The 54th FIC
Welcome to Festival Internacional Cervantino!
Turning 54 doesn’t mean dwelling on nostalgia; it means embracing the journey we’ve taken, bringing meaning of what we’ve learned, and opening ourselves up to what’s yet to come. It’s often said that, once the festival has passed, the way we see the world is never the same again. And it’s true: the FIC broadens our sensibilities through encounter.
Over the course of 16 days, this edition will bring together 94 artistic groups:Anticuario Teatro; Arturo Chacón Cruz y el Mariachi Gama 1000; Ballet Folklórico de la Universidad de Guanajuato; Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández y Banda Filarmónica Municipal de San Pedro y San Pablo Ayutla Mixe; Banda de Música del Estado de Guanajuato y Compañía de Ópera de Saltillo; Banda de Música del Estado de Guanajuato, Angélica Retana, Philippe Cuper y Javier Compeán; Bangarra Dance Theatre; Bugallo - Williams Piano Duo; Busy P, Breakbot & Irfane y Yasmin; Camerata Salzburg con María Dueñas, violín y Gregory Ahss, director artístico y concertino; Carro de Comedias de la UNAM; Chaillot, Théâtre national de la Danse; Compañía La Meute; Compañía Antonio Gades; Compañía de Danza Experimental Lola Lince; Compañía Nacional de Ópera (INBAL); Compañía Nacional de Teatro; Compañía Teatral de la Heroica Ciudad de Pedrones; Comparsa de Cuernudos de Calnali; Coro de Madrigalistas de Bellas Artes; Coro del Teatro del Bicentenario; Cuarteto Arod; Cuarteto de Cuerdas de Bellas Artes y Manuel Hernández, clarinete; Cuarteto Ruvalcaba; Dab Dance Project; Dabeull Live Band; Debit; Émilie Rousset; Ensamble A Tempo; Ensamble Pygmalion; Ensemble Modern; Entre Pancho Villa y una mujer desnuda de Sabina Berman; Estudio de Ópera de Bellas Artes y Orquesta Juvenil Universitaria Eduardo Mata; Gratte Ciel; Grupo Niche; Grupo Yolotecuani; Hervé x MazelFreten; Identidad viva: danza y tradición guanajuatense; Jackie Mendoza; Jesse Baez; Joonas Ahonen, piano; Julian Sartorius; Kotaro Fukuma, piano; La bella y la bestia, cine-ópera. Película de Jean Cocteau con música de Philip Glass; La Compañía Opcional; (LA)HORDE/Ballet de Marsella y Rone; La Santísima Voladora; Leïla Ka; Lemon Bucket Orkestra; Les Métaboles; LINA_; Lorelle Meets the Obsolete; Los Purépechas de Charapan; Los Tamborichocos; Mario Nandayapa Quartet, Mike Patton; Moebius Teatro Clown; Mohamed El Khatib; Momi Maiga; Mujer en Cypher; Mushamukas Ensamble de Contrabajos y Escena RAUXA; Natalia Cruz y La Istmeña; Nicola Beller Carbone, soprano y Daniel Cruz, piano; Noche michoacana; NOVAYA; Ojo Negro; Olivier Normand; Omar Córdova, flauta y Sociedad de Impro Brutal; Orquesta Filarmónica de la UNAM; Orquesta Moderna; Orquesta Sinfónica de la Universidad de Guanajuato; Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil Silvestre Revueltas y Coro Juvenil del Conservatorio de Música de Celaya; Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil Vientos Musicales y Coro de Comonfort; Orquesta Típica Yukalpetén; Osian Meilir; Pat Boy con Báat Paax; Physical Momentum; Proyecto Ruelas: Grupo de Teatro Comunitario de San Ignacio "Las pulgas desastrosas"; Proyecto Ruelas: Soy del Puño Colectivo de Teatro Comunitario; Proyecto Ruelas: Teatro Comunitario Cabras; Renee; Rita Donte; Safa Ensamble de Percusiones; Samoyedo; Sardegna Teatro; Silent; Sofía Rei; Stage of the Arts México & Compañía Flotante; Tamara Cubas; Teatro Universitario de la Universidad de Guanajuato; Théo Mercier y François Chaignaud; Thomas Quillardet; Trío Mujeres Tamaulipecas y Vladimir Ibarra, guitarra.
The artists will offer 95 events spanning a diverse range of disciplines, including visual arts:48, dance: 9, multidisciplinary arts:10, music: 49, theatre: 28, opera:6, film: 50 and street performances: 4.
This edition will feature artists from 29 countries: Argentina, Austria, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Guatemala, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, Portugal, Senegal, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay and Wales; in addition to the participation of 20 states of the Mexican Republic: Aguascalientes, Baja California, CDMX, Chiapas, Coahuila, Estado de México, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Michoacán, Nuevo León, Oaxaca, Querétaro, Quintana Roo, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tabasco, Tamaulipas and Yucatán.
The programme will unfold across 17 venues, while also extending to additional spaces. Among these, several venues stand out, including Casa FIC, dedicated to traditional music; Estacionamiento Jardín San Pedro, which is set to become a stage for one of the most innovative expressions of contemporary dance; and Ex Estación del Ferrocarril, where street theatre and small-scale interventions will be presented.
The heart of the festival beats with a specific accent. We celebrate France as our guest country, not as a matter of chance but to honor a shared history that began in 1826, when Alexandre Martin arrived in Mexico as the first French commercial agent. These 200 years of diplomatic ties now constitute a privileged platform for Mexico to strengthen its dialogue with the European Union.
France showcases its creative spirit through 19 activities. From the choreographic vertigo of Rachid Ouramdane and the collective power of (LA)HORDE y Rone, to the subtle transgression of Leïla Ka, the programme culminates with the rhythmic magnetism of Dabeull, who will close the festival with a vibrant revival of 1970s disco aesthetics.
The 54th FIC presents a sensory journey that traverses the baroque rigor of Ensamble Pygmalion and the brilliance of Camerata Salzburg alongside the young violinist María Dueñas. The stage is enriched by contrasts through the dramatic power of soprano Nicola Beller Carbone and the ancestral warmth of Momi Maiga’s kora.
The stage yields to the mastery of Antonio Gades Company and its iconic Carmen, engages with the contemporary energy of Dab Dance Project, and recovering the force of classic drama with Sardegna Teatro. The grand finale is Jean Cocteau’s masterpiece, La bella y la bestia, brought to life through Philip Glass’s hypnotic score and performed by the Orquesta Sinfónica de la Universidad de Guanajuato.
Thus, the 54th FIC presents itself as an experience that invites us to broaden our perspective to imagine and redefine who we are today.