From Giselle to “Tití Me Preguntó,” Despertares Brings Ballet Into the Mainstream

More than 9,000 people filled Mexico City’s National Auditorium for a dance program that moved from Giselle to Bad Bunny’s “Tití Me Preguntó.”

The 12th edition of Despertares, led by dancer Isaac Hernández and his company, assembled a deliberately varied program. Classical ballet shared the stage with contemporary dance, acrobatics, tap and pop music, giving the evening the feel of a rapid stream of changing performances.

The format matched an audience used to scrolling through social media for constant new stimuli. The program moved from the drama of Romeo and Juliet and the dark imagery of Caravaggio, performed by Roberto Bolle and Maria Khoreva, to a tap solo by Bayley Graham. The review compared the variety to moving through short videos, while stressing that the comparison was about pure entertainment rather than criticism.

The evening opened with Olivier Mathieu’s “Approach 17. Opening. White,” performed to Philip Glass. Its acrobatic movements and set, which recalled the final scene of The Truman Show, focused attention on the dancer’s control and the fragility of rising and falling. Nicola Wills and Tars Vandebeek brought a tragic love story to “Two People In Love Never Shake Hands,” set to Joep Beving’s “Shepherd.”

Isaac Hernández and his brother Esteban performed “My Way” to Frank Sinatra. The program also included the Act II Pas de Deux from Giselle, with Hernández alongside Nicola Wills and Alina Cojocaru. Lightbalance closed the range of styles with a medley featuring songs by Raye, Benson Boone, Farruko, Justin Bieber, MC Hammer, Bad Bunny and Zedd. Ovations continued throughout the two-hour show.