The International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA) presented awards to five Mexican artists on Wednesday, recognizing their achievements in the performing arts.

The awards were presented during the society’s 2019 congress in Guadalajara.

Jalisco Culture Secretary Giovanna Jasperson presented a Distinguished Artist Award to ballet dancer Elisa Carrillo, the Texcoco-born lead female dancer of the Berlin State Ballet. Jasperson called Carrillo “one of the most emblematic women in our contemporary national culture.”

Earlier this month, Carrillo was awarded the Benois de la Danse, considered one of the highest international honors in classical dance.

Igor Lozada, secretary for cultural promotion at the University of Guadalajara, presented another Distinguished Artist Award to tenor Javier Camarena, who the ISPA considers “the preeminent Mozart and bel canto specialist of his generation.”

“To talk about Javier Camarena is to talk about one of the most important Mexican artistic and cultural symbols in the world,” said Lozada.

The ISPA also granted a Distinguished Artist Award to actor Diego Luna, for his work as a film and stage actor and producer.

Theater director Mario Espinosa received an International Citation of Merit in recognition of his lifetime achievement in performing arts, while Susan Chapman, director of Anglo Arts at the Anglo Mexican Foundation, received an Angel Award for her support of performing arts in Mexico and the United Kingdom.

Around 450 delegates from around the world are in Guadalajara this week for the congress, which began on Monday and will end on Friday. According to ISPA executive director David Baile, the goal of the event is to bring together the delegates who represent the “ecosystem” of the international performing arts community.

At an event before the awards ceremony on Wednesday, Secretary Jasperson said she was proud that Jalisco is the site of such an important international artistic summit.

“The difficult realities of these times demand that the arts and culture communities work together in networks and take advantage of all the knowledge and creative minds we have access to,” she said.

Source: Milenio (sp), La Jornada (sp)