America’s leading Latino dance organization Ballet Hispánico, founded by National Medal of Arts recipient Tina Ramirez, presents Carmen.Maquia Dec. 7–8, at New York City’s Apollo Theater. The ballet — created by Spanish choreographer Gustavo Ramírez Sansano — is a modern version of opera classic Carmen, by Georges Bizet.

Incorporating elements of Spanish paso doble and flamenco, the ballet premiered on the Apollo Theater’s stage in 2014 as the company’s first full-length narrative dance work. Sansano served as artistic director of Luna Negra Dance Theater 2009–2013, and works both as a freelance choreographer and with Titoyaya Dansa, a company he founded in 2006 in Spain with partner Veronica Garcia Moscardo.

Among Sansano’s multitude of awards: first prize at the Ricard Moragas Competition in Barcelona in 1997; Prix Dom Perignon Choreographic Competition in Hamburg in 2001; and Premio de Las Artes Escénicas de la Comunidad Valenciana in 2005. He’s also been commissioned to create original works for the Nederlands Dans Theater, the Compania Nacional de Danza, the Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, the Luzerner Tanz Theater, Ballet BC, The Hamburg Ballet and the Atlanta Ballet.

The production team includes set design and construction by Luis Crespo, costume design by David Delfín, costume construction by Travis Halsey and Diana Ruettiger, and lighting design by Joshua Preston.