Borges’s ‘The Aleph’ comes to Teatro Colón in a new ballet led by Julio Bocca

A house made of wooden sticks, dark rocky textures and huge oval shadows will form the visual world of a new ballet inspired by Jorge Luis Borges’s “The Aleph” at Buenos Aires’s Teatro Colón. The work, titled “Principle of Ecstasy,” will receive its world premiere on September 10 and run through September 20.

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I was lucky enough to meet Borges at one of those gatherings that used to take place at Mirtha Legrand's home. Mrs. Kodama also came to my performances. I always wanted to try to achieve something like this, but it was not easy to obtain the rights.

Julio Bocca is directing the project for the theater’s resident ballet company. Goyo Montero created the choreography and will direct the production, while Gustavo Santaolalla composed the original score. Mariana Tirantte designed the sets and costumes, and visual artist Eduardo Basualdo created works intended to function almost like characters themselves. Ricardo Darín will appear as the narrator, leading the audience into Borges’s universe from the second act.

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I am in love with Borges. I read him throughout my adolescence, and when I did so I thought his work could perfectly inspire a ballet.

Bocca recalled meeting Borges at gatherings held at Mirtha Legrand’s home. He said María Kodama also attended his performances, and that he had long wanted to create a work of this kind, although securing the rights had not been easy. Montero said he had read Borges throughout his adolescence and believed the writer’s work could naturally inspire a ballet.

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The Aleph is infinite, impossible to contain. I feel very fortunate to be able to make this work here in Argentina. It is a life project.

The production does not seek a definitive interpretation of “The Aleph.” Montero described it as an approach shaped by sensation, love and respect for a story he considers infinite and impossible to fully contain. Basualdo and Tirantte said the visual concept would focus on a sense of being watched and on what hides behind appearances. The house, they explained, represents fragile protection and concealed depths.

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Borges is our mythology.