Any time I return to Guanajuato, Mexico, I’m always looking forward to what the town has in store. This year, my return happened to coincide with the start of the 54th Festival Internacional Cervantino.
If you aren’t familiar with Cervantino Festival, it is a two-week performing arts festival that showcases a host country (this year it is France) and regional talent from across Mexico.
It’s often said that it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey. That wasn’t quite our experience. Leaving Chicago to come here was a 12-hour process involving two flights, travel delays requiring rescheduling and two very nice flight attendants – one on each flight who went the extra mile to make the time spent less painful.
I’m starting the two-week Cervantino Festival a bit more tired than I anticipated, but I fully expect the performances to provide some much-needed energy and cultural stimulation.
For the next 10 days, I will be offering a journal of my time at Cervantino Festival.
On Sunday, the first event we attended was Les Traceurs. More than a dozen artists slowly descended the steps of the University of Guanajuato. These 86 steps are steep and were built over 75 years ago.
Calm music emanated from the sound system. As they got closer to the street where hundreds of people had amassed, they stopped. Various combinations of artists then assembled themselves in groups of three vertical people.
Then they would reform into different combinations of people. At one moment they were scaling one another. At another some acrobats became human stairs with their hands. Once they reached the top, artists would gracefully fall into the arms of other acrobats or be tossed to them.
You might recall I recently saw The Attic at The Goodman Theatre – about a trapeze artist who fell.
I nervously waited to see how complicated and dangerous these maneuvers would become. They did. Thankfully no one fell like the lead character of The Attic. It was beautiful and breathtaking.
That evening we attended a celebration of Michoacan entitled Noche Michoacana. This concert, at Explanada de la Alhóndiga, consisted of musicians, vocalists and dancers. This somewhat leisurely-paced show featured strong dancing and singing and terrific musicians. The costumes and video design contributed massively to my enjoyment of the show.
Alhóndiga is the site of the earliest battle in the Mexican War of Independence. For Cervantino events, a large stage is erected with both reserved seating and general admission seating.
GA tickets are available at no cost for those who make reservations.
Monday, we attended Ballet Folklórico de la Universidad de Guanajuato. This massively impressive group performed a high-energy show entitled El tradicional ritmo de los norteños – a celebration of the traditional dances of the states of northern Mexico.
These two hours flew by so quickly with dancing that ranged from simple and elegant to jaw-droppingly physical. How they went two hours without an intermission escapes me. The toll this show must take on their bodies is unfathomable.
Of course, I could never move like that which lends credence to the idea that it is all unfathomable to me. At least in terms of being able to do it. I certainly was impressed.
Remember that need for energy and cultural stimulation? Ballet Folklórico was precisely what I needed.
That catches you up and there will be more later in the week. I’m taking tonight off and will be back seeing more shows on Wednesday.
Main Photo: The finale from Ballet Folklórico de la Universidad de Guanajuato
All Photos by Craig L. Byrd