World Festival of Flamenco, Christmas with an Andalusian flavor

 

Marbella, Spain – For the third year in a row, the Don Miguel Hotel,
Marbella, is hosting the World Festival of Flamenco, from December 26th to 28th. This unique event aims to familiarize the national and international public with various aspects of the art through song, tap and dance in addition to other elements which comprise flamenco culture such as fashion and gastronomy. This occasion has also become an important tool for disseminating facets of flamenco among the Costa del Sol’s international tourist population.

The worldwide hotel association, Selected Hotels, is playing host to the third World Festival of Flamenco, one of the most important cultural events on the Selected Hotels Festival of Golf calendar. The Festival, organized by the Selected Events agency in collaboration with Turismo Andaluz and Seville’s Flamenco Biennial, is an original offer which enables people to enjoy the Christmas period and attend various shows and master classes given by flamenco’s top personalities over a three-day period.For Remedios Fernández, MarketingDirector of Selected Events “this event is an investment in promoting flamenco worldwide, complementing Andalucía’s and Málaga’s tourist offer while strengthening quality cultural tourism.“Following the success achieved by the Festival with foreign tourists in previous years, especially Scandinavians, central Europeans and Britons, Manuel Copete, manager of Seville’s Flamenco Biennial, will present this year the Flamenco
Guide, published by Turismo Andaluz, in English. “The Costa del Sol World Festival of Flamenco is a superb product for promoting flamenco beyond our own shores“, states Copete.

With its outstanding facilities and the pleasant climate of the Costa del Sol, having an average 325 days of sunshine a year, the Don Miguel Hotel, Marbella, is transformed into a perfect forum for blending Andalusian culture with all types of sports, especially golf. Manuel Macías, the director of Área Telemática de Turismo Andaluz, stresses that the festival “juxtaposes the world of flamenco with the hotel’s resources for playing such sports as golf, thereby making it an essential destination each year for the ‘flamenco traveller.’”

Top personalities

The Festival of Flamenco welcomes top personalities in the field to the Costa del Sol: singers of the caliber of Rafael de Utrera, Fernando de la Morena and Juan Peña, ‘El Lebrijano’ who will premier his new opus internationally in the first live concert to feature his latest record. Along with the Seville singer, there will be performances by the guitarists, ‘Moraito’ and Gerardo Núñez who has also chosen the festival to present his new release internationally and teach flamenco-jazz sessions. Finally, during the festival, dancers of renown such as Antonio ‘El Pipa’, Carmén Cortés and Rafael de Carmen will be performing.

Running parallel to the shows are various exhibitions of Spanish guitar (Rafael Romero: guitar-maker), photography (Paco Sánchez), painting(La Chunga and Zaafra), sculpture (Serafín Venegas) and flamenco fashion (Paco Olea) in addition to conferences overseen by important scholars from the world of flamenco. Master classes in song, dance, percussion and tap will also play a fundamental role in the festival. Gerardo Núñez, heir to Paco de Lucía, will give a flamenco guitar class, ‘El Lebrijano’ will focus on the folk songs of
Lebrija while the dancer, Carmen Cortés, gives a seminar on flamenco dance and Angel Sánchez “Cepillo” takes the percussion course.

Selected Hotels has prepared packages which include bed, breakfast and free admission to all the conferences and performances of the three days of the Festival for any guest staying at the establishments owned by the hotel chain on the Costa del Sol, the Don Miguel Hotel, Marbella, and the Atalaya Park, Estepona, between December 26th and 28th.

For those not staying at the hotels, the organization has produced an offer, with a range of prices, for attending the evening shows taking place on December 26th, 27th and 28th respectively at 22:00hrs in the Salón Jacaranda of the Don Miguel Hotel. Prices are from from 15 to 25 euros, with tickets on sale at branches of “El Corte Inglés” and at the Don Miguel Hotel itself. The general public can also attend free of charge the presentations, conferences and classes
that are given throughout the festival.

Program:

Friday December 26th

13:00 Presentation of the English-version Flamenco Guide, published by Turismo Andaluz, and of the 13th Flamenco Biennial
18:00-19:15 Flamenco dance master class given by Carmen Cortés
19:15-20:30 Master class in guitar-playing by Gerardo Núñez
Percussion class given by Ángel Sánchez “Cepillo” Master class in flamenco singing given by Juan Peña “El Lebrijano”: Folk songs
of Lebrija 20:30-21:30 Conference focusing on the various sticks used in flamenco song, with Manuel Curao, journalist and presenter of flamenco programmes on Canal Sur Radio and Television, the principal speaker
22:00 Jerez. La búsqueda de las raices: Moraíto, Luis el Zambo and Fernando de la Morena, accompanied by the hand-clapping of el Chícharo, Gregorio and el Bo The dancing of Antonio El Pipa
Grand finale to the sounds of the Jerez Christmas drum ‘Zambomba’ (friction drum)
24:00 Flamenco – Jazz, directed by Gerardo Núñez

Saturday December 27th

13:00 World premier of Jerez guitar genius, Gerardo Núñez’ latest recording
18:00-19:15 Flamenco dance master class given by Carmen Cortés
19:15-20:30 Master class in guitar-playing by Gerardo Núñez
Percussion class given by Ángel Sánchez “Cepillo”
Master class in flamenco singing given by Juan Peña “El Lebrijano”: Folk songs of Lebrija
20:30-21:30 Conference focusing on flamenco guitar with José Manuel Gamboa, writer, flamenco expert and representative of the General Society of Authors, the principal speaker

22:00 Gerardo Núñez and Carmen Cortés in concert
24:00 Flamenco – Jazz, directed by Gerardo Núñez

Sunday December 28th

13:00 Presentation of Juan Peña “El Lebrijano”‘s latest recording
18:00-19:15 Flamenco dance master class given by Carmen Cortés
19:15-20:30 Master class in guitar-playing by Gerardo Núñez
Percussion class given by Ángel Sánchez “Cepillo”
Master class in flamenco singing given by Juan Peña “El Lebrijano”: Folk songs of Lebrija
20:30-21:30 Conference focussing on the centenary of the birth of flamenco singer, Pepe Marchena: ‘Una figura del flamenco: cien años de Pepe Marchena’, with the El Correo de Andalucía critic, Manuel Bohórquez, the principal speaker

22:00 El compás de Utrera y Lebrija: Rafael de Utrera and Juan Peña “El Lebrijano” The dancing of Rafael de Carmen with Daniel Méndez on guitar, percussion player and Bernardo Parrilla on violin
24:00 Flamenco – Jazz, directed by Gerardo Núñez

December 22nd-31st

Flamenco fashion display and exhibition
Photographic and exhibition
Exhibition of Flamenco painting and sculpture

December 26th-29th

The art of guitar-making: manufacturing workshop, guitar exhibition and practical demonstrations of craftsmen at work.