Carmen pours it on

It's time for Carmen and the flamenco once again! But this weekend at Poly Theater, the new show by Ballet Teatres Generalitat from Valencia, Spain, offers something new and also features Cristina Hoyos, arguably Spain's most renowned flamenco dancer.

The choreographer, Ramon Oller, first created the dance in 2003 and revived it for the Ballet Teatres Generalitat early this month. There is not just flamenco, but also ballet and modern dance. There is also heavy rain in the final scene. And Carmen will not die from Don Jose's dagger but is stifled by him beside a pool of water. Some 800 liters of water will be used on stage.

"The rain will dramatize Carmen's death and appear to purify her soul in the water," says Oller.