The Foreigner

Gabriela Mistral published Tala in Argentina, grouping together poems that she partly wrote in Mexico and that she dedicated to the “Spanish children scattered to the four winds,” victims of the Spanish Civil War. This book written by a migrant, dedicated to refugees and published abroad contains two poems that inspire this work.  

“I was born from things / that are not a country; / from homelands and homelands / that I had and lost; / from the creatures / that I saw die; / from what was mine / and left me,” says Mistral in Country of Absence, a poem that, together with the verses of The Foreigner, served as the basis for Natalia García-Huidobro to create this work about emigration and uprooting The piece debuts in Chile after being presented at the Conde Duque Cultural Center, in Madrid, and the Bolívar Hall, in London.

The Foreigner is a flamenco tribute to Gabriela Mistral on the 70th anniversary of her winning the Nobel Prize, which she received in a ceremony in December 1945. She is the central character of this production that attempts to create an imaginary dialogue between her feelings regarding uprooting and that of the choreographer, director and dancer of this piece, also an emigrant.

"I get the feeling, but maybe it's my own identification, that she felt like a foreigner everywhere and that feeling is a kind of cage that generates secrecy and, on the other hand, an impulse that leads her to move constantly. I think she was a very curious being, so her emigration was very positive since it generated ties and great projects, but there is always that nostalgic tone of her roots," says Natalia.

Three dancers, three singers and a guitarist interact on stage creating different scenes that range from solos to duets, trios and group scenes. A bronze floor modifies the sounds of the dance and refers to the desert, a landscape present in Mistral's poetry. While his verses appear spoken, sung and written.

Natalia García-Huidobro returns to GAM, where she has previously presented the works Remember me… Lola and Changing skin. Its new creation has the support of the Chilean Embassy in Spain, the Chilean Embassy in England, Anglo Chilean Society, Chile-Spain Foundation and GAM.

Choreography: Natalia García-Huidobro
Direction: Natalia García-Huidobro and Cristián Reyes
Dance: Natalia García-Huidobro, Martina Salinas and Daniela Gallardo
Singing: Francisco Delgado, Tomás Aguilera and Julián Herreros
Guitar: Claudio Villanueva
Comprehensive design: Cristian Reyes
Sound design: Héctor González Sánchez
Choral design: Julián Herreros
Composition: Claudio Villanueva, Julián Herreros and Francisco Delgado
Costume: Natalia García-Huidobro