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45th Festival Internacional
del Cante de las Minas.
The most renowned flamenco festival has presented the program
for its 45th edition, this year to be held in honor of film-maker
Carlos Saura from August 4th to 13th
 The
organizers of the forty-fifth edition of the Festival Internacional
del Cante de las Minas have put together a program with
some of flamenco’s most important artists. If in previous
years there have been some experimental works, for better
or for worse, the prestige of this year’s bill of artists
indicates the festival has decided to place its bets on
mostly classic flamenco.
Every flamenco festival has its own personality: some are
more avant-garde while others might specialize in dance
or guitar for example. The Festival Internacional del Cante
de las Minas has a long and dignified history of respect
for the art, as well as the sincere desire to spread and
enrich it.
The festival kicks off with the ‘pregón’, or opening speech,
an evening of local songs, and then six days of gala shows
before the prestigious contest. If Jerez has its day with
el Torta, el Capullo and others, Granada will be amply represented
by singer Marina Heredia and dancer Eva Yerbabuena, now
a thoroughly international star, not to mention Estrella
Morente. Other names in the limelight include Arcángel,
Mayte Martín and Belén Maya, as well as veteran singer el
Chocolate and the popular figure Diego Carrasco, all part
of the rich and varied menu.
This year the festival is dedicated to film-maker Carlos
Saura who is important in flamenco thanks to his films 'Flamenco',
'Carmen', 'El amor brujo', 'Bodas de Sangre', 'Salomé' and
‘Sevillanas’ among others. This is the first time a personality
will be honored who is not a guitarist, dancer or singer,
but thanks to whom the art of flamenco has been promoted
the world over. Saura describes himself as a “frustrated
dancer”. He tells of how he went to learn to dance at La
Quica’s studio, but in the first class the teacher invited
him to desist.
Paco de Lucía who caused a sensation in the nineteen-seventies
when he accompanied Antonio Mairena in this same festival,
will close out the series of galas and is the star of the
festival. After his performance on August 9th, three days
of contest semifinals will begin, followed by the finals
and awards presentation on Saturday the 13th.
Estela Zatania
Carlos Saura
Program
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