The Bienal de Flamenco of the Netherlands 2019 is reaching its seventh edition with an intense program of 50 shows in 10 cities of the Netherlands from January 18th to February 10th 2019.
Since 2006, every two years, flamenco has a date in the Netherlands with the latest developments in the art of singing, guitar and dance. Top stars and emerging talents who combine tradition and avant-garde flamenco, and other contemporary music, jazz, classic, baroque and oriental. Over the course of three weeks, the most extensive program to date will present flamenco in all its variations and colors in 50 shows at 25 venues in ten cities.
A complete program of shows and concerts rounded out with a broad assortment of master classes, workshops, conferences, dialogues with artists, film and documentary projection. Also, shows for flamenco followers as well as for children, in addition to free dance and rhythm classes, even flamenco yoga.
The festival begins and ends with two controversial works, Andrés Marín’s “D. Quixote”, and ends with Israel Galván’s “La Fiesta”, the two most influential Spanish and flamenco dancers of the 21st century.
Leading the vanguard in women’s flamenco dance, the festival will present the shows of Patricia Guerrero, Leonor Leal, Vanesa Aibar and Olga Pericet. Singers Rosario “La Tremendita”, Gema Caballero and guitarist Antonia Jiménez complete the line-up of women in this edition.
Patricia Guerrero is the main dancer in this edition, presenting “Distopía” in 3 cities, participating in the Andrés Marín show “D. Quixote” in the role of Dulcinea and lastly, guest artist in Dani de Morón’s show “21”-
The 2019 festival is presenting a co-production with “Slagwerk Den Haag” called ‘¡Kick- Pluck – Planta – Tacón – Tap- Clap- Clack!’ with Eduardo Guerrero as special guest artist. The Cádiz dancer and the prestigious contemporary Dutch percussion group will face off in an exciting percussion “battle”.
The second festival production of 2019, a co-production with the Fondation Royaumont and Luminescencia, Flamenco and Tarab of the Iraqi-American jazz trumpet-player Amir ElSaffar. Along with Gema Caballero (vocals), Pablo Martín Jones (percussion) and Vanesa Aibar (dance), Arabesque music to return the flamenco tradition to the source of the ancient Arabs.
The Spanish baroque group Accademia del Piaccere led by Fami Alqhai, along with Tunisian singer Ghalia Benal and soprano Maravi Contreras use flamenco as a point of encounter in the world of music “Entre Oriente y Occidente”, with Dutch guitarist Tino van der Sman.
Another show will be presented by the Spanish chamber music group Trío Arbós along with singer Rafael de Utrera. Classic flamenco forms are played with new contemporary compositions. A program presented in collaboration with the Instituto Cervantes and the Centro Nacional de Difusión Musical.
Flamenco guitarist Dani de Morón is artist in residence 2019, representing the new generation of flamenco guitar with a line-up or stars that includes singers Duquende, Antonio Reyes and Jesús Méndez. Another young guitarist featured in the Bienal is Granada’s David Carmona, labeled by maestro Manolo Sanlúcar “my only natural successor”, presenting his record “Sueños de Locura”, and who will be accompanied by Kiki Morente.
Another Dutch guitarist aside from Tino van der Sman, is Peter Kalb “El Periquín” in his particular “Homenaje a Michael Jackson”. El Periquín shows how the King of Pop Music was really flamenco. On his tour he’ll be accompanied by keyboard artist Martín Fondse, winner of the Dutch prize for jazz, Boy Edgar.
Flamenco and Jazz with be well-represented with flautist Sergio de Lope and his quintet, with special guest artist Alfonso Aroca (emerging artist in the 2017 edition).
Keyboardist Tony Roe (Tin Men and the Telephone) and Jerez guitarist José Quevedo “Bolita” joined forces in the 2015 Bienal de Flamenco establishing the connection with “DeDos”. With their four hands and swift fingers, they explored flamenco.
Bolita Big Band with “Caotico” for an exciting proposition: José Quevedo and his basic Spanish group with percussionist Paquito González, bassist Pablo Martín and singer El Londro, along with Dutch saxophone-player Bernard van Rossum and seven interpreters from his own big band will give Quevedo’s compositions shine and effervescence.
Another novelty in this edition is “Flamenco Inclusivo” by the José Galán company with “Sueños Reales, Cuerpos Posibles”. José Galán, along with two dancers with physical and cognitive handicaps, will make everyone feel the power of flamenco. The show will be followed by the final presentation of the project for a workshop for handicapped dancers and young adults, organized in collaboration with Cultuurhuis Wherelant Purmerend and the Instituto de Artes Escénicas Lucía Marthas.
