A Surrealist New Year’s Eve in Tenerife
Electronic music, art, and the universe of the iconic artist Salvador Dalí combine to form the most disruptive proposal for seeing in the New Year in Tenerife. ‘Gala by Ibán Mendoza’ is the show with which the celebrated Catalan DJ lands in the Canary Islands to offer a unique night at the Club Náutico Puerto Colón in Costa Adeje, starting at 11:00 PM. This marks the beginning of an international tour for this artistic project, which has already triumphed in Ibiza’s nightlife for several years as it has developed and incorporated new elements.
An Unprecedented Island Experience
Ibán Mendoza is thrilled to bring this particular proposal to Tenerife, describing it as “a totally different idea to anything seen before on the Island,” and promises it will be a complete experience for the audience. “We are going to offer something very different, meticulously crafted, with an incredible staging,” advances the creator of the show. ‘Gala’ sets itself apart from conventional spectacles by offering scenography that reinterprets emblematic works by Dalí, such as the famous melting clocks from The Persistence of Memory.
This aesthetic narrative is further propelled by the presence of characters portraying Dalí and his wife Gala, alongside performances that include fire, aerial acrobatics, and contemporary dance. The visual universe is completed with projections on large-format LED screens.
From Ibiza Clubs to a Complete Spectacle
DJ Ibán Mendoza explains that he began working on this project with the aim of “dressing up” the electronic music parties he was hosting in Ibiza. “The traditional approach is to accompany the set with lights and dancers, and little more, but we wanted to offer a more complete show and that’s why we decided to add new elements, because the concept of an electronic music party has changed a lot,” recounts the Catalan, who has always been driven by “originality” in his initiatives.
The surrealist universe of Salvador Dalí has always captivated the Catalan musician, though he admits that, beyond this specific artist, the movement itself has always been in his sights. “Actually, we base the format on the entire surrealist movement, although Dalí is the visible face,” he clarifies, adding that this artistic genre precisely gives them carte blanche to include practically any proposal on stage. “Surrealism encompasses a great many things; it basically allows us to go anywhere our imagination takes us,” summarises Mendoza, who is pleased that this way “I don’t have to be constrained,” encouraging him to “capture the world of dreams.”
Evolution of a Dream and Notable Canarian Contribution
This project has been developing over several years, gradually incorporating new elements. ‘Gala’ started at Pachá in Formentera, a small venue for about 500 people, where they first introduced decoration and visual elements to give the night a precise theme. A year later, the project travelled to Las Dalias in Ibiza, where the space, including a terrace, allowed them to continue expanding the initiative, taking the decoration a step further and developing the interpretive part.
Thus, this is the first time the initiative has left Ibiza, and Ibán Mendoza is delighted that Tenerife is precisely the first stop, as “I believe it is a place very suited to this idea.” Furthermore, this time there is significant Canarian participation. The visual concept is handled by designer Israel de Carlos, also responsible for the screen content during the show’s residency in Ibiza, where he offers “a fluid and immersive vision of the Dalinian world” thanks to the morph effect, a technique that generates a smooth and hypnotic transition from one image to another on the screens.
Likewise, Tenerife designer Leo Martínez is responsible for the scenography and much of the wardrobe. He has focused on Dalí’s imagery, including a large spiral clock and the melting clocks to symbolise the relativity of time, or the long-legged elephants, pelicans, and butterflies to represent fragility and transformation. Martínez also handles the wardrobe for the contemporary dance troupe and the cast of Canarian actors, as well as other scenic elements that will enrich the fire shows, aerial acrobatics, stilt-walker interventions, and the characters of Dalí and Gala themselves, who will interact with the audience.
The Canarian presence is completed with the participation of local artist Drummer, who has already performed alongside major international artists at important genre events and on key stages such as Ibiza, Barcelona, and Valencia. In ‘Gala’, Drummer will combine his talent with that of Ibán Mendoza and Madrid-based DJ Chus.
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