A forty-year miracle

In 1985 a young dancer and teacher of Spanish dance in the Murcia Dance Conservatory She was promoting a project that almost no one was really putting much faith in. That young teacher, Carmen Rubio His name is, he showed admirable determination, commitment and energy, qualities that he has maintained intact many years later. Then the Spanish Ballet of Murcia (BEN). Well, that ancient impulse to which almost no one gave much time to live is celebrating forty years full of successes (sometimes disappointments), of learning, of evolution, with dozens of shows, many of them magnificent. In short, a true miracle that has lasted for four decades.

Dance in Spain is a true miracle, in general. Companies emerge that usually last very little time, always dependent on meager official aid, apart from the fact that the public has not always flocked to dance shows, beyond the media names. In fact, as far as I know, only the National Ballet of Spain It is older than the Ballet Español de Murcia, and it also survives to this day. But with one essential difference: while the Ballet Nacional de España has a fixed budget, in addition to the prestige that comes with carrying the name of Spain around the world, the Murcian company does not have an official budget, although it is true that in recent years it has received some aid from the City Council of Murcia and the Autonomous Community, through its Institute of Cultural Industries and the Arts (ICA).

Years after its founding, Carmen Rubio's younger sister joined as co-director, Matilde Rubio, for some time now a professor at the Conservatorio Superior de Danza in Málaga. Today the full name of the ballet is Spanish Ballet of Murcia. Carmen and Matilde Rubio Company. But the long-lived formation was not always a prophet in its own land. During the early days it even performed more frequently outside than in the Region of Murcia itself. However, the ballet's endurance, its continuous shows and successful performances abroad, the fact that it gradually became more professional and that it began to feature guest figures or commission certain choreographies from choreographers as prestigious as Jose Antonio Ruiz, Antonio Najarro o javier latorre, among others, all of which has meant that regional institutions have had no choice but to recognise their excellent work.

Their career is surprisingly long and they already have a very complete repertoire, among which, logically, there is everything, better and worse shows, but with outstanding titles. To mention some of the ballet's creations, there are: Soul and Compass, Penelope, Poker flamenco, The hidden face of the Mediterranean, The jealous or the ballet version of the opera Carmen. Precisely with this work, Carmen, have been triumphing in China for years. And in this country, in the Asian giant, they have been touring for fifteen consecutive years, which have been resoundingly acclaimed, performing in the main theatres, always in front of thousands of people. There is no other Spanish company that has been travelling and triumphing in China for so many years.

«The trajectory of the Spanish Ballet of Murcia is surprisingly long and already has a very complete repertoire with leading titles: Alma y compás, Penélope, Póker flamenco, The hidden face of the Mediterranean, The Jealous One or the ballet version of the opera Carmen»

The Spanish Ballet of Murcia has toured a good part of the regional and national geography. It has performed in the festivals of Cante of the Mines, in Lo Ferro or in the Flamenco Summit of Murcia. He has also acted in the Jerez Festival and in important competitions Italy, France, Jordan and other countries, the list would be almost endless. For years they were a guest company at the Cuban Dance Festival, created with the great Alicia Alonso, with whom they maintained a great personal and professional relationship. It is not surprising that they participated in the international gala organized by UNESCO as a tribute to "the Prima Ballerina Doña Alicia" in Seville, at the Teatro de la Maestranza, in 1910.

The recognitions over so many years are countless, from those received at the La Unión Festival or at the Flamenco Summit (Patriarcado Flamenco) or the “Grand Prix Giuliana Penzi” for professional career in Llano (Italy), passing through the “Cultura Viva” award in Madrid, in its 20th edition, among many others.

The company has been evolving. It started as a strict Spanish dance company, to fully add the flamenco, and in its latest shows it has been incorporating passages and movements of contemporary dance, as well as more avant-garde stage designs and lighting. The ballet has collaborated in other shows, especially operas and particularly Matilde, the youngest of the Rubio sisters, a choreographer and excellent costume designer, who has worked in other countries on operas such as Carmen, including a dance part.

The company, now integrated as a resident in the Institute of Cultural Industries and Arts (ICA) of the Region of Murcia, as it was before in the Institute of Youth (INJUVE), has always remained a private company and has traditionally been a school for young dancers and many of them have subsequently worked for other companies, such as the National Ballet of Spain. Today the BEN is open to other projects such as video, performance, performing arts and culture in general, while His prestige grows. The miracle continues.