This year’s Vancouver International Flamenco Festival runs from September 18 to 30
Performers from Canada, Spain, Cuba, Turkey, and Mexico join forces in shows, masterclasses, and free events
SPONSORED POST BY Vancouver International Flamenco Festival
Rocío Molina in Caída del Cielo (Fallen from Heaven). Photo by Simone Fratini
The Vancouver International Flamenco Festival’s 33rd edition takes place from September 18 to 30 at various venues around Vancouver. This year’s lineup features some of the finest flamenco artists from Canada, Spain, Cuba, Turkey, Mexico, and India in a combination of live performances, masterclasses, and free events.
An anticipated highlight is Spain’s COMPAÑÍA ROCÍO MOLINA at the SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, from September 27 to 30 with showtimes at 8 pm each night. The enfant terrible of flamenco, Rocío Molina brings her masterwork Caída del Cielo (Fallen from Heaven) to Vancouver, co-presented with DanceHouse and SFU Woodward’s Cultural Programs. Channelling multiple incarnations from fetishistic matador to bloodied avenging angel, Molina crushes expectations, reinventing classical form with anarchic punk energy.
Also on the lineup are three dynamic shows at the Waterfront Theatre. PLACE / is a city written on this body? is on September 21 at 8 pm, interpreted by Rosanna Terracciano with choreography by Montréal’s Myriam Allard, Barcelona’s Juan Carlos Lérida and Terracciano. The solo piece explores a trilogy of cities: Calgary, Napoli, and Sevilla.
Rosanna Terracciano in PLACE / is a city written on this body?
On September 22 at 8 pm, Jafelin & Flor de Caña perform traditional flamenco and Spanish Latin songs with a Cuban-style with a flamenco touch. The show features 11 dynamic performers from Vancouver and Cuba, with Venezuelan-Canadian singer Jafelin Helten and Mexican flamenco dancer Marien Luevano at the helm.
Wrapping up the Waterfront Theatre shows on September 23 at 8 pm is Montréal’s La Otra Orilla. In their explosive and visceral show RITE, the company channels its flamenco roots with a perfect balance of body, voice, guitar, and percussion. Allard returns in this piece, alongside Hedi Graja, Caroline Planté, and Miguel Medina.
La Otra Orilla’s RITE. Photo by Marie-Andrée Lemire
Catch another show at the Fox Cabaret on September 20 at 8 pm: Qairo, a fiery and dynamic ensemble that combines emotionally charged flamenco vocals with melodies of the Mediterranean diaspora.
Keep an eye out for free showcase events at the Granville Island Picnic Pavillion on September 23 and 24. And don’t miss two flamenco dance masterclasses—one for beginners with Rosario Ancer of Flamenco Rosario on September 18, and an advanced class by La Otra Orilla’s Allard on September 23.
More information can be found here.
Post sponsored by Vancouver International Flamenco Festival.
Qairo. Photo by Cylla Von Tiedemann