“Return arose from the need to remember what makes me feel alive.”

▲ Choreographer César Brodermann's work premieres this weekend at the Teatro de la Ciudad. Photo courtesy of the production.

Fabiola Palapa Quijas

La Jornada Newspaper, Saturday, July 5, 2025, p. 4

Return, a work by choreographer and director of the Aterno company, César Brodermann, "is a journey of self-discovery and reflection on what truly matters in life. A safe space where play becomes a tool in the search for freedom and creativity."

Through movement, a connection with the essence of childhood is achieved , explained the creator in an interview, who premieres his piece today and tomorrow at the Esperanza Iris City Theater.

In Regreso, Brodermann begins with a simple yet profound question: when was the last time you played without reason, without fear, without a goal? This question becomes a stage device capable of engaging audiences of all ages.

The production was built over five months of open laboratories, collaborative rehearsals, and processes where every team member had a voice. In the end, Brodermann presents the audience with a live piece that will be different at each performance.

“Regreso arose from the need to remember what makes me feel alive and what I feel when I dance. The game gives me the opportunity to freely explore who I am, who I want to be, and how I want to become,” commented the choreographer, who involved nine dancers and three apprentices in the creative process.

“As part of the project, we analyze play and childhood, where everything we do is intuitive and not analytical, because when you start growing up you say: 'I can't do this or I have to behave this way,' but when you're little, if you want to wear a giant t-shirt, you put it on, and if you want to run down the street, you do it.

So I decided to start questioning why play is necessary in our daily lives, whether as children or adults, and how we can return to these ideas because in childhood we are very imaginative, we have a lot of imagination , he added.

The artist seeks to connect with the work and free the audience. I'm interested in people evoking freedom, feeling alive, and discovering ways to achieve it , the creator said.

Play makes sense in the choreographic proposal and offers the body the possibility of being a path to memory, thereby achieving a connection with the freedom that has been forgotten over time.

After a decade of artistic transformation and having lived in different places, such as New York and Tel Aviv, Regreso also represents a return to his birthplace, his home country, for the choreographer; it's a tribute to his early years, to the land that witnessed his first steps and that brought him back to found his company out of his eternal love for dance.

Brodermann is a multidisciplinary artist, contemporary dancer, photographer, artistic director, and founder of Aterno. His work is characterized by a deeply emotional and physical approach, where the body ceases to be an archive of memories and emotions and becomes the perfect vehicle for communication through movement.

The play Regreso, which received the Tax Incentive under Article 190 of the LISR (Efiartes), will premiere today and tomorrow at 7:00 PM and 6:00 PM, respectively, at the Esperanza Iris City Theater (Donceles 36, Historic Center); on July 11 and 12, it will be presented free of charge at 5:00 PM in the Elisa Carrillo Hall of the Bicentennial Mexiquense Cultural Center; and on November 20 and 21 at 8:00 PM, and on the 22 and 23 at 7:00 PM and 6:00 PM, in that order, at the Raúl Flores Canelo Theater of the National Center for the Arts.

▲ The plot presents a new way of connecting with technology , explained Óscar Tapia, scriptwriter and stage director. Photo courtesy of the production.

Daniel López Aguilar

La Jornada Newspaper, Saturday, July 5, 2025, p. 5

In Figaro and the Android, the opera is reimagined as a science fiction adventure; it will be presented today and tomorrow at the Teatro de las Artes of the National Center for the Arts (Cenart).

The proposal seeks to bring the lyrical genre closer to new audiences through humor, fantasy, and reflections on the relationship between human beings and their creations.

The famous barber Figaro returns to the scene, but now his path leads him to a possible future . Along with Doctor Alchemist, he answers a call for help from the Moon: Kira, the last free woman, requests help to confront Olympia, the android who rules the Earth. When they manage to deactivate the machine, they discover that without it the world would collapse.

The plot presents a new way of connecting with technology and highlights our dependence on what we create , explained Óscar Tapia, the scriptwriter and stage director, in an interview with La Jornada.

In the story, science fiction dialogues with classical opera through fragments of Mozart, Rossini, Dvorak and other composers.

The Atizapán Philharmonic, made up of young musicians under the direction of Édgar Rainier Palacios, performs pieces such as the overture to Così fan tutte, the Cat Duet , and the Moon Aria, sung by Kira from her perspective of Earth.

Olympia offers a renewed version of Offenbach's Doll's Aria , a reflection of her condition between the human and the mechanical.

Tapia highlighted the collective nature of the production, which is nourished by the contributions of the cast: Amed Liévanos and Alberto Albarrán play Figaro; Luis Rodarte and Alexander Soto play Doctor Alchemist; Rosalía Ramos and María Anaya play Olympia; Tania Solís and Angélica Alejandre play Kira; Linda Saldaña, Penélope Lázaro, and Rosa Muñoz play Hypatia of Alexandria; and Enrique Guzmán and Ricardo Estrada play Lindoro.

First, we reviewed and improved the script; then, Gabriel Ancira designed the costumes and sets; finally, we rehearsed to integrate the music, scenery, and narrative , the director explained.

The story leaves court intrigues behind to build a narrative that questions the future. Hypatia of Alexandria, scientist and director of the legendary library, plays a key role: in the play, she gives Olympia a body in the hope of helping humanity, but ends up facing the frustration of seeing her betray her own ideals.

As in classic science fiction, the staging questions what we build, with what intention and at what cost , Tapia pointed out.

The project also seeks to bridge the gap between the audience and the opera. Presented in Spanish and in a format reminiscent of film or television, it combines live acting and singing to foster a direct connection.

We want to share with children and adults the most beautiful aspects of opera , added the director, who noted that the musical pieces are an essential part of the story.

It also raises questions that force us to look inward: What happens when what we invent becomes indispensable? Do we control technology, or does it end up dominating us?

We seek to fascinate with classical opera and, at the same time, confront the audience with the implications of what we have built , concluded Óscar Tapia.

The opera Figaro and the Android, a production by Arándano AC, will offer four performances today and tomorrow at 12:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. at the Cenart Theater of the Arts (Río Churubusco 79, Country Club Churubusco neighborhood). Tickets cost 150 pesos.

From the Editorial Staff

La Jornada Newspaper, Saturday, July 5, 2025, p. 5

Exploring time, creating with shadows, and modeling wonder. This summer, the Museum of Modern Art (MAM) and the University Museum of Contemporary Art (MUAC) will offer two workshops for children ages 6 to 12 to explore art through curiosity, imagination, and memory. The activities will take place from July 21 to August 8.

Moderns in Action: A Journey Through Time invites you to explore modernity through iconic works, sculptures, and conceptual art, and PLAY: The Playful Box of Expanded Theater and Cinema proposes a sensorial journey with images, shadows, and performances inspired by the myth of Plato's Cave.

Both initiatives seek to make the museum a living space where children can invent, question, and discover. Amidst games, outings, and picnics, imaginations take shape.

The MAM offers a program divided into three thematic weeks. The first explores modernity with an exhibition, including works such as Kahlo's The Two Fridas and pieces by Dr. Atl and Remedios Varo. Children will create works inspired by these techniques.

The second week is dedicated to sculpture: participants will visit the Sculpture Garden and the Drifts of Sculptural Form exhibition, and then model their pieces.

The third focuses on abstract and conceptual art. Children will create visual arts, photographs, and mail art to exchange with the National Museum of San Carlos.

Each day includes guided tours, interdisciplinary activities, and free play. There's a lunch break and a shared meal at noon; on Wednesdays, there are surprises such as circus performances or dramatized tours.

We start with vibrant displays, and that transforms the experience , said Adela González, head of Education and Mediation at MAM (Paseo de la Reforma, Chapultepec Forest). Activities will be held Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with capacity for 60 children. For more information, please contact [email protected] .

From August 4 to 22, the MUAC will present PLAY…, designed by Estudio Nómade. Creation intersects with experimentation: lucida cameras, flipbooks, crankie books, masks, and acetate sets shape a workshop-laboratory.

The program begins with activities and a visit to Cuicuilco. Children will then experiment with shadow theater and masks while exploring the Sculpture Space and the Sculpture Garden. The workshop will conclude with rehearsals and the presentation of the final production to family members.

Sessions will be held Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the MUAC Agora (CCU, Insurgentes Sur 3000). For more information, please email [email protected] .