La Gaviota (The Seagull), inspired by Chekhov's The Seagull, explores the romantic and artistic conflicts between four main characters: the famous writer Boris Trigorin, danced by Eloy Aguilar, the ingénue Nina, danced by La Popi, the fading actress, Irina Arkadina, danced by Lucia la Rusa, and her son, the symbolist young playwright, Konstantin Treplev, danced by Pepe Flores.

 

This work premiered May 21-22, 2016 at The Colony Theatre, Miami Beach, Florida. Collaborating with Flamenco guitarist Israel Heredia and singer Alicia Morales, Artistic Director Ilisa Rosal created an original Flamenco Ballet with live music, inspired by this great work by one of Russia's most important writers. Bringing in a Flamenco dancer from Russia brings another layer of international collaboration to this mesmerizing and engaging work. The ensemble cast of diverse and fully developed characters, includes eight more dancers from the U.S., Latin America and Spain, and provides a wealth of opportunity for the choreographer to develop the intricate and universal themes of the piece. 

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"This resonates as deeply with our modern audience as it did when first produced in Russia in 1896," says Choreographer/Artistic Director Ilisa Rosal," because the characters are familiar, high-spirited, charming, passionate and complex. They give us a perfect vehicle to weave Flamenco's magic into Chekhov's master work. During the process of developing this Flamenco Ballet, the dancers were constantly amazed by how close the story was to events in their own lives. This gave them a deep personal connection that shows itself in their performances. It is a pleasure and a privilege to grapple with the stuff of Chekhov's genius in this way."