CONGRATULATIONS to the 24 dancers, from 10 Mexican states, who are among the 15th graduating class of the Escuela Profesional de Danza de Mazatlán (EPDM). They have been invited to attend—on scholarship—the very prestigious OPEN FLR intensive dance lab in Florence, Italy!
This invitation is a huge coup for these young dancers, as it provides them the ability to work with other internationally acclaimed teachers, to meet premier dancers from all over the world, and it provides wonderful opportunity for future work. Not to mention that it showcases Mazatlán and México on the world stage!
They will graduate on July 1st, and the very next day they hope to fly to Florence—the dance lab takes place July 2-20. The organizers of the internationally acclaimed intensive saw the group perform their self-choreographed “El Espacio del Verbo” in December at the Encuentro Nacional de Danza. The invitation came shortly afterwards.
However, the young dancers need our help! Once they arrive in Florence, they’ll be on scholarship to the dance lab, and they will also be given housing. They will need to pay their airfare to get to Florence, and they only have 45 days.
The graduating class has already held a bazaar to raise funds, and they are planning a dinner. They’ve also set up a fundraising page, at which it’s very easy to donate any amount from 50 to 5000 pesos or its equivalent. The page is in Spanish, but I believe it’s intuitive to use even for non-Spanish readers. We’ve already made a contribution, and we hope you will, too!
We are so blessed to have the internationally award-winning Delfos Contemporary Dance troupe based here in Mazatlán. Claudia, Victor and Omar are a blessing to our community. Back in 1998 they founded the Escuela Profesional de Danza de Mazatlán (EPDM), and today we reap the fruits of their efforts, in the incredible dancing we are able to affordably witness here. Congratulations to the young dancers, and to their able teachers! We are very proud of you!
Last night was incredible. Honestly and completely. I arrived back from Venice and Milan in the morning, and was jet lagged but oh-so-excited to attend Delfos’ annual fundraiser, this year titled “Gourmet Body.” The event did not disappoint. In fact, it rocked so much I’m tempted to attend again today. Bless Omar, Claudia, Diego and everyone involved! This was an avant-garde performance that we would have been privileged to see in any major world city, and here we were, right in our very own Mazatlán! According to the program:
“Gourmet Body is a hybrid performance that heightens all five senses. A game of chance where the viewer decides what to see and taste. It consists of eight scenes and eight tastings happening simultaneously in different spaces at Casa Garcia. It’s not just a dance performance; it’s not just a tasting; it’s not just a meeting among friends; it’s an entirely new way to experience art, food and social gatherings!”
It combined performance art—modern dance, music, lighting, acting—with delicious degustaciones made by Chef Diego Becerra and staff, and it took place in the beautiful surroundings that are Casa Garcia. There were eight “tours” we could take, and each person attending was able to do four. That’s the reason to go again—to do the remaining four. Last night’s event was attended by a good mix of locals and expats, and equally enjoyed by all. Everything was conducted bilingually, in Spanish and English. Click on any photo to view it larger or see a slideshow.
Chef Diego Becerra
Delfos’ lead, Claudia Lavista, thanks everyone
The gorgeous scene at Casa Garcia this evening
Carlos Berdegue and Raúl Rico, among many others
Mark, Athina, Val and crew
Candi and Olivia Fauver
Helene and Miguel
Claudia, Raul Rico, Chef Diego and our two mistresses of ceremonies
The Delfos troupe is one of the most renowned in Latin America, and we are blessed to have them based right here in our beloved Mazatlán. The group was founded in 1992 by Claudia Lavista and Victor Manuel Ruiz. Last night’s unbelievable event was an annual fundraiser (different each year) to support Delfos’ and the Professional School of Dance of Mazatlán’s social and educational projects. That includes community outreach to local colonias such as Urías, where kids without shoes are given the chance to learn the Delfos philosophy, joy of life, as well as dance.
Cuerpo Gourmet was conceived and produced by Delfos’ Omar Carrum. The architectural beauty of Casa Garcia, plus the fresh night air and clear sky in the courtyard were, of course, stars of the show. Having just come from Venice, where it is normal to pay US$40 for the privilege of good atmosphere or a scenic view, tonight I paid $40 for great views PLUS four incredible performances, four mouth-watering tapas, three glasses of full-bodied red wine, and the enjoyment of reconnecting with a whole bunch of friends.
Each of the eight performances had a theme and costumed tour guides. Each tour was limited by the number of people who could attend: between ten and 25 each round. Tour guides stood in line with their signs and tickets, and when a bell was rung, they handed out the tickets they had for that round. A program told those of us attending the theme of each performance, so we could approach that tour guide to get our tickets. In theory, each of us should have been able to attend any of the eight, but in reality the kids had so many friends and family there that some of the tours—such as #1, which took place in the bathroom, and another, which took place in the kitchen—were “sold out” each and every round before the bell even rang to begin giving out tickets. I will say, however, that every tour was wonderful—the performances, the costuming, and the food. It’s just that some were obviously more popular than others, and people were definitely pushy and psyched when they got tickets to their choice of tours!
Tour guides all lined up
Getting their tickets
Sign for one of the tours
Sign for one of the tours
Sign for one of the tours
Sign for one of the tours
Tour guides all lined up
Tour guide
Tour guide
Tour guides
Tour guides
Happy to get her tickets!
Tour guide
The event had sold “VIP tickets” so that people could attend both nights. I had not heard about this option prior to tonight, probably because I was traveling. Since we were only able to attend four of the eight performances, attending both nights via the VIP option sounds smart, indeed. I assume they have a way to ensure that you get to see all eight tours. The first performance we went to was #8—Family Portrait: Sweet sighs of a layer hen. It took place on the second floor of the patio, in a small room with a terrace. Our seats were nests with eggs, and our degustación was a chocolate egg that was oh-so-delicious! Two dancers (Roseli Arias and Renato González) with masks and eggs danced in (and through) a window facing the audience.
Below is a video clip of this performance:
The second performance we attended was #7—At the Edge…The Oblivion: Hot passion served cold. This was also on the second floor, in a small room laid out with a long table dressed with white tablecloth, red roses and candles, on a balcony overlooking the floor below. Two girls (Aura Patrón and Karla Nunez) danced in a window, then we met two guys (Daniel Marin and Johnny Milan) dancing down on the floor below. Finally, all four were together down there in a ball of passion; the performance was a wonderful use of the architectural space in Casa Garcia. The tasting was a wet and spicy ceviche.
Balcony part of the room
Part of the dance scene down below
Here is a bit of video of this station:
Our third performance, #2—The Secret Ingredient: How people don’t know what they are eating—took place on the roof, and was the most energetic performance we saw. Also the funniest. Performers dressed as a chef, sous chef and cooks (Julio César Rendón, Sofia Ramírez, María de Lourdes Melo and Christian Jiménez) danced around with fry pans, and then served us a wonderful warm taco filled with chorizo.
Here’s a clip of this performance; enjoy! Our final performance, #3—Little Dudes: Four-creature cocktail in a fresh indulgence sauce—also took place upstairs on the roof, past the room with the pool table. It involved four performers (Alejandra Juárez, Francisco Herrejón, Jorge Luis Rebollo, and Ashley Pietro), and we were served a shrimp cocktail with a citrus dressing.
Below is a video of this performance:
I met two young dancers from the US last night, both of whom are doing a one-year residency with Delfos. The first, Olivia Fauver who studies at Smith College in Massachusetts, and the second, who I interviewed, Hillary Grumman from Seattle. Below is my interview with Hillary:
The performances we missed included:
#1—Anthropophagy: Dreams of meat in the sauce of craving and hunger
#4—The appointment: Meat pie of two religions with plantains and suburban pigs
#5—Bleeding in the sky: Blames of the cattle sandwich with BBQ sauce and farmer’s corn bread
#6—Absences: Memories of forbidden fruits covered with chocolate nostalgia
Hearty congratulations and many thanks to Claudia, Omar, Diego and everyone involved! What a wonderful, jet lag-filled welcome home to Mazatlán! Get your tickets to tonight’s event at Casa Garcia (Calle Niños Héroes #1511) or LOOK Gallery.
¡VidaMaz! 