Cía. Juan Berlanga: El salto de Butes

Centro Danza Matadero presents the world premiere of *El salto de Butes*, a new large-format creation by Juan Berlanga, the 2026 Max Award winner for Best Male Dance Performer. Rooted in Spanish dance and flamenco, the piece reimagines the nearly secret myth of Butes, the Argonaut who, unlike his companions, did not tie himself to the mast but leapt into the sea, embodying the eternal struggle between reason and desire. With music composed and directed by Niño de Elche and dramaturgy by Alberto Conejero, the work moves from the choral to the intimate, from the building of an alliance—the ship Argo—to the rupture caused by deviation.

On stage, six performers treat the body as living matter and plastic tool, leaving traces and transforming space with every decision. The narrative explores the distance between hearing a call and daring to respond, questioning our limits, renunciations, and dark desires. Berlanga, an artist in residence at Centro Danza Matadero for the 2026 season, describes the piece as not just the leap of a mythical character but his own. Audiences can expect a contemporary gesture that turns an ancient myth into a powerful reflection on freedom and transformation.