautiful voices of Theresa Hernandez y Gabriela JimenezIn my opinion, the sound was a bit drowned in reverb, to the point of making many of the lyrics unintelligible. I also had some reservations about the lighting, which at times left figures unlit and at other times blinded the audience.
Of all the landscapes I visited, what immediately stood out to me was the detail of Carmona crouching down, helping his dancers with their shoes; some urban dance moves perfectly synchronized with the flamencos; the petenera, with a beautiful shawl dance that Carmona watches greedily from his chair; the guajira, the zambra of Rafael Romero, the subsequent pas de deux that ends with the dancers curled up in a ball, rolling on the floor; the second male castanet solo we've seen in two days (there's a trend here!), this time combined with a jota; or a version of La Rosa de Pepe Marchena...who no one can say is forgotten, because fortunately there hasn't been a single day at this festival in which we haven't heard something from him...
Among the various numbers, Jesús Carmona stands out in top form, always exquisite in his stage presence and brimming with dance skills. With this work, he expressed his desire to rediscover the joy of creating, and it would seem he has succeeded. A unique finale of fandangos por bulerías, the entire cast lying prone, and an encore of sevillanas bring to a close a strange, daring, poetic, and inexplicable journey.
Credits
Tentative. Based on real landscapesby Jesús Carmona
Jerez Festival 2026
Villamarta Theatre in Jerez
March 4th 2026
Dancers: Jesús Carmona, Aitana Rousseau, Lucía Campillo, Juan Bravo, Pablo Egea
Musicians: Manu Masaedo, Kike Terrón, José Manuel Martínez, El Peli, Teresa Hernández
Amazing show! Dance, you bastards, dance!!! Almost 2 hours!!! Excellent review!!!