Pharsalia
The programme of FAM 23 is offering the show Pharsalia, by the Antonio Ruz Company, Talía Award winner for the Best Choreography.
With a compelling stage and costume proposal and an original music creation that travels from the epic to the electronic, 11 performers will go through choreographies packed with violence, subtlety, and theatricality embarking, with all their physicality, on a festival of combat. Bodies at war that evoke landscapes of a strange yet captivating beauty. According to Ruz, Pharsalia represents an anti-war ode to dance as a weapon of liberation and redeeming energy.
“Render us the enemy of every nation; but avert this civil war... It is so miserable to emerge victorious from a civil war!” Marcus Annaeus Lucanus from Cordoba (39-65 A.D.), nephew of Seneca, wrote this phrase in the only work by him to have survived until the present day, Pharsalia or Bellum Civile, an unfinished epic poem in ten books about the civil war between Julius Caesar and Pompey the Great which has generated, due to its complex vitality, multiple critiques, meanings and interpretations throughout history. However, its relevance today distils a clear message of invoking freedom and the rejection of tyranny. In his narrative, only resistance is heroic, and his lament proclaims a grievance that takes on a universal character.
However, how does a piece from over twenty centuries ago resonate through the contemporary theatrical gaze? Is it possible to find beauty in the chaos of war?
Taking the Pharsalia by Lucan as a starting point, this choreographic work delves into the concept of war from an allegorical approach, putting the body at the service of daily concepts such as conflict, crisis, resistance, tension, and escape. However, humans are not content with the state of war, and that is where the traces of beauty, of our hope appear on stage.
See the director's article and the Pharsalia texts.
Artistic direction and choreography: Antonio Ruz
Dancers and choreographic collaboration: Jose Alarcón, Gonzalo Álvarez, Mado Dallery, Joan Ferre, Carmen Fumero, Manuel Martín, Lucia Montes, Alicia Narejos, Selam Ortega, Isabela Rossi and David Vilarinyo
Set and costume design: Alejandro Andújar
Original music: Aire
Lighting Design: Olga García (AAI)
Dramaturgy: Rosabel Huguet
Technical coordination: Espacio Átomo
Choreography assistant: Begoña Quiñones
Production: Paola Villegas, Gabriel Blanco – SPECTARE
Production assistant: Andrea Méndez
Tailoring: Esther Fiol, Rocío Pozuelo
Scenography production: Tecnodimensión
Production of costumes and props: Maribel Rodríguez, María Calderón
Collaboration in scenography design: Sol Curiel.
Video production: Derek Pedrós
Photography: María Alperi
Photography work in progress: Alba Muriel
Graphic identity: Toormix
Promotional video production: David González Bermejo - 2Visual
Distributed by: Valeria Cosi - TINA Agency
A co-production of Teatros del Canal and Museo Universidad of Navarra.
With the support of Gran Teatro of Cordoba and Teatro Central of Seville.
With the collaboration of the Municipal Theatre of Coslada and the Sanchinarro Cultural Centre.
Pharsalia is not a pleasing show, quite the opposite. It is a disturbing piece that directly touches the viewer with awfully beautiful images. However, it rises to a hopeful ending that leaves the viewer with a magnificent impression and, perhaps, with their faith in humanity strengthened despite everything.” > https://cutt.ly/PNd05g8
Julio Bravo. ABC. 25.10.22
“With no ruptures, the work runs through what can be viewed as a prologue and several acts, in which the light, music and, of course, dancers advance in clear coherence. [...] The creator of an eclectic choreographic discourse, the Antonio Ruz of Pharsalia emerges as a freer and emancipated choreographer who successfully embraces the daring.” > https://cutt.ly/gNd08SN
Mercedes L. Caballero. EL PAÍS. 22.10.22
“With memorable choreographic phrases and incredible plasticity, this dance version of Pharsalia aims for the peak of artistic creation. [...] The timely use of music, compelling costumes and the continuous modelling of emphatic and flexible bodies means that the proposal of Antonio Ruz exudes a clear message of peace in a time of war. [...] An unparalleled argument of humanity without borders, the dream that never seems to arrive.” > https://cutt.ly/cNfqx3m
Eduardo López-Collazo. EL CULTURAL. 22.10.22
“There is nothing new about the fact that Antonio Ruz has talent. What is new is the bravery of risking so much in a major work with a theme that is necessary but difficult and uncomplacent. In this fantastic unit the soldiers train, the lifeless bodies pile up, those who have not died yet try to escape and the combatants face battle.” [...] > https://cutt.ly/jNd0CzA
Omar Khan. SUSYQ. 22.10.22
“The plasticity of Antonio Ruz is skin. Pharsalia awakens the senses. You won’t get everything out of it with a single viewing. The spectator is immersed in a real latens corpus. There are no fissures, there is no fragmentation, the aesthetic intensity reaches its highest level.” > https://cutt.ly/4NhhJQU
Mercedes Albi. ALBI DANZA. 22.10.22
“Visually hypnotic staging with polychromy that has a unique voice. [...] It is said that art has to be healing, or otherwise it isn’t art. The work of Antonio Ruz is healthy, because it summons us for enjoyment and emotion, and the little empathy we offer makes us a little better for a moment.” > https://cutt.ly/ XNlOGLo
Luis Muñoz Díez. TARÁNTULA, Revista Cultural. 26.10.22
Pharsalia manages to captivate us by taking us to the innermost depths of our humanity. [...] With a game of contrasts between the most violent and most fragile sides of humanity, Ruz manages to draw different emotions out of us. Sometimes uncomfortable but necessary throughout the show which concludes that dance is the only salvation from all of our ills.” > https://cutt.ly/9NlP7LA
Angélique Travessa. EN PLATEA. 26.10.22
“After an hour and a half witnessing a beauty that we wouldn’t want to leave, the mass of bodies that comprise Pharsalia only exudes humanity. [...] The energetic work of Ruz exudes a future with this clear and modern message of hope. The dramatic intensity of the work, its chromatic power, its character, first combative and then human, the effort of the dancers who went beyond the limits of the body, flooded the theatre seats with optimism, moving people under a cloak of salvation.” > https://cutt.ly/6NHT1qt
Nuria Ruiz de Viñaspre. RED ESCÉNICA. 30.10.22
Show recommended for those over 14 years of age.
At some points in the show the lights create a strobe effect. Exposure to certain flashes or flashing lights can cause epileptic attacks or fainting in people who are photosensitive.
Access is only allowed to children over five years of age.
For further information, please check the general purchase terms and hall conditions.
If you have any questions while purchasing your tickets, you can write to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 922 568 625 from Monday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., except for public holidays.