Draft:The Grotto. An Opera in Two Acts

The Grotto
Translation	"La Gruta: una ópera en dos actos"
Librettist	Clotilde Jiménez
Language	Spanish/Nahuatl
Based on	A story by Clotilde Jiménez
Premiere	October 28, 2024 Museo Jumex, Mexico City

The Grotto. An Opera in Two Acts is an experimental chamber opera created by Clotilde Jiménez; being in charge of the Libretto and the Direction, and composed by Javier Antonio Bellato with a Spanish and Nahuatl language. The opera, commissioned by Museo Jumex in Mexico City, premiered on October 28, 2024. And disregarding the the title, its actually composed by 9 scenes.

Background

The Grotto is based on an original story written by Clotilde Jiménez that explores themes of migration, spirituality, and autonomy. It is inspired by real events from the childhood of the artist's wife in the fictional town of La Garra, Guerrero, Mexico. The opera highlights the tension between Catholicism and Nahua traditions, emphasizing the impact of colonialism and contemporary issues such as border relations between Mexico and the United States.

According to Clotilde Jiménez, The Grotto is one of the attempts to decolonize the artistic narratives. In one of his interviews, he said that his work is to ‘’dislodge the European white lens’’ which has almost monopolised cultural production for the last number of centuries, arguing that “mesofuturism” is a better way to interpret the future in a truly Mesoamerican context of indigenous peoples and cultures . In this sense, the aim of this approach is to subvert stereotypes, integrate outcast voices, and offer an alternative to colonial forms of art that have explanatory power within their culture​.

The opera blends traditional theater with video and performance. Collaborating with Bellato, Jiménez uses sound and movement to explore memory and perception.

Themes

The term "mesofuturism" originated from Clotilde Jiménez’s exploration of reclaiming cultural identity through Mesoamerican perspectives. Inspired by the term of Afrofuturism, Jiménez utilized the concept as a counterpoint to the dominance of Eurocentric storytelling and whitening, drawing inspiration from indigenous traditions and historical narratives. He describes it as envisioning a future shaped by Mesoamerican values and rejecting colonial paradigms that have long marginalized native cultural expressions. This lens serves as both an artistic and sociocultural critique, encouraging a reimagining of history and modernity through local, non-colonial perspectives.

Roles

First edition cast:

Role	Voice type	Premiere cast
Leopoldo	Children's choir / Speaking role	Coral Ensamble Mexico / Tonatiuh García Bravo
Chaneque	Children's choir / Baritone	Coral Ensamble Mexico / Alexander Soto
Mother	Soprano	Cecilia Enguiarte
Elder	Baritone	Alexander Soto
Chalchicuitlcue	Soprano	Cecilia Enguiarte

Role	Dancers
Chaneque 1	Sandra Govill
Chaneque 2	Victor Rodriguez

Synopsis

The Grotto tells the story of Leopoldo, a boy from La Garra, Mexico. While playing in the river, Leopoldo encounters chaneques, child-like spirits from Nahua mythology, and follows them into a cave. Time stands still for him, and he returns to his village years later as a child, while his friends and family have aged. After his supernatural experience is revealed, Leopoldo is expelled and sent to the United States, where his journey takes unexpected turns.

Performance history

The world premiere took place at Museo Jumex on October 28, 2024. The production included choreography by Carla Segovia and live performances by dancers Sandra Govill and Victor Rodriguez as the chaneques. "The music, performed by cellist Adriana Castro, evokes the spiritual tension of the narrative". Costumes were designed by Alondra Aceves and Cecilia Andalon.

Reception

The Grotto has been liked for its new mix of story, sound, and art, making a deep feeling. Time Out México says the opera “tells a simple yet heartbreaking story, with live music and a fascinating installation that uses cinematic techniques innovatively.” They pointed out how special it is to show such a work in a place for art, stressing its mix of different fields.

La Tempes͏tad praised the opera for its look at the strain between realness and magic, and its skill to question set ideas of what is real. The use of a “mesofuturism” idea was said to give "a lens to understand, envision, and reclaim a future through a unique perspective," placing the work as important in today’s art​.

Noir Magazine emphasized the emotional impact of the story, which places the experience of uprooted and peripheral people at the center of a decolonial reading. It applauded that balance achieved between tradition and modernity in the storyline and also, more specifically, in the fusion of live electronic music with mythical elements of Mexican folklore.

While widely celebrated, some critiques (most notable among these being issues of cultural appropriation, as a use of traditional operatic forms which emanate from a genre with deep ties to European narratives) did little to no staining of the great reception this work got, a landmark opera both for its innovativeness and depth, placed firmly within the experimental repository of contemporary art.

Credits

Role	Artist
Librettist and director	Clotilde Jiménez
Composer	Javier Antonio Bellato
Choreographer	Carla Segovia
Cinematographic director	Pablo Cruz Villalba
Cellist	Adriana Castro
Violinists	Gerardo Pérez Vargas, Martha Vázquez

External links

• Fundación Jumex
• Official website of Clotilde Jiménez