The TCUNAM proposes a “vertiginous” Carmina Burana

▲ The play will be presented on June 27 at the Estefanía Chávez Barragán Theater of the UNAM School of Architecture, and on June 29 at the Miguel Covarrubias Hall of the CCU. Photo courtesy of the group .

Fabiola Palapa Quijas

La Jornada Newspaper, Monday, June 23, 2025, p. 5

The neoclassical proposal of Carmina Burana, created by Irina Marcano, is a free and expressive approach to themes such as destiny, fortune, love, and death.

The versatility of the dancers from the Choreographic Workshop of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (TCUNAM) gives an innovative touch to the work, which originally premiered in 1937 in Frankfurt.

The large-scale piece, featuring more than 20 dancers, will move audiences attending the performances on June 27 at the Estefanía Chávez Barragán Theater of the UNAM Faculty of Architecture, and on June 29 at the Miguel Covarrubias Hall of the University Cultural Center (CCU).

In an interview with La Jornada, Irina Marcano, choreographer and director of the TCUNAM, described her piece as powerful and dizzying. The neoclassical language is pleasing to the eye, and the narrative is also very relatable; the audience immediately connects with the staging, and I hope that at the end, people will come away with a reflection on life and death .

He added that Carmina Burana, with music by Carl Orff, has allowed the university group to showcase its dance versatility. They are classical dancers who approach neoclassical and contemporary styles; this versatility leads us to other stage approaches .

In the play's narrative, the TCUNAM director explores the evolution of human beings, adolescence, adulthood, passions, and death. To address these emotions and transitions in the life cycle, we use our own references , she indicated.

“We're constantly seeking to break out of certain parameters, and art is a tool to express ourselves and explore other spaces, even forbidden ones. This is something I find interesting about Carmina Burana.”

Regarding the character of Fortuna, he said that at the beginning of the play she is contemplative, because from the moment we are born we know how we will end up.

Fortuna transforms into the woman in red and leads humans toward passions and lust, and she also provokes that along the way. Throughout the piece, I transform this character, and in the narrative, she further explains the relationship between life and death.

The entire company will project fiery passions and emotions framed by the fortunes described in the secular medieval poems that accompany this popular work.

With the presentation of Carmina Burana, the TCUNAM concludes its 113th season, titled Intersections, where the group served as the focal point for meeting with other institutions within and outside the university in order to gain greater visibility.

Marcano announced that the TCUNAM's next season will be titled 55 Years, because its anniversary is in September, and it will be celebrated with several pieces by maestro Gloria Contreras and Mexican composers.

A work of mine will also premiere, and we'll collaborate with the National Dance Company. We'll also have another major premiere at the UNAM Culture Festival.

She added that on August 5, the university choreography workshop will pay tribute to Gloria Contreras at the Palace of Fine Arts as part of the Danced Autobiographies series, where they will present the program 90 Times Gloria.

Carmina Burana will be presented on June 27 at 12:30 p.m. in the Estefanía Chávez Barragán Theater of the Faculty of Architecture of the UNAM and on the 29th of the same month at 12:30 p.m. in the Miguel Covarrubias Hall of the CCU (Insurgentes Sur 3000, Ciudad Universitaria).

The workshop gave a performance on June 22 dedicated to lighting designer Francisco Muñoz Ávila, who died last May.