Insomnia is one of the great ills of our time. The writer isaac rose, who deals with him in his latest novel, Good nightShe asserts that poor sleep defines us as a society, and highlights that Spain led the world in 2023 in the consumption of benzodiazepines, over-the-counter sleep aids. The flamenco dancer Raphael Carrasco, National Dance Prize winner, had already addressed this topic with Nocturna. Architecture of insomnia, a work that contrasts the calm of the night with the constant movement of someone who can't get a wink of sleep.
One of the defining characteristics of this production is that it dispenses with the guitar: the piano, which begins to play before the curtain rises, becomes the main instrument, and over it begins to flow the voice-over reciting a romance with Lorca-esque echoes, a work by the company's favorite poet. Álvaro TatoCarrasco, dressed in black, begins to evolve alongside her dance troupe, who make those white gauzes fly, which are a reflection of dreams.
I won't wait any longer to point out that everything works in this project, from beginning to end. The music, beautiful, which links the palos flamencos with the Goldberg variations de BachThe set design, understated yet incredibly evocative in its lighting, colors, and textures. Tato's texts, while bordering on clichés, manage to bring beauty and depth to the performance. And the exceptional choreography, with its breathtaking synchronizations, where technical complexity never overshadows emotion.
"With Rafaela Carrasco and her Nocturna, the wooden floorboards of the Nîmes Theatre vibrated as on the best nights of the festival. (...) A display of good taste and virtuosity, of nocturnality and treachery, which deserves the long run it has been enjoying since its premiere."
With all this, Carrasco and his team have created a dreamlike atmosphere, full of mystery, making the stage a place where anything can happen. Even a touch of irreverence is present, as in that passage where two flamenco dancers, linked by a braid, obsessively repeat, “Why didn’t you say it, why didn’t you keep quiet…,” that stubborn voice of conscience that prevents the mind from shutting down.
Also exquisite are the brief solos performed by the various dancers, shaping images that seem like dreams (the enormous red hat, the towering figure that moves like an articulated doll) and allowing for a dance discourse closer to contemporary expression. The singer deserves special mention. Gem KnightShe takes on a great deal of responsibility by assuming all the vocal work on very dynamic soundscapes, and emphasizing the flamenco nature of the show at all times.
Said Maria Zambrano If life is a dream, it's a dream that begs to be awakened. Or, in the case of insomniacs, at least to witness the dawn of a new day. On stage, the lights come up, and with a few but expertly employed elements (the crinoline, the fans, the castanets at the waist), Carrasco and her band bring the performance to a close with great percussive precision and the power the work deserves in its culmination.
French audiences have a habit of rewarding works that thrill them with a resounding uproar, though this doesn't always happen. With Rafaela Carrasco and her NocturnaThe wooden floorboards of the Nîmes Theatre vibrated as they had on the festival's finest nights. For while some productions lull you to sleep with your head on your neighbor's shoulder, others inspire dreams, and the Sevillian artist's work is one of the latter. A display of exquisite taste and virtuosity, of nocturnal intrigue and mischief, it deserves the long run it has enjoyed since its premiere.
Credits
Nocturna, by Rafaela Carrasco
Festival Flamenco Nimes
Bernadette Lafont Room at the Nîmes Theater
January 14, 2026
Direction and choreography: Rafaela Carrasco
Dancers: Carmen Angulo, Carmen Coy, Alejandra Gudí, María Gomez, Nazaret Oliva, Cristina Soler, Magdalena Mannion, Cristina San Gregorio and Rafaela Carrasco
Cante: Gema Caballero
