Watch Danzatlán, Elisa Carrillo's international dance festival, on streaming

The third edition of the Danzatlán Festival will be digital due to the COVID-19 pandemic , as announced by the Mexican ballerina Elisa Carrillo , who said there will be classes, conversations, and ballet streamings, as well as the presentation of “ Infinita Frida ” by Yury Smekalove , that is about the feelings and emotions of the painter Frida Kahlo.

“It is always a pleasure to return to my country and giving presentations is one of my major motivations, but due to the current situation, it will not be possible. Despite the situation, Danzatlán will be a click away; it will bring art , dance , and joy to homes. It’s important to know that culture is an outlet to get through hard times; it has been like that in the history of humanity,” said Carrillo in a videoconference from Berlin, Germany .

The festival will take place from May 22 through 29 , a week in which people will be able to stream the shows of dance groups such as the St. Petersburg Eifman Ballet , the Bratislava Opera Ballet , and the Antonio Gardes Company, a Kremlin Gala , as well as shows from dance companies like the National Dance Company, the Tania Pérez Dance Company , the State of Mexico Dance Company, and the A poc A poc Dance Company .

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The Staatsballet Berlin prima ballerina was working on the creation of “ The Wall ,” a choreography by Yuri Anarika Vargas that would premiere in the framework of the third edition of Danzatlán; nevertheless, due to the health emergency, it was postponed, although she said the festival will present a teaser.

“’The Wall’ is a project we were working on for the 30th anniversary of the demolition of the Berlin Wall ; it won’t premiere but we’ll show a part of the ballet; it will be the beginning of a project,” she explained.

Elisa Carrillo was born in the State of Mexico and she joined the Staatsballet Berlin in 2007 .

Despite the coronavirus lockdown, Carrillo carried on with the planning and rehearsals for Danzatlán ; nonetheless, the ballerina acknowledges it has been a “really hard” process because everything has had to be done through digital platforms .

“We have a certain screen; our home’s floor is not ideal,” said Carrillo, and mentioned examples from ballet scenes that were recorded with several dancers that had to be synchronized.

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“Sometimes the communication was interrupted. I laughed some times because, after a month of not being able to leave home, you don’t feel the same as in the stage. We had to adapt and try to change some things to make it possible. Working from home is not easy or ideal, but we can achieve different and creative things,” she stressed.

After over a month under lockdown, the prima ballerina and her 90 dancers could have access to the place where they rehearse. However, Carrillo added that in order to enter, they had to make small groups of between six and nine people.

Marcela González Díaz

, head of the Culture and Sports Ministry of the State of Mexico , also joined the videoconference and added that Danzatlán had initially been granted MXN $15 million .

“However, due to the changes, they will probably need MXN $3.5 million . This year’s Elisa and Friends Ballet Gala is canceled. The State of Mexico will not approve anything until October. We want to continue on digital platforms,” said González Díaz.

Meanwhile, “ Infinite Frida ” will be presented in the third edition of Danzatlán. It’s author Yury Smekalove said that “the show portrays a bit of Frida’s life , although it is not precisely about that. It shows a part of her life. Frida showed strength. She exemplifies how you can be whatever you want despite the obstacles. We can move on despite what we’re living,” he said.

All Danzatlán’s activities will be available on the YouTube channel of the Culture and Sports Ministry of the State of Mexico , in Elisa Carrillo’s official website , and in her different social media accounts.

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