“I am in my artistic prime”: Isaac Hernández

Posing in front of the camera comes very naturally to her. I’ve been doing it for a long timehe says about that facet beyond dance that has led him to be the image of recognized international brands of clothing and accessories for men, as well as his foray into film and television series.

Is this okay?asks the photographer diligently, without showing tiredness or annoyance despite the fact that it has been a long day of interviews and photo sessions. In a good mood, Isaac Hernández (Guadalajara, 1990) is willing to talk about everythingHe likes to take the bull by the horns, he says.

I have no off-limits topics. If I sit at the table with someone, I have a rule that if something makes me uncomfortable, I can always leave or express it openly, but if I’m sitting down, no topic is off the table and it has to be discussed.

Although the reason for the talk with The Day It’s the gala Awakeningswhich will take place tomorrow at the National Auditorium, of which he is a producer and participant, the dancer, considered one of the best in the world, addresses various topics.

–What stage are you at in your career?

–It is a very special moment, because it is artistic plenitude; I am fortunate to feel it on a personal level as well. I have been able to achieve the goals and dreams that I have set for myself professionally; so, that has freed me from resentments or motivations that prevent me from seeing the future.

“I am fortunate because I have no professional regrets or frustrations about what might have been. Until now I have been very brave; I have challenged myself and accepted being uncomfortable; I have tried to have control over my professional and personal life; I have designed and fought to consolidate a dream.

In that sense, I think I am living the best professional moments. The prime of a dancer is from 30 to 38 years old, more or less; and I realize now why: because maturity as a person, the content of one’s own life, greatly supports your essence on stage, and your creative voice feeds a lot from that. I think that at 30 years old you already have a clearer version of what life is..

–Has it been an idyllic career?

–Definitely. I think that, many times, that is what makes it difficult for me to see the future and think about how to end a career like mine; professionally speaking, what is the right scenario, what are the ballets that I want to dance now that I am in my prime, what are the last productions that I want to do.

That’s what’s interesting, because until a few years ago, it was very objective: I want to be in the world’s top companies, win a certain competition or award, dance with this dancer; but now that all that is done, it’s when you know who you are as an artist, what interests you and what you are willing to do to define the rest of your career.

–And what are you willing to do?

–I am not sure yet. I have never been afraid of the lack of clarity, because I have appreciated it as an exercise that gives me the privilege of having time to know how to use it, which is not common in many people. Having achieved these goals has given me the freedom to imagine things that did not seem possible to me before.

“If Michel Franco’s film with Jessica Chastain (Dreams) has a very good response, it is very likely that I will do a few more. You never know, maybe I will end up being an actor or a producer; I am very passionate about producing, facilitating creators and making their artistic vision possible; I would also like to run a company, enter into governance, develop public policies, do research. There are many things that over these years I have tried and had to learn to do projects like Awakenings.

I am passionate about many things. But what I know now is that the next seven years as a dancer are the end of my career. The moment of plenitude, of stage dominance and of physical and technical freedom has a deadline. I am clear about that and therefore I give priority to that situation.

–It is said that dance is very ungrateful because of the ephemeral nature of the professional activity.

–We have to put that into context. Many Olympic athletes finish their careers when they are barely 20 years old. In that sense, I have been aware of it and I understand it more as a privilege to be able to live a full artistic and professional life, and to have the opportunity to reinvent myself at 40 years old or to follow my passion for dance in other ways. It is a great luxury that we dancers have, but sadly it is also a career that requires absolute commitment and specialization. So, that can also limit many possibilities.

“Dance has never been ungrateful to me, which doesn’t mean that I haven’t thought about throwing in the towel. In fact, it’s something I think about all the time, because it’s a human condition and it’s present in all professions. It’s inevitable to feel tired, frustrated, lazy, lacking motivation, or that there are so many problems in the world that what one does is completely insignificant and doesn’t deserve to have a place in society’s priorities. There are countless situations that an artist has to face and constantly consider; as a human being it’s inevitable, it’s an exercise in growth and maturity. It’s happened to me with injuries and success itself, what do you do once you no longer have those goals?

The time to think and rethink yourself as an artist, to find your priorities, is a difficult exercise. You have to accept limitations, the time you live in, your possibilities, your commitments and compromise on certain things. It is something that makes many people uncomfortable and so they go for the obvious, the easiest. For me, life and the profession have not been ungrateful; on the contrary, it has been an extraordinary journey of plenitude in success, struggle, work, fatigue, also in loss, sadness; I have lived everything to the fullest. That is what I pursue: to live a full life and all its consequences.