Jesús Carmona, from the MUN in Pamplona: "Algarabía brings love in turbulent times"

Algarabía is a newly created musical theater production resulting from a collaboration between the University of Navarra Museum (MUN) and one of the leading arts institutions in the United Arab Emirates, Khawla Art & Culture, in partnership Abu Dhabi Music & Art Foundation (ADMAF) and Falla 150. It premieres this weekend at the University of Navarra Museum.

Directed and adapted by Jihad Mikhael and Ignacio García, the play—which blends Arab and Spanish traditions against the backdrop of the turbulent reality currently facing the Middle East—serves as a space for building bridges between the two cultures, using art as a unifying force and a catalyst for dialogue.

After a year and a half of production and several weeks of essay in Madrid, the cast of “Algarabía” has arrived in Pamplona for its premiere on Friday, March 27 and Saturday, March 28 at the MUN Theater. Thus, the professional team has joined forces with another essential component of this project: the student body the University of Navarra participating in the project, with more than 130 students involved. The University of Navarra Orchestra, under the direction of Borjas Quintas; the University of Navarra Choir; and student body the School of Architecture and design have collaborated with set designer Liuba Cid and design designer Yaiza Pinillos on design and set design .

Prior to this, the lead Arab performers, Cynthya Karam and Rafic Ali Ahmed, rehearsed in Madrid for two weeks alongside choreographer and dancer Jesús Carmona, dancer Lucía Campillo, and the corps de ballet—comprising Spanish dancers and Arab dancers from the Sharjah Performing Arts Academy—resulting in a choreography where the Arab and Spanish worlds blend seamlessly. As Jesús Carmona himself explains: “Four Arab dancers will perform in the show, and we’ll work on incorporating the most traditional movements and elements of their culture into our own movements and culture to try to create a style born from the communion and communication between two dance traditions. It will be a very diverse show where you’ll be able to see more traditional flamenco, combined with Arabic dance, in dialogue with other more contemporary styles, including hip-hop.”

In Pamplona, the University of Navarra Orchestra and Choir have worked tirelessly to bring to life a new composition in which the symphonies of Manuel de Falla—a great 20th-century Spanish composer whose 150th anniversary is being celebrated this year—blend with the music of the Emirati composer Ihab Darwish, thanks to the arrangement by Josema García Hormigo, creating a new composition that echoes Arabic and flamenco music. Alongside this, the poetry of Nizar Qabbani and Miguel Hernández, as well as the medieval poets Ibn Zamrak and San Juan de la Cruz, accompanied by traditional songs that blend Arabic poetry with the Andalusian musical tradition, will be recited or sung in their original languages, which the audience will be able to understand thanks to the translation of texts included in the show.

Now, the partnership between professionals and student body serves as a bridge to create a meeting fosters the exchange experiences, as Teresa Lasheras, artistic director of performing arts and music at the MUN, explains: “It’s a project brings together the museum’s educational side—represented by students studying the arts—with a very important professional component. The project top-tier professionals, and for students around 20–22 years old who are studying at the University of Navarra to become lawyers, doctors, or economists, having the opportunity to be part of an project that contact them contact the art world is a vital learning experience that will leave a lasting impact.” This sentiment is shared by the students themselves. Paula Peralta, figurative artist: “It’s very enriching—an opportunity like this is rare in life. In terms of training, seeing directors and people who work in the arts industry complements my programs of study.”

“Algarabía” is a work contrasting with the turbulent reality in which we live, seeks to serve as a bridge. As one of its playwrights and directors, Ignacio García, points out: “We seek a balance in all elements, ensuring there is always a dual perspective: from both the Spanish and Arab viewpoints. We are at a historic moment and we cannot remain oblivious to it. There are only two options: either we let intolerance bombard culture and annihilate it, or we turn culture into a refuge against the bombs, against intolerance, against violence, against censorship, against cancellation, against so many things… I believe what we’re doing here is defending an idea; in Lebanon, where Cynthya comes from, and in the Emirates, the home of other participating artists, bombs are falling right now, and there are people who continue to fight for beauty as a spiritual refuge. I believe this is a project dignifies this space. At first we didn’t know we’d be in this status, but we always knew this production was created to mediate.”

A mediation we’ll see on stage, depicted in a play that tells the story of Farah, an Arab woman who, alongside her friend Candela, is researching the legacy of Al-Andalus botany at the Alhambra. There she meets Florencio, a young florist, and they fall instantly in love. However, when he picks the flowers to sell them, Farah tries to stop him. After the conflict, Florencio regrets his actions, and, guided by a wise old man, everyone celebrates their reconciliation at a festival that celebrates nature and the meeting cultures.

• The media will be able to attend the essay this Thursday, the 26th, at 7:30 p.m. at the MUN theater to take photos and video.
• More information and downloadable materials, including statements and essays: 

https://museo.unav.edu/prensa/algarabia