Epic Presentation of
‘GALA de DANZA’
At The Viceroy Los Cabos
— Photo by Dan Krauss
Gala de Danza has brought together artists from around the world to help enrich the lives of young dancers and their community. Dancers, choreographers and musicians from 20 different countries, have shared their performing talents in Los Cabos with its Spanish colonial ambiance.
“My passion for the artsand for Los Cabos resulted in Gala de Danza starting in Summer 2013. Today Gala de Danza is at the heart of culture and art in Los Cabos, Mexico.” — Christina Lyon, Artistic Director & Founder of Gala de Danza.
In March, the sixth staging of this festival took place in the architectural wonder of the Viceroy Los Cabos (formerly known as Mar Adentro) with Mezzo Soprano, Denyce Graves who opened the Gala, with much bravada and a superb tone that echoed throughout this most stunning of venues with cinematic views from every angle enveloped in glistening pools of water. Ms. Graves also performed “Carmen” with gorgeous International Latin sensation, Antonina Skobina. Principal Dancers, Beckanne Sisk and Chase O’Connell beautifully commanded 60 swans that appeared in the water. Choreographed by former American Ballet Theatre (ABT) Principal Dancers, Maxim Beloserkovsky and Irina Dvorovenko, they masterfully created swans on the lake to the classic Tchaikovsky score Swan Lake, a vision dreamed up by Artistic Director, Lyon. “I knew the moment I saw this space it was something I longed to do.” Children from the local community became the swans in a beautiful and endearing performance.
Juliano Nunes and Morgan Lugo performed “Back Forward Back” a powerful male duo choreographed by Nunes himself. Wonder kids Angelina Jordan, a singer of immense talent and young dancer Tate McRae drew gasps with their extraordinary duet of “Back to Black” by Amy Winehouse. Enrique Bejarano, a young talent discovered in Mexico, performed two pieces “Toreador” as homage to his father. Before his ballet career Enrique was a fifth generation bull fighter. He also danced “Giselle” with maturity beyond his years. Shale Wagman, a graduate of the Princess Grace Academy in Monaco, danced a piece he choreographed dubbed “Dysfunctioning Robot”. Shale was also the winner of the prestigious Prix de Lausanne competition. Ashley Lew, 14, a ballerina in the making hails from the Southland Ballet Academy in California and marks her debut at Gala de Danza. Showcasing dancers from the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance students Mariana Carrillo, Jake Tribus and Alvaro Montelongo made a wonderful showing dancing “Four Temperaments” by George Balanchine and a world premiere by Sonya Tayeh.
Principal Ballerina of New York City Ballet Tiler Peck, performed Balanchine’s “Who Cares” with Los Cabos Native Andrés Zúñiga who is now an apprentice with the New York City Ballet. So You Think You Can Dance winner, Lex Ishimoto, Principal Dancer of the New York City Ballet, Daniel Ulbricht and US Amateur Latin Champion and World of Dance finalist, Denys Drozdyuk performed “Tres Hombres” played by the multifaceted pianist Jorge Viladoms. These gentlemen, the top in their fields, created a show stopping piece to show off their flawlessly dynamic talents. Tiler Peck and Lil Buck performed “Petrushka” choreographed by Jennifer Weber, an endearing and stylistic collaboration by a street dancer and Prima Ballerina.
Christina Lyon is the Artistic Director and Founder of Gala de Danza in Los Cabos, México. The gala is designed to bring the world’s elite artists to Mexico in an event to enrich the community. In collaboration with Youth America Grand Prix, providing performance opportunities to young dancers, the talented finalists are invited to perform with the outstanding guest artists from around the world. In addition, Gala de Danza’s collaboration with Danza Téllez’s “Danza que da Esperanza” in San José del Cabo, BCS, México, offers full dance scholarships to children in vulnerable situations, bringing them hope and opportunities. The support and sponsorship of the community has been extraordinary and has made it possible to continue the event as an annual tradition. — JP