September 10 — September 20, 2026
The work, choreographed and directed by Goyo Montero, with original music by Gustavo Santaolalla and set and costume design by Mariana Tirantte, will have its world premiere on September 10 and will be presented at the Teatro Colón through September 20.
Basualdo is responsible for the visual creation of the work, in a project that proposes translating central aspects of his artistic practice into the language of the stage and the universe of ballet. In collaboration with Mariana Tirantte, the artist develops a visual device in which spaces take on a leading role and become integrated into the narrative as another character. A sense of being watched or stalked constitutes one of the conceptual axes of the visual proposal.
Drawing on a narrative structure connected to The Aleph, the work proposes a journey into the unknown, in which the spaces progressively transform. The stage begins with an everyday situation—materialized in the façade of a house—which functions as a mask, revealing a space of another nature. The stone/house/head unfolds and transforms, giving rise to a succession of settings that, like disguises, conceal and reveal what remains behind their appearance.
In Principio de éxtasis, Basualdo’s visual dimension thus deepens an ongoing investigation into perception, the transformation of space, and the tension between what is visible and what remains hidden, translating these concerns into the body, movement, and dramaturgy of ballet.
The production also features additional music and sound design by Owen Belton, lighting by Nicolás Fischtel, and choreography restaged by Igor Vieira. Ricardo Darín contributes his voice through excerpts from The Aleph and the poems Absence and Farewell.
