The Cervantes Institute opens the World Flamenco Congress at the Jerez Festival
The Cervantes Institute presents this Wednesday, within the framework of the Jerez Festival -which is celebrating its 25th edition- three outstanding face-to-face activities around the body, with José Galán, Olga Pericet and Cristina Cruces, among others. This is the first of the initiatives of the World Flamenco Congress that the Institute is organising on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of its creation, with the ultimate aim of promoting the art of flamenco, intangible cultural heritage of Humanity.
The event will be presented (at 11 am) in Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz) by the Director of Culture of the Cervantes Institute, Raquel Caleya, and the curators of the World Flamenco Congress: Rocío Márquez, cantaora, and Miguel Marín, president of the Association of Flamenco Festivals.
The first activity will be the conference 'Los mapas del cuerpo en el arte flamenco', by the anthropologist and teacher Cristina Cruces, who will talk about the new ways of looking at the body, as well as body art and the "breakdown of representation" with which the new generations interpret contemporary corporeality (11:30 am).
The dancer and researcher José Galán will talk about 'La integración de la discapacidad en el flamenco. Una verdad encarnada' and will analyse the flamenco-disability binomial throughout history and its conceptual evolution until today. The prestigious choreographer will highlight the inclusion of disabled people in the flamenco scene as a proposal for the integration of the most innovative shows. After his talk, José Galán will perform a musical piece with the dancer Lola García-Baquero (17:00).
The Cervantes Institute's programme will conclude with the premiere of the documentary 'Bailes de repertorio', directed by Olga Pericet. The dancer and choreographer, winner of the National Dance Prize 2018, presents in this medium-length film (2020) a vision of the bodies and codes of flamenco seen from abroad. Olga Pericet will be followed by a conversation with the flamencologist, singer and writer Estela Zatania (18:30).
The three activities will take place at the Museos de la Atalaya (c/ Cervantes, 3) in Jerez, and are the start of the World Flamenco Congress, which the Cervantes Institute is organising as part of its commitment to the dissemination of this art form. The Congress was presented at the Institute's headquarters last March.
Through a wide-ranging international programme, the Congress will offer performances, concerts, conferences, round tables, workshops, screenings and exhibitions between 2021 and 2022. It will be a space for multidisciplinary reflection on flamenco through five themes: the WORD, the BODY, the FUTURE, DIVERSITY and EMOTIONS.
This is an unprecedented initiative for the dissemination of flamenco through an international programme, based on the regular collaboration of the Cervantes Institute with the main festivals and exhibition halls around the world. Likewise, the Congress will be present at the main national flamenco art festivals - starting with the Jerez festival - as well as in other activities carried out by the Cervantes Institute in Spain.
Submitted by José Antonio Sierra, Hispanismo advisor.