Tampa City Ballet’s Carmen

Tampa City Ballet presents Carmen for two nights on the Palladium mainstage in Hough Concert Hall. Through this production, Ms. Nuñez and her collaborators hope to raise awareness of domestic violence through the lens of the central character of the gypsy Carmen. Carmen is an abused woman who dies at the hands of Don Jose, whose jealousy pushes him to the unthinkable. Our story of Carmen brings attention to complex social and mental health issues that are at the core of many of the current events in our country, from mass murders to domestic violence. In Carmen, the polka-dots seen throughout the installation and in the costumes have special meaning. Polka dots were incorporated into gypsy clothing design, their inspiration deriving from small, round mirrors sewn onto fabrics to ward off the “evil eye.” In this production polka dots represent the souls of human beings whose lives have been lost through domestic violence.