"Those of my generation left abroad without wanting to"

BarcelonaThe choreographer Enric Gasa Valga (Esparreguera, 1976) left his hometown at the height of his youth. "Those of my generation left to go abroad without wanting to leave. Professionally, to have a strong career, you had many more opportunities abroad. We all believed it was a temporary situation and that we would return later, but unfortunately Northern Europe continues to offer better working conditions than the South," reflects the artist. Just a few days ago, he arrived in Barcelona with the production The Great Gatsby - The Show, a musical and choreographic adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic, which will be performed at the Teatre Victòria from May 20 to 31. The large-scale show premiered in Austria and has been seen in Munich and Monte Carlo. After Barcelona, it will travel to Bangkok.

Based in Innsbruck, Tyrol, Gasa Valga has built practically his entire career outside of Catalonia. He trained in Cuba and for a few years toured the world as a dancer, until in 2009 he took over the direction of the Tyrolean State Theatre. A few years later, in 2023, he created his own company, with which he has dedicated himself essentially to reinterpreting great classics from the perspective of music and choreography. "Sometimes we need classics to understand certain things. With The Great Gatsby, for example, we see the deception of the American dream and appearances, but today we all still want to succeed and show the best of ourselves through our mobile phones. What was a reality a century ago, remains so today," reflects the artist.

To bring the classic to the stage, Gasa Valga has thirteen dancers, two singers, and six musicians who play live. "There is no moment that is recorded. Even when a phone rings, we do it through the piano. I am a great defender of live music," says the choreographer, who adds that they have worked extensively on the sound to evoke the 1920s. "We want to transport the audience to that era, and for that reason, we have chosen a repertoire with songs by artists such as Dinah Washington and Nat King Cole," emphasizes Gasa.

Over the past few years, Gasa Valga has always tried to set foot in Catalonia whenever possible. Last February, the company brought Carmen to the Factoria Cultural in Terrassa and in 2024 performed Frida at the Coliseum Theatre in Barcelona. "My lifelong friends, with whom I used to play football during recess, still live in Esparreguera. I'm very much a village person and I love this land madly," she points out. When it comes to evaluating the sector, however, she doesn't ignore the inequalities in working conditions between the north and the south. "Yesterday I read that the Liceu has 10,000 subscribers in a city of three million people. Innsbruck, with about 170,000 inhabitants, has a theatre with 8,500 subscribers. The difference is brutal," Gasa emphasizes.

From her point of view, there are three major pending issues for the performing arts sector: political and institutional support, education, and media presence. "And it's also our responsibility, those of us who create the shows. Our competition is Netflix, and therefore, the big challenge we have is to ensure that the audience who comes wants to return," the choreographer highlights.

Premiere of 'Terra baixa' in Tyrol

He has tried to do it with productions that seek to reach the maximum number of spectators through common references and composers such as Wagner and Ravel, but also through his roots. In 2021, the artist staged a version of Terra baixa by Àngel Guimerà with sardanes and havaneres that premiered at the Tirol State Theatre. "The entire repertoire was Catalan music. The audience loved it, at every performance they stood up to applaud. But the show stayed there," laments Gasa.

Now, the choreographer also has another production of Catalan soul underway, Saving Salvador - A tribute to Dalí. "On this occasion, we have created the music specifically for the show. Everyone sings in Catalan and the performers have had to learn a little of our language to be able to perform it," explains the artist, who hopes that the show can be seen not only in Germanic theaters but that some Catalan venue can also bring it to Barcelona.