NW Dance Project presented Carmen+ on October 24 and 25 at the Newmark Theatre in downtown Portland. The company, led by Artistic Director Sarah Slipper and Executive Director Scott Lewis, danced a world premiere, followed by the return of its 2017 hit Carmen. As Slipper and Lewis took to the stage to thank the audience and introduce the evening, an excited hush fell over the crowd.

The evening opened with Don’t Forget to Panic, a premiere by Caroline Finn, Zurich-based choreographer, co-director of BRUCKEREI, and current choreographer for Cie La Ronde in Switzerland. The piece featured music by Andrew Hewitt, The Souljazz Orchestra, Jes Kurzel, Cristobal Tapia de Veer, and Jung Jaeil, with lighting design by Portland artist Jeff Forbes and costumes by Maia Denzler.

Don’t Forget to Panic began with a strong solo performed by dancer Anthony Milian. Originally from Michigan, he joined NW Dance Project in 2022. On stage, Milian moved with conviction and grace, leading the charge with a present and committed interpretation of the movement. His gaze was crisp as he engaged in explosive movements at the head of the stage — a distinctly solid technical training allowing him to release into the dance.

As additional dancers flooded the stage, Kalli Loudan was among those who joined the group. Originally from Texas, Loudan is in her first season with NW Dance Project and has already managed to impress with her originality and impeccable form. While the extension, balance, and other technical elements of her movement quality are all beautiful, it is her dedication to the dance and her full emotional immersion in her role that captivate the audience to join her on the journey.

The intricate and driving dance progressed in a groundedness and theatricality that have become quintessential for many works from Europe and the Middle East, involving group sections, rhythmic interludes, and the crowd-pleasing “line at the front of the stage.” The dancers rode along with the exciting music with great expression, stretching themselves to their maximums and exhibiting fearlessness in lifts and partnering sequences.

Finn’s work has all the checkmark makings of a great dance — surprise, striking play, moments of pause, and wide use of the space — and when accompanied by Forbes’ lights, beginning warm from the front and later involving a floor light bar, made for a good start to the evening. At the end of the work, the dancers were lifting and releasing before all falling to the floor as the lights went out. When they returned, Loudon was in focus as the rest panted in their exhaustion. They faded once more as she remained in a sense of melancholy and wonder.

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After a 20-minute intermission, the performance continued with the return of Carmen, choreographed by Ihsan Rustem, Zurich-based choreographer and co-founder of Switzerland’s Cie La Ronde. Rustem is no stranger to NW Dance Project and has worked with the company’s dancers many times, delivering new works and staging reset pieces during his 10-year position as resident choreographer. In his rendition of Carmen, originally presented in 2017, Rustem aims to reimagine the classic tale of seduction, betrayal, sex, and murder. His work is based on the opera by Georges Bizet, arguably the most famous version of the story, which premiered in 1875; the opera itself is based on Prosper Mérimée’s 1845 novella of the same name.

In Carmen (1845), a soldier named Don José becomes obsessed with Carmen, a beautiful and free-spirited woman who works at a cigarette factory in Seville. His desire for her leads him to abandon his duties and turn to a life of crime and difficulty. When Carmen takes on a lover named Escamillo, a daring bullfighter, José murders Carmen in a fit of jealous rage.

Although Prosper Mérimée’s narrative and Bizet’s later opera tell the same basic story, they have differences in both tone and focus. Mérimée’s novella is framed as a confession, portraying Carmen as a devious and manipulative woman and Don José as an obsessive man, while Bizet’s opera turns the story into a love tragedy about a crime of passion, with Carmen reimagined as a symbol of independence whose fiery spirit lives on despite her death. The version Rustem delivers is something aesthetically different.

In Rustem’s contemporary barber-shop iteration, Carmen, portrayed by guest artist and former NW Dance Pproject company dancer Andrea Parson, is a quick-tempered “new money” traveling woman who arrives in a small utopian town. The locals are originally told she is an unfortunate rich widow and accept her, but are rocked by her strong will and rebellious manner when she seduces DJ, a plain man betrothed to Micaëla, and portrayed by guest artist Franco Nieto, Open Space founder and former NDP company dancer.

When DJ becomes shunned by the community for falling into her trap, he is devastated. Carmen then “meets her match” when a macho man named Eli, portrayed by company dancer Anthony Milian,  arrives in town. She takes him as a lover and devastates DJ further. Instead of his character killing Carmen, as in the other versions, Micaëla, DJ’s ex-fiance, takes a dagger to Carmen’s heart. Despite their jealousy and shock at her personality and morals, the village mourns and the tale ends in tragedy, with no redemption in sight.

Just as in Don’t Forget to Panic, the dancers of Carmen deliver striking performances, fully committing to the over-amplified acting direction and diving head-first into the challenging full-bodied choreography. The set design by Luis Crespo is quirky, complete with rolling lamps, hair salon chairs, and checkered walls, and the costume design by Project Runway winner Michelle Lesniak is futuristic and angular — complete with sheer bodysuit and pleather leggings for Parson’s controversial character. The music, however, kept in line with the traditional, and utilized Bizet arranged by Rodion Shchedrin. It was a strong choice on Rustem’s part to keep the famous songs relatively intact, and it aided in keeping the audience connected to the opera’s characteristic Spanish flair.

Nieto, as the strong and passionate DJ, and Parson, as the slick and masculine iteration of Carmen, danced well, clearly understanding the NDP style that Rustem and Slipper seek to accomplish. Where they excelled was in their partnering sequences. It is clear that Nieto and Parson know each other well and are comfortable sharing weight with ease. Nieto sailed Parson through the air, caught her in his arms, and lifted her above his shoulders, the two embracing like convincing lovers. When their hands and bodies made contact, they did so with conviction, making the choreography a pleasure to see.

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Next up, NW Dance Project presents an all-new, family-friendly, dancer-made holiday show, In Good Company, Dec. 5-13 at NW Dance Project Creative Center, 211 N.E. 10th Ave., Portland.