Every year since 2013, a famous dancer Christine Lyon and a visionary architect Miguel Angel Aragonés unite the brightest stars of the dance and music world to perform in the frameworks of an extraordinaire event  – Gala de Danza, which takes place at the Mar Adentro Hotel in Los Cabos, Mexico.

 

We have to admit that from the start the very space of the hotel made an immediate impression. It was a perfect venue for the show and definitely became an important part of it. One of the chef-d’oeuvres of Aragonés, this ultramodern complex seems to be constructed by nature just as the landscape around it. The choreography of the snow-white buildings creates a picturesque perspective, which makes the sea a logical continuation of the space. It simultaneously refers to a far future space city and to an antique amphitheater. 

The guests were placed in the intimate viewing boxes, which allowed us to stay in the maximum private contact with the show. This year we enjoyed the whole diversity of styles and temperaments – from the gentle performance of Mariinsky ballerina Ekaterina Kondaurova to the fiery hip hop of Lil Buck. The stage also welcomed a brilliant duet of GQ’s musician of the year Jorge Viladoms and Daniel Ulbricht, Principal Dancer of the New York Ballet. The artists presented a little spectacle on the music of Claude Debussy. The Gala closed with Mexican tenor David Lomeli.

No less spectacular than the very performances were the enormous video projections and mapping from Quixotic Fusion that showcased the live event on the wall of the hotel. The futuristic and in the same time minimalist architecture turned into a huge screens really twists the imagination, sharping the perception. The combination of the natural sunset light and of the massive video installations created a breath-taking effect.

The dialogue between the art and the nature became the symbol of the Gala. The art of dance, music, architecture and light played out in the face of the wild power of the sea became deep and very personal experience of witnessing the beauty.

However being a luxury event, which selects best of the best, Gala de Danza aims to support also the young artists. That’s why the show usually invites the young and talented to perform together with the noble professionals. This year was not an exception and we had a chance to see the four rising stars dancing – Juliette Bosco, Taro Kurachi, Tate McRae and Sophia Lucia. It is also a project that tries to stay involved in the life of the community.

Thus, a percentage of the proceeds of the event go to Danza que da Esperanza, which gives scholarships to 17 local children in order to organize free complex dance trainings. It gives a chance to the youth in vulnerable situation to open and develop theirs talents.

You can check our chat with architect Miguel Angel Aragonés here and watch the beautiful video below.

By Maksym Teteruk

Photo and Video Courtesy of Ben Brodsky Photography