“Gala Ballet” was a visual and musical delight for all the spectators who gathered at the Ángela Peralta Theater, in what was one of the great events of Spring Season 2023, where The protagonists of the night were the members of the National Dance Company, under the artistic direction of Elisa Carrillo and Cuauhtémoc Nájera.
It was a very diverse program, with a high degree of difficulty, with a great variety of styles; the dancers went from classical ballet with fragments of “Swan Lake”, passing through neoclassical style with the piece “Romanza” with music by Manuel Ponce, until reaching contemporary language when interpreting “All long dem day” choreographed by Marco Goecke. The result was an attractive and daring fusion that was liked by the audience that filled the theater that night.
In the first part, dancers Ana Elisa Mena (Odile) and Roberto Rodríguez (Prince Siegfried), showed off the technical and artistic level of the CND and with luxurious costumes which gave life to the classic “Swan Lake”, based on the work original by Marius Petipa and music by Piotr Tchaikovsky. Outstanding were the different solos that gave rise to what would be a fabulous show.
Before going to intermission, Valeria Mariaud played ‘Odette’ and Alejandro Hidalgo was Prince Siegfried, accompanied by more than 20 dancers on stage, performed the second act of the famous work, managing to convey passion through rigorous aesthetic movements and a high scenic and technical performance, a performance that won the public’s applause.
In the second part of the program, the CND dancers showed contemporary work. They began with “Romanza” a choreographic creation by James Kelly, in which romanticism was seen thanks to the interpretation of Yoalli Sousa and Argenis Montalvo who seduced with their movements accompanied by soft melodies by Manuel Ponce.
When interpreting “Planimetría del movimiento”, a piece by Venezuelan choreographer Irina Marcano and music by Armand Amar, dancers Mariana Torres and Moisés Carrada, astonished the audience by resorting to a different dance language resulting from the artistic evolution of the company.
The night concluded with the acclaimed piece “All long dem day”, the creation of the German Marco Goecke, performed by Roberto Rodríguez, Ana Elisa Mena, Braulio Fernández, Yered Tobón, Erick Santamaría, Jorge Larrazolo, Valeria Mariaud, Gerardo Martínez, Ana Paula Montero , Corine Jarvis, Nayely Quiroz, and Alonso Tepetzi.
The dancers used their backs, arms, alignment and torso muscle strength to boldly and daringly interpret this contemporary work with music by Nina Simone, a choreography that provided a memorable closing to the National Dance Company’s presentation in Mazatlán.
