The city will host a varied program of the Cervantino International Festival, with dance, theater, music, and visual arts performances that will be presented in different venues of the León Cultural Institute and municipal spaces as part of the #25 Years FICLeón.
A journey through different cultures through dance
The programming begins on Saturday, October 10 with Qwerin, a dance performance by the Welsh creator Osian Meilir.
The performance will take place at the Main Square of San Juan de Dios at 19:00, with free admission. The work combines elements of traditional Welsh dance with an exploration of identity and community, accompanied by original music and a reinterpretation of traditional Welsh attire.
That same day, the Teatro María Grever will host Existen muchas formas de llegar a la costa, by the Mexican company La Compañía Opcional. At 8:00 p.m., with free admission, this documentary theater proposal invites us to reflect on the effects of mass tourism on territories and communities.
Two functions, two languages, and two very different ways of approaching art.
France arrives in León with Maldonne
On Tuesday, October 13, the stage of the Teatro Manuel Doblado will host one of the international proposals of this edition: Maldonne, by the French choreographer Leïla Ka.
Five dancers and about forty costumed figures form part of a performance where the clothes transform along with the bodies to talk about identity, memory and the different layers that build up a person.
The function will be at 8:00 p.m. and will cost 100 pesos plus a service fee.
One night to hear Portugal
The music will take over the Teatro María Grever on Thursday, October 15, with Fado Camões, a proposal by the Portuguese singer LINA_.
Accompanied by guitar, piano and percussion, the artist brings the verses of the Portuguese poet Luís Vaz de Camões to the stage and fuses them with contemporary sounds, fado and nuances of African influence.
The function will begin at 20:00 and will cost 100 pesos plus a service fee.
A great opportunity to get closer to one of the most representative musical genres in Portugal without leaving León.
Mexican traditions also have a place.
On Saturday, October 17, the Plaza de Gallos will be filled with music, singing, and traditional dance with Pirekuas, sones and abajenos, by Los Purépechas de Charapan.
This family group will bring to León part of the musical wealth of the Michoacan Purépecha plateau, with instruments such as the vihuela, guitar, violins and tololoche, in addition to the participation of new generations of the family.
The presentation will be at 18:00 and admission is free.
More than just a concert, it is an opportunity to encounter a living tradition that continues to be passed down from generation to generation.
León also tells its own stories
On Tuesday, October 20, the Teatro María Grever will host Rastreadoras, by the León-based company Ojo Negro.
The proposal combines butoh dance and shadows to address a reality that forms part of Mexico’s recent history. Its presence within the festival also puts the artistic creation that originates in León at the center, finding in the Cervantino a space to share its own narratives.
The event will take place at 8:00 p.m. and admission is free.
South Korea ends programming
On Saturday, October 24, the Teatro Manuel Doblado will host “Hello World”, by Dab Dab Dance Project, a company from South Korea.
The proposal combines dance and video to create an ever-changing stage, where images are captured, moved, and rearranged in real time.
The result is an experience that leads the audience to explore the relationship between people and the digital world through the language of movement.
The function will be at 8:00 p.m., with a cost of 100 pesos plus a service fee.
The art also stays in the galleries of León
The FIC does not end when the curtain goes down. During this edition, various exhibitions will complement the programming and offer another way to get closer to art.
Among them is Bucle, by Eduardo Padilla and Juan Carlos Zermeño, an audiovisual installation for two screens and a corridor in the Jesús Gallardo Gallery.
You will also be able to see CARON-T by Tito Fuentes and Ruido + Cuero by Tito Vulgaris, both at the Eloísa Jiménez Gallery.
In the rooms of the Teatro María Grever will be Allanamiento, a collective exhibition that brings together the work of 20 local urban artists and proposes observing the city, its identities and the public space through art.
For its part, the Jesús Gallardo Gallery will host Bienes sin raíces by Ana Quiroz; Colección de coleccionistas, an exhibition of collective works, and Botellas para lágrimas by the American artist Jennifer Clement.
The exhibitions are free to enter and can be visited from Tuesday to Sunday, from 11:00 to 18:00, valid until November 8.
October is a good reason to discover LeónThe 54th Cervantino International Festival adds new experiences to León’s cultural agenda and transforms various corners of the city into meeting points for music, theater, dance, and visual arts.So if you’re looking for a reason to visit León during October, you can start by choosing a function, exploring some of its exhibitions, and being surprised by everything that happens when art meets the city.
