Global music sensation Rosalía will bring her highly anticipated “Lux” tour to Barcelona’s Palau Sant Jordi for four dates in April, showcasing an ambitious production crafted by a stellar international and local creative team.

The acclaimed artist, originally from Sant Esteve Sesrovires, will perform on 13, 15, 17, and 18 April. This tour represents a significant scale increase for Rosalía. She shares the creative direction with her sister, Pilar Vila Tobella, known as Pili. Together, they meticulously oversee the aesthetic references for the entire tour, which commenced in Lyon on 16 March.

Behind the Scenes: Creative Vision

Pilar Vila Tobella is Rosalía’s closest collaborator. They both possess a complete understanding of the tour’s visual language. This includes their own proposals and contributions from various stage and costume collaborators. Some inspirations are clear, such as Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” with Montserrat as a backdrop. Goya’s “Witches’ Sabbath” and Degas’ dancers also feature. Other influences, like the 1990s Madonna, Rita Hayworth in “Gilda,” Eva Green in “The Dreamers,” and Natalie Portman in “Black Swan,” are more subtly integrated. Rosalía encourages audience speculation by remaining silent on the show’s creation. However, some collaborators have spoken openly. Fashion designers Vivascarrion, for instance, drew inspiration from 16th-century court ladies’ coifs for their pieces. The “Lux” visual identity also involves Tarragona stylist Jose Carayol, Peruvian designer Fernanda Castro, Belgian firm Anne Demeulemeester, and Madrid milliner Rafa Penador.

Stage Direction and Choreography

Barcelona-based creative studio Terrivle Studio handles the tour’s stage direction. Their long-standing relationship with Rosalía includes designing the stage for her “Motomami” festival tour in 2022. They also designed her 2023 Latin Grammy performance. Terrivle Studio’s portfolio also features work for artists such as Residente, Morad, and Camila Cabello. Dutch advisor Dennis Vanderbroeck contributes to the stage design for the “Lux” concerts. He previously collaborated on pre-listening parties for the album, including one held at the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC). The prominent staircases in Rosalía’s concerts echo a device Vanderbroeck used in his scenography for Nina Spijkers’ 2023 Amsterdam production of Shakespeare’s “Coriolanus.”

Rosalía also collaborates with established talents like Greek artist Dimitris Papaioannou, born in Athens in 1964. Papaioannou choreographed the “La perla” segment, a highlight of the show. His work often explores visual illusions, a style evident in his Barcelona Festival Grec performances. These included “The Great Tamer” in 2017, “Transverse Orientation” in 2021, and “Ink” in 2023. Papaioannou’s impressive career also includes the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

Dynamic Movement and Flamenco Expertise

French company (La)Horde, founded by Marine Brutti, Jonathan Debrouwer, and Arthur Harel, directs the Ballet National de Marseille since 2019. They are a leading European choreographic sensation. Rosalía entrusted them with the concert’s scenic movement, which ranges from raw energy to delicate artistry. For the “Lux” tour, (La)Horde features dancers from the Marseille Ballet. These include Barcelona native Paula Tato and Belgian Antoine van der Linden, who performed in “Age of Content” at Mercat de les Flors and Festival Temporada Alta in 2024. Jal Joshua, another dancer, previously worked with Rosalía on her “Motomami” tour.

Rosalía also re-engages past collaborators, such as American choreographer Charm La’Donna. Born in Compton in 1988, La’Donna previously worked on the movement for Rosalía’s “El mal querer” concerts in 2018. She was also crucial to the “Con altura” music video, which won a Grammy for Best Choreography. La’Donna’s extensive experience includes dancing for Madonna and Kendrick Lamar. She has choreographed for artists like Bad Bunny, Dua Lipa, and The Weeknd.

José Maya, a prominent flamenco dancer from Madrid, born in 1983, serves as a flamenco advisor for the “Lux” tour. This role is vital for completing Rosalía’s choreographic universe. Maya began dancing in shows with Antonio Canales and Enrique Morente, quickly earning awards. He has collaborated with artists such as Tomatito and Vicente Amigo. Maya also developed “Colour Without Name,” a show inspired by Mark Rothko’s paintings. “Like flamenco, Rothko’s painting is based on tragedy, ecstasy, death, and is full of spirituality,” Maya explained to Expo Flamenco magazine. His artistic synergy with “Lux” is clear.

Orchestral and Vocal Contributions

Cuban composer and orchestra conductor Yudania Gómez Heredia, born in Santa Clara in 1994, leads the Heritage Orchestra during the “Lux” concerts. The orchestra performs in a Latin cross-shaped space at the centre of the stage. Gómez Heredia trained in Havana and Germany, studying sacred music and choral conducting. She debuted as an orchestral conductor in Nuremberg in 2022 with “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” In 2025, she conducted Purcell’s “The Fairy Queen” at the Stuttgart Opera. The Heritage Orchestra, a British chamber ensemble formed in 2024, has extensive experience collaborating with pop, rock, and jazz musicians. They have worked with Dua Lipa, Jamie Cullum, and Aphex Twin. This orchestra expertly blends amplified chamber sounds, sometimes synthetically encoded, with electronic elements. Rosalía incorporated new string arrangements, particularly for “Motomami” songs, into the tour. While the “Lux” album featured a central choir, the tour does not. Instead, two flamenco backing vocalists, Andalusian Claudia Lachispa and Madrid-born Aroa Fernández, perform. Lachispa has previously collaborated with Rosalía.

Llorenç Barceló, a keyboardist from Manacor, trained at Taller de Músics where he met Rosalía. He was her trusted keyboardist for the “Motomami” tour, though he had little stage presence then. Barceló, an expert in keyboards like the Hammond organ and Fender Rhodes, is a significant talent in the Balearic and Catalan jazz scene. In the “Lux” concerts, he has a more prominent stage role, performing “Sauvignon blanc” with Rosalía.

The “Lux” tour follows a tightly structured script, with minimal repertoire changes between concerts so far. One unique element is the “confessional” segment before “La perla,” which features different guest participants at each show. Past guests have included singer Aitana, influencer Marcelo Wang, footballer Kika Nazareth, and YouTuber Esty Quesada, adding an evolving, interactive dimension to the performance.

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Originally published by Ara Cat. Read original article.