Iñaki Urlezaga is, hands down, one of Argentina’s best-known ballet dancers, sharing a select podium with Julio Bocca, Maximiliano Guerra and Hernán Cornejo. Now, three decades after reaching international recognition as a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet in London, he is back on stage with “El aplauso final,” (The final applause) a ballet he wrote, directed and choreographed himself.

A poetic and deeply emotional creation, the piece explores an artist’s feelings as he faces a final farewell — a theme Iñaki knows firsthand after retiring seven years ago, at 42.

The production delves into the connection between the performer (Julieta Paul) and her mentor, choreographer, and director (Urlezaga), while also revealing a story shaped by love, devotion, and memories of the stage.

It also includes excerpts from works such as “Romeo and Juliet,” “La Traviata,” and “Sylvia,” plus dramatic scenes set to the music of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “Piano Concerto No. 2.”

“The world premiere was last month in Rosario, and then we performed in Montevideo, La Plata and Mar del Plata,” Urlezaga tells the Herald. The play, he says, is taking shape like a cake out........

© Buenos Aires Herald