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The members of the Raquel Madrid Dance Company performed in the Avenida del Mar. SUR
Marbella Todo Danza: a celebration of movement and creativity
Dance

Marbella Todo Danza: a celebration of movement and creativity

Up to 14 dance companies are taking part in this festival, which is celebrating its 15th year and being held in autumn for the first time

David Lerma

Marbella

Tuesday, 8 October 2024

"Writing about music is like dancing about architecture," is a quote often attributed to the renowned Frank Zappa, though Elvis Costello has also been credited with it. This phrase captures the futility of trying to find similarities and connections between artistic disciplines, a concern that still troubles some artists who are drawn to the challenge of interpreteting the inexpressible.

This week, dance makes its way into the Museo del Grabado (Marbella's print museum) with the Movement and Abstraction series as part of the programme for the Marbella Todo Danza Festival.

"We will dance in response to abstraction, we will dance to Luis Feito," said the dancers referring to the artworks on display this month in the main gallery of the museum. Every Thursday in October tribute will be paid by Leonor Leal, Paula Cómitre, Julio Ruiz and Manuel Gilabert. This will encompass talks, dance performances, poetry readings and even book launch, along with perfomances inspired by Butoh theatre, a cultural movement that emerged in Japan after the devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The 15th Marbella Todo Danza festival opened last Saturday at the Teatro Ciudad de Marbella. The show Dique, directed by Marta Pazos, opened the festival as a tribute to the work of the 200 women who worked at the end of the 19th century in the excavations of the Dique de la Campana de Ferrol. At the time it was the largest dry dock in the world and the largest engineering work in Spain, involving more than 1,200 workers.

The fusion of contemporary and traditional Galician dance, brought to life by the captivating choreography of Belén Martí Lluch, evoked the memory of the women who carried over 11 million baskets of sand on their heads, despite receiving much lower pay than their male colleagues. The staging was both simple and spectacular, establishing a powerful start to the festival, which runs until 15 November across various venues in the town. These include the Fernando Alcalá library, the Museo del Grabado and the streets themselves, all of which will host a parallel programme of events.

The festival will also include various flamenco performances, such as Antípodas, by Florencia Oz & Isidora O'Ryan (25 October), and Insaciable, by the Lucía La Piñona Company (2 November), as well as performances for children, Memorias de Trapo, by Proyecto Nana (26 October) and for schools, with En Tierra de Nadie, by Da.Te Danza (14 November).

The closing event, on 15 November, will feature Marcat Teatro and their production Averno, a project by choreographer Mario Bermúdez, "who has worked all over the world and who has created his own company in Andalucía, which has won many awards," as the town hall's culture director Carmen Díaz pointed out.

Dance in the street

On Saturday afternoon, Alameda Park caught the attention of many passers-by with a performance by Nuria Estébanez and Gero Domínguez on a revolving platform, uniquely combining flamenco and contemporary dance. Shortly afterwards, on Avenida del Mar, Raquel Madrid's company presented an imaginative journey that displayed their fluid and dreamlike expressions.

The festival, which has traditionally run until spring, is now extending its programme into autumn. "We want it to be seen not just as a performing art but also as a means of expression and communication that connects with the poetic and the fundamentally creative," explained Díaz. She added that there will be something for everyone, young and old alike, to help them engage with this cultural event.

Mili Quijano, president of the Asociación Amigos del Teatro Ciudad de Marbella, said that this year features a "fantastic programme". She particularly recommended the performance by dancer Lucía Álvarez La Piñona, known for her captivating stage presence. Quijano also highlighted Antípodas, the flamenco production by Florencia Oz and Isidora Ryan. "It's a very high quality festival with many contemporary dance companies," she added.

"It is an exceptionally well-rounded and diverse festival," explained the director of culture Carmen Díaz, adding, "The shows designed for various spaces help us appreciate dance as a magnificent art of body movement." The festival aims to invigorate the often quiet autumn cultural scene in Marbella, a town that doesen't always succeed in drawing international audiences and where events frequently go unnoticed in the wider Malaga region. While exciting activities do take place in Marbella, they often require a bit of effort to discover.

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