Young dancer from Jalisco shoots for the stars

Enrique Bejarano Vidal

started dancing ballet at the age of five and the fine arts have always been part of his daily life; both of his brothers are dancers and his parents, Patricia and Edgar , are both visual artists and sculptors. At first he didn’t feel comfortable dancing ballet, due to the artistic discipline’s rigidity, but it didn’t take long for him to realize that ballet was his natural calling.

“When I was six, I told my parents that I wanted to study classical dance. There was no doubt in my mind. Ballet was in my blood. I didn’t like it before because I didn’t like to be nagged or scolded, but deep down I knew that dancing was all I wanted. The first ballet I ever saw was the Nutcracker . Years later, I had the great opportunity to play the part of Clara’s little brother with the Jalisco Ballet at the Degollado Theater . It felt like a dream come true,” stated the 15-year-old dancer.

The young boy from Jalisco recently won the Youth America Grand Prix in New York , for the Junior category. The Youth America is one of the most important classical dance contests in the world, and it is meant to help young dancers in their career. Famous Mexican dancers Isaac Hernández and Esteban Hernández won in the same category a few years ago. Thanks to this award, Enrique Bejarano obtained a scholarship at the Princess Grace dance academy in Montecarlo , where he will move to in September . He intends to return to Mexico as a star of the international dance scene.

Enrique’s brother Rafael , a dancer at the Washington Ballet Studio Company , has organized a fund raiser to pay for his studies in Montecarlo. The gala will take place on July 21 . Last year, Enrique studied at the Fernando Alonso Ballet School in Cuba , winning a gold medal at the International Ballet Contest on April 2017, in Havana . Enrique has come a long way. In Jalisco, he studied at the Doris Topete Dance Academy with Ana Torquemada . He has participated at several competitions such as the Dance Educators of America , where he obtained a silver medal. After his participation at the Córdoba International Dance Festival , dozens of scholarships have been offered to him but, unfortunately, he hadn’t been able to accept them due to a lack of financial resources.

Nevertheless, Enrique Berajano is confident that he can fulfill his dreams. He speaks with humility and enthusiasm, a bright smile spread over his face. “One day, when I return to Mexico, I want to create a dance school with free admission. We all know that a dancer’s career is short, and you are supposed to retire by the age of 40. Few people know that it takes a lot of effort to achieve our goals. To me, ballet is love and passion.”

Isaac Hernández wins the “Benois de la Danse” award

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