Death and Virgin premiered at the Gran Teatro de Elche in October 2020, limited by pandemic capacity rules. After more than two years on tour, this production from the Institut Valencià de Cultura, created and directed by Asun Noales of Elche, has sustained a long run of performances. In early 2023, the show added new engagements, including four days at the Mercat de Les Flors in Barcelona. This year, Noales, the choreographer and dancer who leads the OtraDanza company, faces a packed schedule that includes a ritual collaboration with the Heidelberg Biennale in Germany and a project in Osnabrück, alongside additional commitments with her company.
Awarded three Max Awards in 2021 for best dance performance, best choreography, and best lighting design, Death and Virgin approaches its fiftieth performance as the run nears its end after a brief engagement at the dance temple from January 26 to 29. The Mercat de Les Flors in Barcelona will host screenings of the documentary, noted as the country’s first theater dedicated exclusively to dance programming. The production, created by Suica Films, will be accompanied by events exploring life and death, inspired by a piece by Schubert.
“Maximum awards put you on the map and guarantee that the performance reaches the audience; the dance community responds and fills the halls. Yet the absence of a Madrid engagement has been a disappointment”, Noales remarks, noting that the piece has connected with audiences across many genres. It democratizes dance by addressing a universal, human theme and death, a theme that resonates with many people.
Asun Noales and Sebastián Rowinsky in Rite — German Anton
Germany
The next stop is Germany, where Ritual blends Noales’ choreography from 2016 with Sebastián Rowinsky and other collaborators. The Heidelberg Tanzbiennale on January 30 will feature a program led by Alicante dancer Iván Pérez, sharing the stage with performers such as Rocio Molina.
In Osnabrück, Noales contributes to a ten-day project with the Städtischen Bühnen Osnabrück, set to premiere in May. She plans to begin by meeting the dancers to shape the direction before finalizing a concept tentatively titled Lung. The project emphasizes resilience as a central theme, suggesting that inner strength acts like a robust lung that sustains life. Noales describes this as a highly creative and experimental process, allowing bodies to express themselves in a new light.
Noales in Elche during a performance — German Anton
Company
OtraDanza maintains momentum with works such as Vigor Mortis, Clandestino, La Banda, Ten Sonnets, and Null. The last two pieces are slated for a festival in Bogota, Colombia in June, while the street show Music Band will headline three days during the Metropolitan Fortnight in the Barcelona metropolitan area, an event where the company has previously performed. The company has also presented sacral in a prior edition, reinforcing its diverse repertoire.
Between September and October, Noales will oversee the creation of a new production planned to premiere at Teatro Principal in Alicante this year, followed by a similar process for another new project slated to debut in Valencia in 2024.
In this phase, the company continues to broaden its international footprint while maintaining a clear focus on movement as a medium for exploring essential human questions. The ensemble’s work remains anchored in contemporary dance practice, artistically supported by a network of collaborations and performances across multiple European stages and beyond. Notes on ongoing development and upcoming engagements are shared with audiences through official announcements and festival programs, with performances traveling to new venues while preserving the core themes that define the company’s artistic voice.
Audiences remain informed about future engagements through official announcements and festival programs, and performances travel to new venues while maintaining the core themes that define the company’s artistic voice.