The Catalan artist Jesús Carmona has received the El Ojo Crítico de Danza Award 2019 granted by Radio Nacional de España. The jury has decided to award this prize to the dancer born in Barcelona for “his courage and stage risk and his tireless search for new creations”. Jesús Carmona, a graduate in Spanish Dance and Flamenco from the Institute of Theatre and Dance of Barcelona, is a regular artist of Tablao Flamenco Cordobes, the historic tablao of Las Ramblas, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year.

Carmona has received training with Antonio Canales, Eva Yerbabuena, Manuela Carrasco or Ángel Rojas among many others and has received awards throughout its history as Best Outstanding Dancer of the XX Certamen de Danza Española y Flamenco de Madrid in 2011, Desplante Award from the Festival Internacional del Cante de Las Minas, two Lukas Awards from London or the current Critical Eye of Dance from RNE.

The Catalan dancer made his debut at the age of 16 at the Teatro Zorrilla with the Liceo de Barcelona Orchestra. Between 2002 and 2006 he was a dancer in the Nuevo Ballet Español and with the companies of Carmen Cortés, Rafael Amargo, Antonio Canales and El Güito. In 2006 he presented his first own production, “El silencio de la luna” and in 2012 “Cuna Negra & Blanca” at the Bienal de Flamenco de Sevilla. These were followed by “7 Balcones” (2013), “Impetu’s” (2015) and “Amator”. 

The award El Ojo Crítico was created by the cultural programme of Radio Nacional de España 30 years ago and is a support for the promotion of young talents. They also reward the trajectory and value of a professional career. The jury was made up of Joaquín de la Luz (director of the National Dance Company). Rubén Olmo (director of the Ballet Nacional de Danza), Iratxe Ansa (dancer, choreographer and co-director of Metamorphosis Dance Company), Marco Flores (dancer, choreographer and Critical Eye Award 2018), Olga Baeza (director of the dance programme of Radio 5 “Al Compás”), Alberto Martínez Arias (director of the Critical Eye) and Berta Tapia Zamora (head of the Culture Area of RNE’s Information Services).