The Great Depression, workers on strike, North Carolina textile mills and a tragic love triangle: the perfect ingredients for a dramatic, passionate ballet. The North Carolina Dance Theatre (NCDOT, a Knight Arts grantee) presents “Carmen” October 17-19 at the Knight Theatre. The performances starts at 7:30 p.m., and ticket prices begin at $25.

Choreographed by Sasha Janes, NCDOT’s Associate Artistic Director, “Carmen” uses Georges Bizet’s famous score for opera, but takes the story from Spain to 1934 Charlotte amidst the textile mill strikes of the Great Depression. In Janes’ version, Carmen is a feisty mill worker who seduces her captor, a National Guard soldier (Joe) called in to temper the strike. But Carmen’s love for the soldier soon dwindles, and she becomes enchanted by a textile league baseball player (Miller), leaving Joe desperate to get her back. The role of Carmen is danced by Melissa Anduiza, Joe by Naseeb Culpepper and Miller by Pete Leo Walker.

Janes’ version of “Carmen” is particularly relevant for the Charlotte area with the region’s past textile history. The 1929 Stock Market Crash and ensuing economic depression hit textile mills and workers particularly hard. In 1934, textile workers across the United States went on strike for the majority of September, reacting to the “stretch-out” where mill owners required an increase in or maintenance of mill productivity but reduced the work hours and eliminated breaks, thus, paying less. In North Carolina, the center of the strike was in Gastonia.

The evening will finish with a production of George Balanchine’s “Western Symphony” set by Associate Artistic Directory, Patricia McBride. “Western Symphony” is set on a rugged Old West street with cowboys and dance hall girls.  While the ballet is very much a classical work, Balanchine infused the traditional steps with American folk dancing.

Performances are Oct. 17-19 at 7:30 p.m. at the Knight Theatre, 430 S. Tryon St.,  Charlotte. Tickets and subscriptions can be bought by calling the box office at 704-335-1010 or online.