Awakenings is a “unique and expert dance experience”: Isaac Hernández

▲ Isaac Hernández yesterday highlighted the world premiere of a piece in collaboration with Spanish dancer Chey Jurado and pianist Francesco Tristano, which will be presented at the Despertares Gala in late August. Photo by María Luisa Severiano

Angel Vargas

La Jornada Newspaper, Wednesday, May 7, 2025, p. 5

With the Despertares Gala—promoted as one of the world's most important dance shows and taking place this year on August 30 at the National Auditorium—dancer Isaac Hernandez seeks to do justice to the Mexican public.

The respect with which we've treated the audience has been the most important thing for me. As a child aspiring to be a dancer, I used to want to see the ballets that came to Mexico, the galas that were held, and I always had the feeling they weren't the best that could be presented , he said.

As I grew up, I realized that they often looked down on the Mexican public, saying they didn't know anything about ballet, that they were more interested in the name, if a ballet from Russia was coming or something like that.

Things have changed, according to the acclaimed performer born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, 35 years ago, who emphasized that with Despertares –of which he is the organizer and protagonist– he made the commitment to not compromise the quality of the show .

Recognized in 2018 with the Benois Dance Award as the best dancer in the world, Isaac Hernández highlighted that with this show he has acquired, together with his sister Emilia, who acts as its producer, an unavoidable obligation: To offer those versions of what human beings can be capable of if they develop their passions and tastes, and how each of the dancers are very committed to creating a unique and expert experience of their art , he specified.

The dancer and actor—who joined the American Ballet Theatre in New York City as a principal dancer late last year, becoming the first Mexican to join this institution, considered a U.S. national treasure—announced the cast of the eleventh annual Despertares Gala yesterday at a press conference.

He said there will be 30 performers from the world's finest companies, including the Paris Opera, the Royal Ballet of London, the Royal Danish Ballet, the New York City Ballet, La Scala Milan, and the San Francisco Ballet.

He emphasized that the world premiere of a piece resulting from the collaboration between Spanish dancer Chey Jurado and pianist Francesco Tristano from Luxembourg will take place, in addition to presenting the American Ballet Theatre's version of The Nutcracker .

Among other topics, he emphasized that his work, beyond being a dancer, has been to strive to build a better future for Mexico and promote the idea that we all have a responsibility to look after the country's well-being. This idea isn't being conveyed to young people; it's riddled with clichés and different trends. It's important to assume that responsibility .

He emphasized that the best way, in his case, has been through the Despertares project platform. Dance is an art that seemed to have little chance of achieving change, a possibility, a new cultural movement in our country .

Isaac Hernández spoke about the Mexican government's involvement in dance and, in general, in art and culture. "I've always liked the idea of ​​seeing the state's participation as a facilitator and an entity that creates incentives for its artists' initiatives.

He recalled that he has long spoken about tax incentives and the patronage law , citing the need to study models like those of France and England, which have proven to be highly effective in industrializing, to a certain extent, creative and cultural initiatives, professionalizing them, and turning them into a driving force, part of our country's development and economy .

He reiterated the case of England, where he stated that its economy receives 200 billion pounds a year from the creative industries.

Mexican talent needs to be competitive through these incentives and new opportunities to grow this love for the country and foster this talent , he said before mentioning that a couple of weeks ago he met with the federal Secretary of Culture, Claudia Curiel de Icaza.

Perhaps in the artistic world it sounds awkward to talk about the topic that way because the fine arts are much more than just an industry. But I do like to focus on that and highlight the great potential they can have with the right support to facilitate entrepreneurship and creativity , he considered.

▲ Helen Oyeyemi has published 11 novels and has been translated into 14 languages, while Mathias Énard has become one of the leading experts on Arabic and Persian cultures. Photo courtesy of the Prado Museum.

Armando G. Tejeda

Correspondent

La Jornada Newspaper, Wednesday, May 7, 2025, p. 5

Madrid. As has become a tradition at the Prado Museum, since at least 2023, each year they invite two writers from diverse literary traditions to explore the gallery's galleries, lose themselves among its works of art, and create a narrative based on the experience. This year, the chosen ones are Nigerian Helen Oyeyemi and Frenchman Mathias Énard, who will also give a lecture about their experience.

The Escribir el Prado program was born a couple of years ago, with the support of the Spanish-language magazine Granta and funding from the Loewe Foundation, which allowed it to begin its journey with two renowned writers: the South African and Nobel Prize winner for literature John M. Coetzee and the Mexican Chloe Aridjis, who have also published their two stories, in two very carefully curated editions entitled: El vigilante de sala (Coetzee) and El nivel del aire (Aridjis).

The first to visit the museum will be Nigerian Oyeyemi, who will begin her experience this spring. Like French artist Énard in the fall, they will establish their residence in Madrid, making the Museum their center of activity and contemplation. Based on this creative process, they will write a text related to the Museum, exploring the expressive links between fiction and the visual arts. This text will later be published in the Museum's collection.

Oyeyemi was born in Nigeria in 1984, but became a naturalized British citizen and currently lives in Prague. The originality and depth of her work have cemented her reputation as a unique voice in contemporary literature, and she has been translated into 14 languages. Since her debut, Oyeyemi has excelled at her innovative and experimental narrative style. She has written 11 novels, including Gingerbread (2019), Parasol Against the Axe (2024), and, most recently, A New New Me .

Meanwhile, Frenchman Énard, born in 1972, has become one of the foremost experts on Arab and Persian cultures, having spent long periods in the Near East. He is a member of the editorial board of the magazine Inculte in Paris and in 2005 was elected writer-in-residence at the prestigious Villa Médicis in Rome. He has taught Arabic at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. He is the author of the novels The Perfection of Shooting (2004), Going Up the Orinoco (2006), The Manual of the Perfect Terrorist (2007), Zone (2008), Alcohol and Nostalgia (2012), and The Annual Banquet of the Gravediggers ' Guild (2020), among others. He has been awarded several prizes, including the Prix de la Francophonie 2004, the Prix Décembre, the Prix du Livre Inter, the Prix Goncourt des Students in 2010 and the Prix Goncourt 2015 for Brùjula .