The International Cervantino Festival (FIC) , most commonly known as “El Cervantino” is one of the most important cultural celebrations in Latin America due to its wide cultural offer that combines theater, cinema, painting, dance , and a great variety of music genres. This year, FIC will take place from October 9 to 27 . Canada and Guerrero are the guest country and state, correspondingly.
The 47th edition of El Cervantino will offer 295 activities , 32 of them focused on migration, the focal point of this year.
In music, stands out the presence of Montreal’s Symphonic Orchestra , one of the most recognized in the world, which will perform at the Alhóndiga de Granaditas on October 11 and on October 12 in the Main Hall of the Palace of Fine Arts at 19:00, under the direction of Kent Nagano and with the participation as guest soloist of the outstanding French violinist Alexandra Soumm .
Another of the music shows of FIC that will visit Mexico City is the concert of Omara Portuondo and Regina Orozco, who will be at the Alhóndiga de Granaditas in October 13 , and in the Palace of Fine Arts on October 16 .
In dance, El Cervantino will offer 12 shows of classical, contemporary, and traditional dance , among which are the Royal Winnipeg Ballet with Going Home Star , a piece that combines music and dance while telling the story of Annie, a young aboriginal who learns about the conflicts that existed among native nations and the new settlers. This piece stems from the Canadian government’s policies of reconciliation with native peoples . It will present on October 11 and 12 in the State Auditorium in Guanajuato , and on October 15 in the National Auditorium .
For her part, the Spanish Sara Baras will visit FIC to celebrate an artistic career of 20 years with “Shadows,” a production that about a love letter addressed to her mother and grandmother, and to flamenco ; it will be on October 21 in the Palace of Fine Arts and on October 24 in the Alhóndiga de Granaditas.
Regarding theater, El Cervantino will be the first time in Mexico of the acclaimed German director Thomas Ostermeier who, along with the cast of the Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz , directed by him, will present on October 19 and 20 in the State’s Auditorium, the version translated by Marius von Mayenburg of Shakespeare’s Hamlet . On October 17 , Ostermeier will teach a master class at the Goethe Institute in Mexico City and will give a conference on October 18 in the Juan Ruiz de Alarcón Theatre in the University Cultural Center .
Likewise, the company Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, the biggest and oldest queer theater company in the world, will present the play Kiinalik: These Sharp Tools, in which the Inuk and queer traditions will appear in a single narration. They will be in “El Galeón” Theater of the Forest Cultural Center on October 22 , and on October 25 and 26 i n the Cervantes Theater in Guanajuato.
The 47th edition of FIC will also be present in Tlaxcala with dance and music shows from groups like Khachaturian Trio, Raaga Fusion, Amalia Hernández’s Mexico’s Folkloric Ballet, Natfule, Elida Almeida, and Vincent Lhermet , among others.
In the Cervantino framework, there will be eight artistic performances in Tlaxcala by 184 artists from Armenia, India, Spain, Cape Verde, France, United Kingdom, and Mexico . In addition, all events will be free .
The shows will take place from October 14 to 20 in different stages of Tlaxcala.
For more information on the calendar and the festival, visit the official website of El Cervantino .
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