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Isaac Hernández
recently arrived in Mexico to attend 15 interviews throughout the week, as well as a series of meetings and planning sessions to prepare the final edition of the “Despertares” gala, one of the personal projects he started in Mexico. The night before, he offered another performance of Cinderella , with a choreography by Christopher Wheeldon , at the Royal Albert Hall , one of England ’s most important artistic enclosures.
Critics’ reviews have praised the Mexican dancer’s performance, describing him as a “sweet and charming prince.”
The first dancer from the English National Ballet , one of the most prestigious dance companies in the world, announced a few days ago that “Despertares,” which will be presented on July 20 in Guadalajara , featuring the participation of 45 world-renowned dancers from European and U.S. dance companies , will be the last, since he couldn’t find “proper conditions” to continue the project.
“We’ve been doing ‘Despertares’ for eight years. From the start, I realized that there were some adverse conditions that made it seem like bringing the project to life was nothing short of a miracle. For example, the amount of bureaucracy one has to endure in order to access government support is unbelievable. This year, I was simply not able to obtain it,” he said in an interview.
Hernández has been using government funds since the beginning of “ Despertares ,” though this time it was different. He filed a request to the Ministry of Culture and the National Institute of Fine Arts (INBA) , who recommended that he filed the request via Profest , one of the programs that was granted an additional MXN$500 million as part of the 2019 budget .
“I tried with Profest, but there were so many conditions and requirements that the project is not even eligible for budgetary support of even half a million pesos. I actually filed a complaint before the INBA because, under this budgetary scheme, it is basically impossible for a project like ‘Despertares’ to be granted government funding,” he stated.
Hernández also sent requests to the Ministry of Culture but did not receive a reply until two days ago, when he was offered a meeting. “The project is less than a month away,” he stressed. Still, the Mexican dancer will try to make room in his carefully planned schedule to meet with government authorities and possibly make a last minute deal.
“The current system for culture promotion and the production of cultural events does not offer enough mechanisms that would allow us to be competitive. I was never interested in taking part in these bureaucratic processes. My sister Emilia was in charge of that for a long time, it is something that we have always had to deal with,” he added.
To Hernández, who won the Benois de la danse award for his role in Don Quixote with the Rome Opera , under the artistic direction of the legendary Russian dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov , the federal government support represents only 5% to 7% of the total required to organize a gala with more than 40 dancers from 20 international companies.
“The current government seems to have other priorities right now, which is why I decided to take a step back. I cannot plan a future amidst uncertainty. I would like for the government to study the possibility of financing projects that could eventually become self-sustainable. I think I am not the first nor the last Mexican producer to bump into this situation,” he warned.
Last year, “Despertares” was presented twice at the National Auditory . Furthermore, through the Soul Arts producer, Hernández created “Despertares Impulsa,” which was focused on teaching and training young artists in areas like animation, cinema, photography, design, urban art, new technologies, choreography, and ballet, among others. Furthermore, he offered 15 scholarships for the English National Ballet .
This year, “Impulsa” will offer conferences, workshops, and master classes completely free of cost, with support from the government of Jalisco, the Jalisco Ministry of Culture, and the University of Guadalajara , from 15 to 20 July in the state capital. Moreover, for the first time ever, the San Francisco Ballet will offer auditions in Mexico.
The final “Despertares” gala will feature prominent dancers such as Esteban Hernández (San Francisco Ballet) ; María Alexandrova and Vladislav Lantratov (Bolshoi Ballet) , and Natalia Osipova.
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