News

The Festival Internacional de las Artes del Movimiento (FAM) and the Festival de Tenerife are taking over Auditorio de Tenerife on Sunday, 18^th  to fill it with dance. The duet Eran casi las dos starts at 7:00 pm in Sala Castillo, and is followed by Generation at 8:30 pm in Sala de Cámara.

Festival de Tenerife’s Eran casi las dos, [It was nearly two] is a contemporary dance show that seeks to tell a story as if it were a piece of news. Through dance and electronic music, they stage in a cinematographic style what happened when it was nearly two.  

The main idea of the script is around a meeting point for two people where he (Miguel Ballabriga) is waiting for her (Carmen Fumero) to arrive. They have different intentions and what unfolds is the result of a conflict in the past. Envy, struggle, egocentrism and illness leading to loneliness move both individuals in their physical conversation, which ends tragically. Eran casi las dos won the First Prize at the 29 Certamen Coreográfico de Madrid and the RCH Award for best performance at the 14 Certamen Internacional de Coreografía Burgos-New York.

Generation, a collective piece on the FAM bill this year, is part of the Creadores en Comunidad scheme by Danza en Comunidad. At Sala Castillo in Auditorio de Tenerife, Valencian company Taiat Dansa is giving a workshop from Thursday, 15^th till Sunday. Twenty people from the different Danza en Comunidad groups have enrolled.  Taking the work done at the workshop as a starting point, they will create the piece Generation in which workshop students and dancers Meritxell Barberá and Inma García are taking part.

Dance Generation, the Taiat Dansa project which includes this activity, is keen on making audiences aware of the practice, creation and history of contemporary dance. So, professionals, amateurs, students, children, teenagers, young people, parents and grandparents get together in the same space to break the barriers that separate dance, and art in general, from citizens.

Tickets for both shows can be purchased at Auditorio de Tenerife box office Monday to Saturday from 10:00 am to 7:30 pm, on websites www.auditoriodetenerife.com  and www.festivaltenerife.com  or calling 902 317 327.

The Festival Internacional de Música Antigua de Tenerife (Fimante) [Tenerife Early Music International Festival] and the Nova Ars Organorum (NAO) series present the concert “El vademécum de un órgano romántico” [Vade Mecum of a Romantic Organ], to take place tomorrow at Iglesia del Pilar in Santa Cruz de Tenerife at 8:30 pm. Admission is free to enjoy listening to the young Tenerife organist Juan Luis Bardón (La Orotava, 1994).

The Romantic organ at Iglesia del Pilar, built in 1923 by Catalonian organ builder Lope Alberdi, is suitable for a varied repertoire despite its limited number of stops. Bardón will be playing Late Baroque compositions like the transcription Johann Sebastian Bach did of Vivaldi’s concerto grosso, in addition to a Prelude and Fugue by the composer and truly Romantic pieces like those by German Mendelssohn, a great admirer of the Cantor, whom he followed in his musical conceptions of the organ; and the Belgians Cesar Franck and Lemmens as well as the versatile French musician Dubois.

The artistic director of the Nova Ars Organorum series, Rosario Álvarez, revealed that “in these compositions, Romantic expressiveness is represented in different ways, by contrasting pieces and at times, fragments, of intimate, softened sonority with other powerful, grandiose ones which will fill the naves of the church. Belgian and French composers are experts at achieving this as they worked very differently from their contemporary German colleagues”.

Fostered by the Cabildo, through the Area Tenerife 2030 scheme and with the coordination of Auditorio de Tenerife, Fimante + Nova Ars Organorum join the cultural scene to revive repertoires both in traditional and new venues on the island. With the support of Canarian players of period instruments, historic organs reconditioning, the latest interdisciplinary research, and the historical-geographic location, we hope to be keeping and spreading our cultural heritage for future generations.

For the first time, the Coro Juvenil de Auditorio de Tenerife [Auditorio Young Choir] is taking part in the Fiestas Lustrales in La Gomera, in the Encuentro de Corales [Choir Gathering] to be held on Saturday 10 November at Auditorio Insular Infanta Cristina.

Organised by Cantares Estudio Coral with the collaboration of San Sebastián Town Council and Cabildo Insular de La Gomera, the event includes choirs from across the Archipelago, coming from Gran Canaria, the Coro de Cámara del Colegio Oficial de Médicos, from La Palma la Coral Awara, and from Tenerife Coro Juvenil del Auditorio, in addition to the host choir Asociación Musical Cantares Estudio Coral Isla de La Gomera.

Directed by Roxana Schmunk, the Coro Juvenil de Auditorio de Tenerife is performing ‘Azul’, by Julio Domínguez on texts by Rafael Arozarena, ‘Arrorró’, traditional Canarian composition arranged by J.Durán; ‘Yo no quiero morirme’, arranged by Dante Andreo with texts by Elsa López; Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallellujah’, arranged by the group Pentatonix. In Schmunk’s words, “Coro Juvenil is honoured to have been invited to this Encuentro Coral. We are very happy to take part with other choir singers from different islands and we think it’s a great way to start the season as it’s motivating for the new members of Coro Juvenil and they can enjoy singing with other choirs too”.

All the groups together will be performing the song “Gomera” from a poem by Pedro García Cabrera and music by Joan Manuel Serrat.

Las Fiestas Lustrales de La Gomera in honour of the Virgen de Guadalupe started in July and the Bajada de la Patrona [procession of the Virgin] took place on 8 October. Activities will go on till 28 November.

Festival de Tenerife is displaying a homage to Pedro Lezcano in the shape of a multidisciplinary show outside Auditorio de Tenerife. La maleta [The suitcase], a coproduction of Canarian companies Teatro KDO (Tenerife) and Fireworks (Gran Canaria), directed by José Pedro Hernández, is performing on Saturday, 10^th at 8:30 pm. Admission is free.

The show, which is based on the homonymous poem by Pedro Lezcano, one of the most relevant intellectuals in the 20^th century, was written by playwrights Enrique and Yeray Bazo. The scenography, a giant suitcase that changes throughout the show to recreate different spaces, has been designed by Basque sculptor resident in Tenerife Julio Nieto. Costumes are inspired by circus and steampunk styles and are designed by José Castro.

Actress and assistant director Yanely Hernández, is part of the cast together with Baltasar Isla (El exiliado), Francis Lorenzo (El corredor), Esther Martínez (Izmir), Juan Carlos Baeza (Franz), Daniel Sanginés (Braulio), Jesús Raya and Marcos García (Los vigilantes) and Francisco Vera (El desplazado).

In this visual framework, seven characters who are forced to migrate, tell their stories in a show that brings together theatre, dance, acrobatics and music. The search for freedom travels through this great suitcase that sees a striking evolution while offering a most original mise en scène.

Festival Internacional de las Artes del Movimiento (FAM) and Festival de Tenerife are taking over the streets of Santa Cruz on Friday, 9^th with open-air dance performances. The first one is by Basque company LASALA, in Plaza Ireneo González at 6:00 pm. Festival de Tenerife’s “Luz de farol” is starting at 9:00 pm in Plaza de Presidencia del Gobierno de Canarias.

In the piece by LASALA performers Jaiotz Osa and Garazi Etxaburu, dance following the motto of the piece: “Nosotros, en un mundo de sombras respirando luz” [Us, in a world of shadows breathing light]. The 16-minute piece is part of the Acieloabierto national tour and its choreography is by Judith Argomaniz with music by Arvo Part, Acid Ghost, George Frideric Handel and Deep Frieze.

“Luz de farol”, whose first part took place in La Laguna on 4^th October, is now coming to Santa Cruz de Tenerife with three new proposals by Canarian dancers who are inspired by urban street lamps. This Festival de Tenerife production starts in Plaza de Presidencia del Gobierno de Canarias with Isabel Mora. It then goes on to Puente Serrador, where Raquel Jara Domínguez will start dancing at 9:15 pm. Finally, Daniel Morales will perform a piece for the first time in Plaza Isla de la Madera, outside Teatro Guimerá at 9:30 pm. The idea and its development are by the performers chosen by Festival de Tenerife and Asociación de Artistas del Movimiento PiedeBase [Movement Artists Association], and are coordinated by Laura Marrero.

The Festival Internacional de las Artes del Movimiento (FAM) is putting on the dance show Labranza, inspired by rural life, in Casa Los Zamorano in Tegueste on 11^th November at 12:00 midday. The Dispositivo Labranza has been put together for this show; it is a workshop by the company Colectivo Lamajara Danza, in which some twenty participants will work with the dancers to take part in the performance on Sunday. Admission is free.

Labranza, performed by Paloma Hurtado, Reinaldo Ribeiro and Daniel Rosado, portrays the countryside, its people and their everyday tasks. This proposal, thought out so that every individual can contemplate their rural identity, will immerse viewers in a rural environment packed with action. The vignettes faithfully portray the genuine everyday life of country folk and are backed by old-time stories whose simplicity are the driving force of the milieu and charge it with identity.  

The “Dispositivo Labranza” workshop started on Monday, 5^th and will go on till Friday afternoon at Sala Castillo in Auditorio de Tenerife. The dancers work with the participants, who enrolled free of charge, through different stage and body movement games, using elements like wooden poles and learning the choreographies for the show. The aim of the group is to provide a stage structure that takes social and professional dance through a creative process that starts from the search of possible similarities of farmers and artists, and aims for the participants to act from the concept deep in the countryside.

Lamajara Danza is a group of artists who share the same interests in the language of the body and its ability of expression. This organisation has generated artistic work from experiencing physical work and everyday farmer duties to turn it into the language of movement of contemporary dance.

The Cabildo de Tenerife has opened a 135,000 euros funding line for professional stage productions in 2018. Individual producers (self-employed) or groups (companies) can apply for these grants provided that they are registered in the appropriate section for theatre, dance or circus of the Impuesto de Actividades Económicas [IAE – Tax on professional activities] and have resided or have had their tax address on the island of Tenerife since at least 1 January 2017.

The grants are aimed to help finance productions of professional theatre, dance, circus, street arts, or any stage language that includes these disciplines, which are premiered between 1 January 2018 and 30 June 2019.

These grants are part of the Área Tenerife 2030: Innovation, Education, Culture and Sports and include two types:

A) Projects with expense budget of up to 6,000 €

B) Projects with a budget of 6,001 € or above.

The rules governing this call were approved by agreement of the Consejo de Gobierno Insular del Excmo. Cabildo de Tenerife [Council of the Island Government of Cabildo de Tenerife], on 6 March 2018 and are published in BOP of Santa Cruz de Tenerife [Official Province Gazette] number 37, of 26 March 2018.

The amount approved for the current call is one hundred and thirty-five thousand euros (135,000.00 €). Grants can amount to a maximum of 90% of the total cost of the project with a limit of 5,000 € for Type A); and 70% of the total cost of the project with a limit of 25,000 € for Type B).

The deadline for applications is fifteen calendar days starting on the publication of the call in the Boletín Oficial de la Provincia [Official Province Gazette].

Applications can be made through Cabildo de Tenerife “Sede Electrónica” [website]. The application must include, among other documents, a detailed description of the production and the full budget, including income and expenditure.

*In accordance with that provided for in articles 17.3.b and 20.8.a of Law 38/2003, of 17 November, General on Funding, the extract of the call is published today in the Boletín Oficial de la Provincia de Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The full text can be consulted in the Base de Datos Nacional de Subvenciones [National Funding Database] (http://www.pap.minhap.gob.es/bdnstrans) and on the institutional website of Excmo. Cabildo Insular de Tenerife ( www.tenerife.es ).

On Sunday, 4^th November, Festival de Tenerife scheduled Little night , a show that works on babies and young children’s sensibilization through expressive movement and dance. Using video mapping technologies and movement detection they create a space that reacts to the movement of children and they can dance and move along with a professional dancer, enjoying a unique sensory experience. The show is for children aged 18 months to 3 years and takes place at 11:00 am, 12:00 noon and 1:00 pm.

Catalan company Imaginart brings this interactive show to the Canaries for the first time. In it, stars travel carrying their handbags, gentlemen with umbrellas fall from the sky, colourful stains take over and cars have to dodge them. Accompanying adults can watch the show from the edge of the stage but cannot take part in it, children are let free to participate, learn and enjoy the experience by themselves.

This all-family show introduces images that stimulate the senses as they change shape and colour when they are touched or are run after, inviting children to play.

The chance to be totally immersed in an artistic space and being able to make their own decisions, teach and empower children in poetic, artistic values, in fellowship and the value of their own body to play and express their inner world. Because it is a special show for the very young, tickets can only be purchased at Auditorio de Tenerife, Monday to Saturday from 10:00 am to 7:30 pm or calling 902 317 327.

The second  La pedagogía se mueve, [Pedagogy moves], which is part of the programme of Festival Internacional de las Artes del Movimiento (FAM) started on Friday, 2^nd November at Auditorio de Tenerife with a welcome speech by Tenerife Danza’s Didactic Unit coordinator Helena Berthelius. The forum continues until Sunday at midday. Even though you can no longer enrol, you can still attend as listener as admission to all the activities is free.  

“Dance and movement have enough tools to welcome all the functional diversity that exists”, Helena Berthelius said during her communication, which had the same title as this year’s motto: Politics of the body. It was then the turn for Kory González-Luis, PhD in Philosophy and Education Science, to read her paper, “The Body as politics”. “A second year means that all the work done last year was not just a parenthesis and this time we’ll talk about all the work carried out during the year”, stated Dr. González, who has been researching on “art, pedagogy, social transformation and the body as political territories”.

Other professionals taking part on the first day include the artist and audio-visual expert Simone Marin, the director of Centro Coreográfico de La Gomera, Martín Padrón, the Asociación Queremos Movernos, the Asociación Mosaico Canarias and the project Danza en Comunidad. On Saturday, 3^rd the Director General for Professional Training and Adult Education from the Government of the Canary Islands, Manuel Jorge Pérez, will talk about Integrated Dance Professional Training in the Canaries; professor Carmen Giménez Morte will read her paper “Un caso de estrategia educativa sobre políticas del cuerpo en la danza, entendida como patrimonio inmaterial histórico, artístico y cultural” [A case in educational strategy on body politics in dance, understood as historical, artistic and cultural intangible heritage]. The Asociación Mosaico Canarias, Martín Padrón, Helena Berthelius, the director of Coro Juvenil de Auditorio de Tenerife, Roxana Schmunk, and Musical.IES artistic director, Melodie Pérez will be offering meetings and workshops.

On Sunday, 4th Barraquito Meeting by Asociación Mosaico Canarias is taking place, and the survey ¿Y después, qué? [What next?], by Vicente Corrales, coordinator of the Programa Escuela y Salud de la Consejería de Educación y Universidades del Gobierno de Canarias [School & Health Programme of the Ministry for Education and Universities of the Canaries Government.] 

You can see the information in full on www.auditoriodetenerife.com.

The Cabildo fosters this space to reflect on and participate in topics related to dance and body which has been designed for professionals from different educational, artistic and social fields. This year the Consejería de Educación y Universidades del Gobierno de Canarias [Local Ministry of Education and Universities of the Government of the Canary Islands] will provide certificates to teachers attending from state, state-assisted and private Pre-, Primary and Secondary Schools.

The motto chosen this year is Politics of the body and the forum will deal with issues like body and movement, gender and sexual diversity, functional diversity, movement as a social-political response and communication practices. The aim of the Forum is to provide a space to contribute ideas and specific creative proposals as well as look into the possibility of including them in all the areas of education.

Festival de Tenerife presents its first dance show this year: Si pudiera hablar de esto no haría esto [If I could talk about this I wouldn’t do this]. This contemporary dance show by Galicia artist Janet Novás can be seen on Sunday, 4^th at 7:00 pm at Sala Castillo in Auditorio de Tenerife. The Festival has arranged a dance ticket package so you can attend all the shows in this category.

Ms Novás explained that “there are two main lines or recurring principles in my creative process that are important when making decisions and which outline my work: one of them is of an intuitive nature and it’s somatic; the other, reflects on and asks questions about the first one”. In this piece, the artist has tried to “draw on all those materials that come from impulses, turning away from the problems posed by discourse”. That is why the piece does not put forward any questions, discourse or collective reflection.  “I don´t know which argument would suit this piece best, or actually, what it’s about; this inability to describe it is my driving force and motivation”, she stated.

The creator says that “all I want is to activate my body, the time and the space around me, share sensations, go down a path through my experiences and needs of expression where action, dedication, commitment and responsibility are essential to carry out this work”. Novás’s interest in widening the boundaries of the body has led her to use objects to build metaphorical images, make up that transforms the body, costumes that reflect the light and sound textures that create landscapes. The choreographer says that in this one, she only recognises biographical landscapes: “like Galicia cliffs, the sea, folklore, magic, rituals and cosmic features”.

Festival de Tenerife tickets and packages can be bought at Auditorio de Tenerife box office, Monday to Saturday from 10:00 am to 7:30 pm, calling 902 317 327 or online here or on the websites  www.auditoriodetenerife.com y www.festivaltenerife.com.

Through Festival Internacional de las Artes del Movimiento (FAM) the Cabildo fosters the second Foro La pedagogía se mueve, [2^nd Pedagogy moves Forum] a space to reflect on and participate in issues regarding dance and our body to be held on 2, 3 & 4 November at Auditorio de Tenerife.

The Forum, coordinated by Helena Berthelius from Tenerife Danza Didactic Unit, welcomes professionals from different educational, artistic and social areas to take part in this event. You can enrol on Auditorio de Tenerife website by filling in this form  by 31 October. This year the Consejería de Educación y Universidades del Gobierno de Canarias [Local Ministry of Education and Universities of the Government of the Canary Islands] will provide certificates to teachers attending from state, state-assisted and private Pre-, Primary and Secondary Schools.

The topic chosen is Politics of the body which will deal with issues like body and movement, gender and sexual diversity, functional diversity, movement as a social-political response and communication practices. This way, we will reflect on the body as a concept in society as a whole, in schools, in families or in any other area.

The aim of the Forum is to provide a space to contribute ideas and specific creative proposals as well as look into the possibility of including them in all the areas of education.

The different papers to be read, includes one by Professor Carmen Giménez Morte, Un caso de estrategia educativa sobre políticas del cuerpo en la danza, entendida como patrimonio inmaterial histórico, artístico y cultural [A case in educational strategy on body politics in dance, understood as historical, artistic and cultural intangible heritage]. The artist and audio-visual expert Simone Marin will present a pair of virtual reality glasses and the Director General for Professional Training and Adult Education from the Government of the Canary Islands, Manuel Jorge Pérez, will talk about Integrated Dance Professional Training in the Canaries. Dr. Kory González Luis will set out her reflections on The body as politics.

During the Forum we can enjoy performances by Asociación Queremos Movernos with Baile sobre ruedas and Danza en Comunidad, the community section of Cabildo’s Tenerife Danza scheme, with Amor. There will also be some workshops led by Helena Berthelius; the Danza en Comunidad coordinator, Laura Marrero; the director of Centro Coreográfico de La Gomera, Martín Padrón; and the director of Coro Juvenil de Auditorio de Tenerife, Roxana Schmunk, in addition to the artistic director of Musical.IES, Melodie Pérez.

The Asociación Mosaico Canarias, a plural space for social education, will moderate different meetings called Corro, Espacios de Trabajo and Barraquito Meeting. To conclude the Forum, a survey will be done, ¿Y después, qué? [What next?], by Vicente Corrales, coordinator of the Programa Escuela y Salud de la Consejería de Educación y Universidades del Gobierno de Canarias. [School & Health Programme of the Ministry for Education and Universities of the Canaries Government.] 

Círculo de la Amistad XII de Enero in Santa Cruz de Tenerife is host to the second Encuentro de Coros [Choir Gathering] on Friday, 26 October at 8:30 pm. Participating choirs include Coro Carpe Diem, Coro de Cámara de Garachico, Coral Universitaria de La Laguna and Coro Juvenil de Auditorio de Tenerife, who have the honour of closing this choir gathering in Santa Cruz.

Coro Juvenil de Auditorio de Tenerife, directed by Roxana Schmunk, will be performing a repertoire that has strengthen their position after two years since setting up: ‘Yo no quiero morirme’, arranged by Dante Andreo and texts by Elsa López; ‘All of me’, theme by John Legend arranged by José Herrero; ‘And so it goes’, theme by Billy Joel and arrangements by Bob Chilcott plus the classic ‘Hallellujah’ by Leonard Cohen, arranged by the vocal group Pentatonix. In Ms. Schmunk’s opinion, “this gathering is a chance to share the stage with renowned choirs from the Island who have wide experience in performing”.

Círculo de la Amistad XII de Enero holds this II Encuentro de Canto Coral with the aim of supporting this activity in the city and offering their members and friends the chance to spend a pleasant musical evening with the Island’s choirs. It will be held at their social theatre and admission is free.