52nd Festival Internacional del Cante de las Minas

At the Madrid tablao, Corral de la Morería, officially the new center for the Fundación Cante de las Minas in Spain’s capital, the 52nd edition of the flamenco festival of La Unión was presented. José Mercé, Carlos Piñana, Juan Valderrama, Dorantes, Arcángel, Marina Heredia and Pasión Vegas comprise the program of "Galas del Festival", along with Saras Baras, the person chosen for this year’s tribute.

May 31, 2012

Cante de las Minas 2012
Photo: Paco Manzano

This year’s edition, the 52nd, will be celebrated from the 1st to the 11th of August in the mining town of La Unión (Murcia), with Sara Baras the person to be honored. The Cádiz dancer is bringing her new show “La Pepa” to the old public market, now the theater of La Unión.

The inauguration on August 1st, with free entrance, features keynote speaker María Dueñas, followed by the performance of last year’s four winners: Celia Romero (Lámpara Minera), Juan Torres “Habichuela Nieto” (Bordón Minero), Lucia Álvarez “La Piñona” (El Desplante) and Sergio Monroy (El Filón).

THE SHOWS

Sara Baras opens on August 2nd with “La Pepa”, José Mercé will perform on the 3rd, Valderrama and Carlos Piñana on the 4th with guest artists Joaquín Grilo and Pastora Galván, in addition to Rocío Márquez and Miguel de Tena on the 5th, Arcángel and Marina Heredia on the 6th and to close out, Pasión Vega, for the first time at this venue, on the 7th.

August 8th to 10th will be for the semifinals of the cante, guitar, dance and instrumentalist contests, and Saturday the 11th is the grand finale which ends with the presentation of the prizes, an event for the history books. Success is guaranteed thanks to the high level of the performers, not to mention the cultural activities with recognition for bullfighter José María Manzanares, movie director Bigas Luna and chef José Andrés, recently named by Time magazine as one of the hundred most influential people in the world, all of whom have confirmed their presence this summer in La Unión to receive their “Castilletes de Oro” along with others honored for their respective careers as embassadors of Spanish culture and their love of flamenco.

Tickets go on sale June 1st, and may be obtained at the Tourism Office of La Unión, as well as any branch of the Corte Inglés or their associated systems for ticket purchase.

PROGRAM

Wednesday, August 1st

Inauguration (FREE ENTRANCE)

Keynote speech by MARÍA DUEÑAS