In bolero code, dance tribute to the love cartography of the Mexican

In the middle of a tour, a Spanish friend’s casual comment stuck in choreographer Jaime Camarena’s mind: You Mexicans suffer from emotional disability.

The phrase became the starting point of an exploration that led to the creation of the choreographic piece In bolero code: The sweet limerencewhich now arrives at the Arts Theater of the National Arts Center (Cenart).

Camarena, also director of the company A Poc A Poc, recalled how that reflection led him to immerse himself in the history of this musical genre that came to Mexico from Cuba and that, with its poetic melancholy, challenged the romantic structures of the 19th century.

The bolero legitimizes unrequited or impossible loves; It is an emotional education in itselfexplained the choreographer in an interview with The Day. With that legacy as inspiration, she decided to fuse contemporary dance with classic boleros and create a cartography of loving feelings that cross generations.

The stage is transformed into a ballroom from another era, where the dancers’ bodies explore the sweetness and torment of limerence, that state of obsessive love which, according to Camarena, shares neurochemical roots with addictions. The dance, guided by Rojo Córdova’s poetry, connects the past with the present. From the radio booth he recreates, the poet introduces and links each piece and transports the audience on a journey of love and heartbreak.

On stage, 11 dancers perform pieces by icons such as Agustín Lara, Benny Moré and Toña The Blackwhile Córdova’s voice resonates like an announcer who relives the nights of serenades and shared tears.

Camarena assures that the challenge was to dissect the boleros into aesthetic, interpretive, musical and poetic codes, to create an original choreographic language that connects with the contemporary public.

Presented for the first time in 2017 at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in the Mexican capital, Camarena highlighted how, in each presentation, the reaction of the attendees varies, but the universal feeling of these compositions remains intact. It is a phenomenon of empathy: we have all cried at some point over our misfortune in love with a good bolero.added the choreographer.

The importance of keeping this genre alive, declared intangible heritage of humanity by UNESCO in 2023, is central for Camarena, since the bolero is everywhere; It may seem like it draws less attention, but it is still a living tradition that deserves to be celebrated. Its fusion with contemporary dance is exceptional.

After years of pandemic and reduced formats, the A Poc A Poc company returns with a full season of a show that will touch the most sensitive fibers; a tribute to our loving cartography, where each bolero tells a story that, in some way, we have all livedconcluded Camarena.

In bolero code: The sweet limerence It is presented on Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 4 and 7 p.m., and Sundays at 6 p.m. at the Arts Theater of the National Arts Center (Río Churubusco 79, Country Club Churubusco neighborhood, Coyoacán mayor’s office).

Admission costs 150 pesos; On Wednesdays there is a two-for-one discount and on Thursdays tickets are sold for 30 pesos. The season concludes on December 8.