“Dance is the bodily experience we need in the age of AI.”

María José Cifuentes (Santiago, Chile, 1980) is moving to Barcelona from her native Chile to take the reins of the Mercat de les Flors this September, replacing Àngels Margarit. This dance historian, cultural manager, and researcher has been familiar with the company for fifteen years, dating back to when, as a performing arts researcher, she conducted interviews with artists premiering pieces at the Mercat 15 years ago. Over time, she became a programmer, accompanying artists in residence at the Graner—the Mercat's creative center—and participating in MOV-S, spaces for international dance exchange organized by Cesc Casadesús, the center's former director. This allowed her to witness the growth of many now-established artists, from Marcos Morau to Marina Mascarell and El Conde de Torrefiel.

It has been a hub for connecting Barcelona with Latin America.

Yes, I was actually on the international jury that appointed Àngels Margarit. I'm familiar with the institutional DNA and also with the Graner coordinators of recent years. I brought artists like Pere Faura and Aimar Pérez Gali to Chile. And I worked extensively with Sonia Gómez, Societat Doctor Alonso, Mal Pelo, Roser López, Guy Nader & Maria Campos... It's been a constant process of observing and understanding the Catalan context, its diverse ecosystem, with an eye on other places as well: I'm interested in what's happening in Andalusia and Valencia; I've had years of relationships with Spain.

The mission of dance today has to do with cultural rights and good living.

Where is dance going in Europe, from your perspective?

It's a complicated time for humanity itself. We're in a communal crisis, a political crisis... the body, especially after the pandemic, has been relegated. Dance today has a mission that goes beyond the stage; it has to do with cultural rights, with good living, the relationship with the body, mental health. The challenge is how to balance artistic programming from that space of enjoyment, of pleasure, from being able to see things that are incredible to identifying research processes that lead us to a vision of a more expanded dance. We've become very disconnected from the body, and in-person performance is a tremendous opportunity. When technology takes these shocking turns with artificial intelligence, where we can no longer disconnect from our phones, I feel that the performing arts, and especially dance, allow us that bodily, somatic experience we need. And that's where we need to develop a strong connection with audiences.

AI is cannibalistic, it can make a defunct myth like Merce Cunningham continue creating...

That's already happening. But these are tools that must be incorporated intelligently and lovingly. I feel that AI is a powerful space from the perspective of choreographic heritage and how to connect ancestral wisdom with the present. When cinema came along, we thought theater would cease to exist, and suddenly I feel that dance has that power of connection with corporality, with presence, with real time in action, which is going to be a force.

Does the public differ in Chile?

In Chile, the performing arts economy still relies heavily on box office sales. And that calls for diverse programming, with a more commercial focus. Experimental programming is gradually being left out of large venues. The challenge is meeting the needs for diverse experiences; Europe is ahead in that regard.

“National facilities must renew their vows through dance.”

Will it be a continuous Mercat?

This Chilean artist isn't coming to break new ground or start from scratch in a company that has a tradition of supporting creation and internationalization. What's important is how we understand our audiences. I'm interested in working with analysis, with logics of study, impact, interests, and focus. And I'm interested in continuing with educational programs, because art has taken an interesting educational turn, and we need to involve dance not only through mediators, but also with artists.

The Barcelona public can't keep up with the great creations that are brewing: things are divided between the dance that an opera house buys (little) and the one that is seen at a Mercat, which is more experimental.

The contemporary dance house has a clear mission for the dance sector and ecosystem, but I've noticed that it's been neglected in other venues in Barcelona and Catalonia. Large formats have been at risk for some time due to our economies and because we've also fallen into the logic of hyper-productivity, where the same piece has a short lifespan. It's difficult to sustain artistic creation without being able to sustain these fields of circulation. That's the challenge, because from different venues we could bring and create more of these large pieces that might be of interest to audiences. And establish that connection with the rest of Europe. Part of my mission is for Catalan dance to appear on more stages, biennials, and festivals. And to stage certain names that positively influence the local scene (we'll see if the economy allows it). National venues need to renew their vows to dance.

Large formats are at risk for our economies and because we have also fallen into the logic of hyperproductivity.

What advantages do you see in the fact that the Mercat is under construction?

It's a potential opportunity to rethink the house, to rethink our work with international dance. Cesc and Àngels have done powerful work: he, with the public, and she, also with Catalan dance, supporting companies. That will continue, as will the institutional framework.

Administrations view dance as a poor sister. They allocate little money to it. Therefore, any initiative to create a national ballet causes the sector to rebel, fearing that it will receive even less money.

Dance, in fact, moves masses; working with the body facilitates language. It's a shame it's still seen as the poor sister. But I think the ecosystem has diversified, and it's also complex for governments and municipalities to understand this diversity. The public sometimes understands it more clearly than we do; it's open to understanding that it's diverse, and that perhaps they have incredible and enormous things, and then other small ones that are super cool. The discourse is about how we sustain creation instead of making it precarious. The Mercat can lead and act as a bridge, but there also needs to be a national commitment. Catalonia needs to be more committed to this. I think that's a challenge. If we look at examples like France, its choreography center model should be replicated worldwide. It's sad that in the rest of Europe, even in Latin America, dance doesn't have these creative spaces. Because theater does have many spaces where we can produce and create, but a specialized choreography center is something very unique. I believe that in the case of Catalonia and also Spain, the Mercat is the benchmark, the one that has managed to keep dance alive, but there is very little policy regarding the functioning of dance itself. It would be a question of turning that around and having more choreographic centers, more dance houses, in the rest of the regions.

Does choreographic work become diluted without these centers?

Yes, because by not being able to work within the logic of choreographic composition, I think we've lost a lot of the role of the choreographer. And since we're also in this logic of reproduction and having to be constantly producing, stage direction takes on a fundamental, almost visual, role. That's why I talk about reconnecting with heritage. And about how there are movements in danger of being expelled; there are certain things we've stopped doing because trends appear, because what sells appears. It would be important to think about how we create today and how the performative turn in the arts has put us in a different place. See how we recover the choreographic logic.

Any cravings, any artists you absolutely want to bring to the Mercat?

There would be many, but I'm really looking forward to seeing Marlene Montero Freitas and seeing how she would fit into Mercat. And since I come from a history background, I'd like to re-create pieces, revive certain iconic shows or projects. We're also in a good place to remember how we used to do things before. And I'd find a collaboration between Sasha Waltz and local artists interesting, now that she wants to return to these projects using the city's architectural spaces.