The 3rd edition of the U.S. festival also features a screening of the movie 'Vengo'

Carmen Jiménez. Vancouver, July 2003

The best flamenco festivals aren't confined only to Spain. The U.S. is warming up for the third edition of the New World Flamenco Festival, which has already established itself, along with New York and Albuquerque, as one of its great flamenco events. The event, to be held between August 3rd and 18th 2003, will see California stages graced with the presence of bailaor Antonio Canales, Israel Galván and a production headed by cantaor Antonio de la Malena, based around Jerez flamenco.

	Antonio Canales
	Israel Galván

American flamenco lovers are in for a rare treat this summer. Without setting foot on Spanish soil, they'll be able to enjoy the best in flamenco thanks once again to the New World Flamenco Festival. Now in its third consecutive year, the festival, to be held in Irvine (California), has been a winner with audiences right from the start. The festival will kick off on Tuesday August 5th with a show entitled 'Distancias', which attempts to bridge the gap between two cultures by featuring flamenco artists from both sides of the Atlantic.

Thursday August 8th sees the show 'Puro', brought all the way from Jerez de la Frontera by Antonio de la Malena. The vocalist will première his production, with an unmistakably pure Jerez flavor, alongside a large group of artists from Jerez which includes dancers María del Mar Moreno and Andrés Peña, El Torta and Antonio de la Malena himself on vocals, and Domingo Rubichi on guitar.

All the way from Seville, the Israel Galván dance company will take the stage on Tuesday 12th and Wednesday 13th August. The son of veteran bailaor José Galvan, he's managed to carve out a unique personal style, which can be seen in his productions - always at the cutting edge - such as 'Los zapatos rojos', 'Metamorfosis' and 'Galvánicas'. For the American public his virtuosity combined with his peculiar approach to flamenco is a true eye-opener as to the state of the artform in 2003.

Without a shadow of a doubt, the ace up the festival organizers' sleeve is the presence of Antonio Canales, who will perform between Friday 15th and Sunday 17th August. The bailaor and choreographer from Seville is billed as one of flamenco's current stars, valued both for his sophistication and for his style of dancing, which has managed to influence a new generation of dancers. Also on the bill is a screening of the movie 'Vengo', starring Antonio Canales, on August 6th and 7th. The film, directed by Tony Gatlif and which received an Oscar nomination, features performances by Tomatito and La Paquera de Jerez.

With learning in mind

The Californian festival has taken a leaf out of the book of festivals such as Festival de Jerez, and has made room for flamenco courses. There will be a series of workshops aimed at teaching the different aspects of flamenco, featuring leading flamenco artists. The main series of workshops will be those dedicated to baile flamenco, run by dance professionals such as Juan Ogalla, María del Mar Moreno, Andrés Peña, Israel Galván and Antonio Canales. There will be a second series of workshops dedicated to cante flamenco, run by vocalists Manuel Malena and Antonio de la Malena. There will also be percussion and guitar workshops, as well as workshops for kids.

The New World Flamenco Festival was launched in August 2001, and was an instant success. Almost five thousand people from forty cities across six states attended the festival events in the opening year. The festival headquarters is The Barclay Theatre, situated in Irvine, California.