'Historias de arte' will also travel to the French city for the first week of July

Flamenco-world.com, May 2004
Translation: Gary Cook

Mont de Marsan puts the finishing touches to its sixteenth date with flamenco. Joaquín Grilo, Eva Yerbabuena and the show 'ADN Jerez' - featuring Diego Carrasco, Moraíto Chico, El Torta and Antonio el Pipa, among others - form the backbone of the bill for the 2004 Mont de Marsan Festival de Arte Flamenco. And along with these three cornerstones, the program features plenty more dance, cante and toque. There's the show 'Historias de arte' by veteran artists Matilde Coral, Chano Lobato and Juan Habichuela, there's 'Dibujos en el aire' by Mercedes Ruiz, recitals by Antonio Rey and by José Manzano; and the closing dinner with 'Estampas de fiesta'. The program of activities scheduled to run in parallel includes courses, conferences and a photography exhibition. La French city turns flamenco once again between 5th and 10th July 2004.

'ADN Flamenco' (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

South Western France plays host to the second important date on the year's flamenco calendar. Bridging the gap between the Festival de Jerez and Seville's Biennial Festival, Mont de Marsan is a festival now in its sixteenth edition with - as we've come to expect - an exceptional line-up. Two leading contemporary flamenco dance figures will grace the main stage with their presence. The Espace François Mitterrand, on 5th and 7th July respectively, will see bailaor Joaquín Grilo from Jerez presenting 'A solas' and bailaora Eva Yerbabuena from Granada once again performing '5 mujeres 5', the show which has received worldwide acclaim since the year 2000. The third flamenco performance in this great auditorium is the première of 'ADN Jerez', a show featuring a collective who offer a celebration of the essence of Jerez flamenco - something that, as the name suggests, was passed down to them in their DNA. The show stars the eclectic Diego Carrasco, cantaor El Torta, guitarist Moraíto Chico, bailaor Antonio el Pipa and several other artists from the famous Andalusian city.

Some memorable flamenco evenings are scheduled at the Café Cantante in Place Saint Roch, accompanied as always by Spanish cuisine and a relaxed atmosphere. The first is programmed for Tuesday 6th July, where guitarist Antonio Rey, winner of the 'Bordón Minero' award at the 2003 Festival del Cante de las Minas - will share the spotlight with bailaora Mercedes Ruiz from Jerez, who presents her first solo show 'Dibujos en el aire'. The second evening will see a coming together of the veteran artists Matilde Coral, Chano Lobato and Juan Habichuela in 'Historias de arte', directly followed by a recital from cantaor José Manzano. Every night is drawn out at the Bodega de la Place de la Mairie, a marquee meant to resemble a 'caseta de feria', with entertainment provided by local artists locales like Melinda Sala, Luis de la Carrasca, Manolo Punto and 'Habiyelar', among others.

Eva Yerbabuena en '5 mujeres 5'
(Photo: Anahí Cármody)

Gran finale

The festival rounds off this year with a dinner at the Hall de Nauques, after which there'll be a performance of the show 'Estampas de fiesta'. This gala will feature artists such as José Caraoscura, Jesule de la Tomasa, Samara Carrasco and Manuel Amaya, to name but a few. The parallel activities programmed by the organizers this year will also have finished by then. They include courses in flamenco dance, guitar, compás and palmas, taught by the likes of guitarist Antonio Rey and bailaoras Pepa Montes, Manuela Vargas and Mercedes Ruiz. The conferences at this year's festival will cover themes such as the life and work of Camarón de la Isla, the world of Antonio Mairena, and Ricardo Pachón's career as a producer. And to complement these activities, for the duration of the festival there'll be a photographic exhibition by Marie-Béatrice Seillant.

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