Madrid in Dance
06/23/2020
In 2018, one of Spain’s most established dance festivals, Madrid en Danza, is celebrating its 33rd edition.
A festival featuring all genres of dance
Over the years, the festival has established itself as a major showcase for the wide variety of dance forms and genres currently practised in Spain, including neoclassical and classical ballet, contemporary flamenco ballet, dance-theatre, international contemporary dance and Spanish folk dance in all its regional forms.
The Madrid en Danza festival takes place every year in November and December and is sponsored by the Community of Madrid. The festival features performances at some of the capital’s most prestigious theatres, such as the Teatros de Canal (1 Calle de Cea Bermúdez), the Teatro de la Abadía (42 Calle de Fernández de los Ríos) and La Cuarta Pared (17 Calle de Ercilla).
Spain’s unique cultural heritage of dance
Before many visitors arrive in Spain, one of the aspects of the country’s rich cultural heritage they are most familiar with is flamenco, the musical and folk dance tradition that originated in the southern regions of Spain: Andalusia, Extremadura and Murcia. Its most popular forms include singing, guitar music, dancing, the jaleo (cheering), clapping and finger snapping, often brought together in a combined performance. With its origins in the Middle East, flamenco is, nevertheless, the quintessence of Spanish culture, an emotionally intense style of dance performed equally by men and women. There are flamenco schools scattered throughout Madrid, and as you stroll through the streets of the city centre, you are likely to hear the sounds of clapping, stomping and guttural cries rising above the din of the city.
Nowadays, flamenco dance troupes tour the world, acting as ambassadors for Spanish culture, from the United States to Japan, where interest has never been greater; in fact, there are now more flamenco schools in Japan than in Spain. Dancers such as Joaquín Cortés (who also trained in classical ballet) and Sara Baras are celebrities in their own right, and flamenco has even been included on UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
A festival with something for everyone
Dance, defined as intentionally selected sequences of human movement, is one of the oldest forms of artistic expression; according to anthropologists, it predates the written word. Closely related to dance is choreography, which describes the design of these movement sequences. Dance is universal, with diverse expressions found in popular, classical, folk and contemporary culture.
One of the main aims of Madrid en Danza is to showcase the most experimental forms of dance within a wide-ranging programme that reflects the ever-changing landscape of contemporary dance, incorporating other artistic disciplines such as set design, visual art and technology. Each year, the programme features emerging talents and established figures from the world of dance, including flamenco. As the capital, Madrid is a vibrant hub for the performing arts in Spain, with an audience receptive to diverse forms of dance, ranging from the most avant-garde to the traditional.
Practical information
The programme for the 2018 edition of Madrid en Danza has not yet been announced. For the latest information, please visit the festival’s website at www.madrid.org/madridendanza/
Tickets can also be purchased online or at any of the main ticket outlets.
Accommodation
To be right at the heart of everything Madrid en Danza has to offer, there’s no better location than the Principal Madrid or the Único Hotel Madrid; the former is situated at the start of the bustling Gran Vía, whilst the latter is nestled in the charming streets of the Salamanca district.
Both hotels offer excellent dining options (the Ático and La Terraza restaurants at The Principal Madrid, and Ramón Freixa Madrid at the Único Hotel), and their respective websites feature great tips on what to see, where to shop and where to dine whilst visiting the capital.
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