The gala, organized by Fundación Ibercaja, will take place on December 14 at 7:30 p.m. at the Principal Theatre, with proceeds going to Aspanoa. Tickets are already available online for between 5 and 25 euros and will also give 100 people access to a Meet&Greet with the participating artists.
On stage, audiences in Zaragoza will have the opportunity to meet artists whose careers have taken place in different European countries and also see the return of some local talents, such as Bárbara Verdasco, who has ties to Aragon and has danced with the national company in London and the English National Ballet. The lineup also includes dancers from the Ballet Español de Madrid and Zaragoza companies such as LaMov, resident at the Principal Theatre, and the Municipal Professional Dance Conservatory.
"The idea came to me to help all those people who are suffering and their families. I wanted to put on a gala to attract the best companies in Europe, wherever top-level dance is being performed. I wanted to organize everything together with some of Zaragoza’s most important organizations. I have been outside Spain for a long time, learning and experimenting, dancing and discovering a great deal of art abroad. I have always felt the need to bring all this experience and knowledge to Zaragoza, where I learned everything," Pablo Polo explained.
AN INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED CAST
Among the participants is Mario Galindo, a soloist with the Compañía Nacional de Danza who was awarded the 2023 Premio Positano Léonide Massine for International Dancer of the Year. From the Zurich Ballet will come Shelby Williams, a performer in emblematic works such as Pina Bausch’s Café Müller and Akram Khan’s Giselle, and Jorge García Pérez, a dancer and choreographer who has won awards at several international competitions.
The Munich Ballet will be represented by ALfonso Coelho, formerly associated with the Royal Danish Ballet, and Marina Mata, a dancer from Valencia whose career includes the Bayerisches Junior Ballett München. Also taking part from Germany will be Natalie Wong and Nicolás Alcázar, from the Hannover Ballet, and Ella Matthews and Aaron Kok, from the Karlsruhe Ballet, the company to which Pablo Polo also belongs.
The cast is completed by Nnamdi Nwagwu, an Afro-Italian dancer and choreographer whose career includes collaborations with major international institutions and a creation for the Stuttgart Ballet.
ASPANOA’S LA CABAÑA
Thanking the people who will fill the Principal Theatre for their involvement and, in advance, their solidarity, Aspanoa vice president Carlos Salafranca explained that the gala comes at a "very important" moment for the organization. "We are about to open a new center for children with cancer; there is no other like it in Spain. It is called La Cabaña and will allow us to expand the support we provide to minors with cancer and their families by offering them a space for support, therapy, social interaction and activities adapted to their needs," he explained.
