Los Duendes was part of the Parade of Myths and Legends that started at San Antonio Park and ended at La Macarena. Photo: Jaiver Nieto / DIE ZEIT
The usual parade of Myths and Legends of the city will have a new interpretation this year.
In addition to well-known Colombian characters such as “Patasola”, “Candileja” or “Sombrerón”, these protagonists who give life to Latin American stories such as “The Day of the Dead”, “La Epígrafe del Dorado” or the les stories speak of lakes and lagoons built in the Andean regions.
Native warriors, magic birds and jaguars, which have been declared intangible cultural heritage, will also be part of the representation of events such as the origin of fire and the cosmogony of different peoples.
Convenient for works on Avenida La Playa, this year’s route will change in length. It starts at 7:00 p.m. from Plaza Botero and ends at Parque de Las Luces. In total there will be 16 groups made up of nearly 800 artists responsible for staging each of the 11 stories.
Pasión y Movimiento, the Mostrador del Silencio, the Baile community and the artistic association La Polilla are just some of the groups that will be in this obscurity.
Juan Pablo Acosta, aesthetic curator of the parade, explained that one of the reasons for its conceptual expansion is the cultural similarity that exists in the different regions of Latin America and that it is important to teach citizens about all this dissimilarity.
One of the objectives of this year is to create a visual impact related to the space in which the artists will evolve.
“We are going to have myths that are not just in the departmental and federal context. Like every spring, we opened a public call with the tickets of several groups and the court took care of choosing the artists, but the premise was cultural expansion,” said Acosta.
The local groups present were selected within the Call for Incentives for Art and Civilization of the City Hall of Medellín, whose objective is to contribute to the ticket of artists, managers, researchers and managers culture in different areas of the city.
To clarify the concept of the parade, the curator also indicated that it was necessary to form an opinion on the proposals presented in the offer and, depending on the results, to reaffirm the concept of expansion.
The curator also said that myths try to explain the unknown and the origin of all that exists, while legends try to give moral lessons through orality so that communities behave correctly. And it’s those stories that fuel the parade’s dissimilarity, Acosta explained.
The artistic direction of the event, for the first time in the history of the show, will be entrusted to the Casa Tomada Corporation, which will take care of the standardization and conceptual articulation through the coordination of the groups.
Another novelty of this year’s interpretation is the increase of a concept of transversality throughout the route. To achieve this, the company will also be in charge of coordinating the entire parade with each of the teams through which the artists will parade.
Róbinson Duque, aesthetic director, said that people who travel will find ways of connection in every street and that there are institutions and groups in charge of this work with different activities that will involve the known.
“That’s because another goal is to create visual impact that connects with the space through which the show will end. That’s why we use not only the emblematic streets of the city center, but also the Christmas illuminations,” explains the director.
Explaining that these types of events manage to expand the history of the region, Duque stressed the importance of continuing to promote cultural initiatives not only at this time of year, but from the different stages of the city.
We will have myths that are not only in the departmental and federal context
For her part, Lina Botero, Minister of Civilization of the city, pointed out that “this tradition also makes Medellín predominate because it allows all generations and families to meet in public spaces to learn more mythical stories that make part of our identity. “.
The parade of myths and legends, created in 1974, will offer troupes and small shows accompanied by music that will make the charm of the Parque de las Luces.
The parade curator claimed he had postponed a massive citizenship ticket with the opportunity to see a show with new and innovative proposals from the 11 myths and legends.
During the parade, the Office of the Mayor of Medellín, through the Civilization Service, will have the support of various charities, all city government security agencies and explorer groups who will contribute to the catering for the entire event.
The Ministry of Culture pointed out that this parade is one of the contributions to the commemoration of Medellín and that every year it strives to captivate both the inhabitants and the visitors of the city, thanks to the originality, designing and meeting artists, who put their knowledge and talent at the disposal of the participants.
The organizers’ recommendations for those wishing to participate are to go outside with ample time, tolerate comfortable clothing, be very careful and careful with minors and copy clothing, and be prepared to be in a sphere of coexistence and respect.
A route through the center
The Parade of Myths and Legends 2018 starts at 7 a.m. in Plaza Botero
From there, walk up Avenida La Playa (Calle 52) to Avenida Uruguayo (Carrera 46) until today’s San Juan (Calle 44) in the Parque San Antonio area. The route ends at Parque las Luces, Plaza Cisneros sector, in front of the official La Alpujarra centre. The event will be accompanied by various aid organizations that will be attentive to any eventuality that may arise, both among the participants and among the artists and groups that will represent the protagonists of the stories.
Caroline Ruiz
For now
ruicar@eltiempo.com