Collaborations

COLLABORATIONS

The Ocean Has No Borders

These are the elements that make Gala de Danza a success. Gala de Danza is possible through the collaboration of visionaries, artists and educators. From the stage that joins the horizon of the Sea of Cortez to the technical artistry of Quixotic's video mapping to the generosity of the local community of Los Cabos, México, Gala de Danza is an organization of arts and culture.

Danza Téllez

San José del Cabo, B.C.S., Mexico

danzatellez.com

In 1984 in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico, Lulu Téllez founded Danza Téllez, an institution dedicated to training dancers. In 2006 she founded Danza Téllez in San José del Cabo. Ms. Téllez’s students have gone on to train at premier ballet schools around the world including The Rock School in Pennsylvania, Orlando Ballet School, Bolshoi and the School of American Ballet in New York.

In 2009, she founded CIArt, Centro Integral de las Artes, a Comprehensive Arts Center. The vision of the CIArt and Danza Téllez is to globally recognize leaders of arts education in classical and contemporary dance involved in cultural development all over the world.

USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance

University of Southern California - Los Angeles

kaufman.usc.edu

Stories From USC Glorya Kaufman's Collaboration - In 2019, several BFA students from the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance traveled to Los Cabos, Mexico to perform at the annual Gala de Danza. The gala, founded by Christina Lyon, began in 2013 when Lyon visited Cabo San Lucas. While scouting for talent, she found Mariana Carrillo (BFA ’20), then age fourteen. Carrillo inspired Lyon to create a gala in Carrillo’s hometown, showcasing dance and music at a beautiful venue. At Viceroy Los Cabos, dancers like Lil’ Buck and New York City Ballet’s Tiler Peck joined young dancers of a new generation, including USC Kaufman BFA students, onstage.

Carrillo has returned home every year to participate in the gala. Lyon suggested a few years ago that Carrillo apply to USC Kaufman, telling her about the new program.

“I’m interested in the arts in general and in philanthropy,” Carrillo said, “so it seemed like the perfect place for me. I’ve been talking to Jodie Gates about expanding Gala de Danza and creating a collaboration, a partnership with USC Kaufman so we can bring more students to perform internationally.”

This year, Carrillo helped facilitate USC Kaufman students performing their own original choreography. Jakevis Thomason (BFA ’20) brought his piece, Black Lake, to the stage in Los Cabos for this year’s Gala de Danza. Carrillo explained that the process at USC Kaufman and the dancing here is different. It’s exactly the type of versatile education she wants to be receiving.

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the Gala and for CHRISTINA LYON’S VISIONS."

Mariana Carrillo - USC Glorya Kaufman Graduate

Youth America Grand Prix

(YAGP)

yagp.org

Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) is the world’s largest dance network and dance education organization. They have awarded over $3,000,000 in scholarships to the world’s leading dance schools, and over 50,000 dancers have participated in YAGP’s workshops, scholarship auditions and master classes worldwide. Currently, over 300 YAGP alumni are dancing with 80 companies around the world, including American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Paris Opera Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Washington Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Royal Ballet, and Dutch National Ballet, among others.

Each year, YAGP conducts 12 regional semi-finals auditions throughout the United States and four international auditions in Brazil, Mexico, France and Japan. The season then culminates in the week-long New York City Finals, where more than 1,000 of the world’s most promising dancers — representing 30 countries on five continents — receive greater scholarship, professional, and performance opportunities.

In keeping with YAGP’s mission to provide performance opportunities to young dancers, the collaboration with Gala de Danza gives the talented youth finalists the opportunity to perform with outstanding guest artists from around the world.

Project Protégé

Launched in 2016, Project Protégé is where Professionals meet Protégés from around the world together on one stage in masterpieces by world-class choreographers. Project Protégé is the unveiling of the next generation and applauding today’s brightest stars. The fusion of the two is history in the making.

Quixotic

Kansas City, Missouri

quixoticfusion.com

Based in Kansas City and founded by Creative Director: Anthony Magliano, Quixotic was given Silicon Valley’s unofficial stamp of genius when they were invited to perform at the global TED Conference in 2012. A unique blend of projection mapping, artistic dance, aerialists, musicians and specialty acts, Quixotic fuses all these elements in to what the New York Times branded an “innovative circus ensemble,” and Men’s Journal declared “one of the best contemporary [cirque] acts.” They have performed for audiences worldwide and have helped launch brand products for companies such as Smithsonian, Emirates Airlines and Bulgari.

The group performed in Cirque du Soleil’s One Night for One Drop special in Las Vegas in 2015. The show was dedicated to raising awareness of water issues worldwide and spotlighting artists who Cirque believes are some of the best and brightest working today.