Danzatlán captures the hearts of dancers and specialists

▲ Dancer Oksana Maslova will perform the Pas de deux from Marius Petipa's ballet Giselle with Yuval Cohen during the Danzatlán festival. Photo courtesy of the organizers .

From the Editorial Staff

La Jornada Newspaper, Sunday, August 3, 2025, p. 4

Regarding the new edition of the Danzatlán festival, which will take place from Tuesday, August 5 to 10 in the state of Mexico, dancer Elisa Carrillo said: It fills me with satisfaction, with immense joy to see the enthusiasm and commitment of children and young people who want to dedicate their lives to dance, but also for the exchange and dialogue between dancers and specialists from the country and abroad, who take this experience to heart .

For the Benois de la Danse Prize winner, this dance encounter is important because it brings us closer to the deepest part of our being and helps us unite as humanity and feel peace. Dance is a key that opens that door to seeing life differently .

She emphasized that the activities of this artistic project will be free of charge, with the goal of attracting more people and young people to this discipline and to learn about the work of dancers from around the world, such as those participating in the Elisa and Friends Gala.

Carrillo recalled that Danzatlán emerged in 2018 with the vision of becoming a platform for the dissemination of dance expressions, both from Mexico and other countries, as well as a training center for students, teachers, and professionals of this art, in addition to reaching new audiences.

The 2025 edition of the festival will begin on Tuesday the 5th at 11:00 a.m. with the talk "Roots that Transform Dreams" at the Teatro del Pueblo in Atlacomulco, featuring the governor of the State of Mexico, Delfina Gómez Álvarez. Elisa Carrillo will speak with Otomi women about their origins, their culture, and the difficulties they have faced over time.

Mass class

The festival will also be closed by the dancer from Texcoco, who will lead a mass class at 9:00 a.m. on the esplanade in downtown Toluca (Plaza de los Mártires). To reach other audiences, the event will be broadcast on social media.

The 2025 Elisa & Friends Gala will also feature principal dancers Tatiana Melnik and Motomi Kiyota of the Hungarian National Ballet; prima ballerina Oksana Maslova and soloist Yuval Cohen of the Philadelphia Ballet; and principal dancer David Mota Soares and soloist Alexei Orlenco of the Berlin State Ballet.

The free performances are on Friday at 6 p.m. at the Teatro Morelos in Toluca, and on Saturday at the same time at the Elisa Carrillo Concert Hall of the Centro Cultural Mexiquense Bicentenario in Texcoco. The public will also be able to attend the dress rehearsals.

Among the works to be performed are The Dying Swan by Mauro di Candia, directed by Elisa Carrillo, who will also perform a duet with Alexei Orlenco in Multiplicity , Forms of Silence and Emptiness by Nacho Duato, while Oksana Maslova and Yuval Cohen will perform the Pas de deux from Marius Petipa's ballet Giselle .

As part of the program, at the Centro Cultural Mexiquense Anáhuac, in Huixquilucan, on Wednesday at 12 noon, the talk "Ask Elisa" will be held so that children from all over the country can talk with the Mexican artist, who the following day and at the same time will give a master class at the Conservatory of Music of the State of Mexico, in Toluca.

Russian principal dancer Mikhail Kaniskin will give a master class to students aged 14 to 22 at the CCMB Open-Air Theater in Texcoco on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

Those interested can watch the stars of the Elisa y Amigos Gala rehearse and warm up on Thursday and Friday at the Teatro Morelos, at 3:30 p.m. and 11:00 a.m., respectively, and on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at the Elisa Carrillo concert hall in Texcoco.

Films will be screened at various times before the activities, such as the short film Prima (short for prima ballerina), which Russian filmmaker Veronika Pokoptceva made in 2020 to document the training process of the prima ballerina of the Stattsballett Berlin (Berlin State Ballet).