From December 12 to 17, 2023, and from January 24 to 29, 2024, Ernestina van de Noort will continue the IX Netherlands Biennial in no fewer than eight cities. As always, with an interesting blend of music and dance, but this time in a clear contemporary direction. An exciting program awaits the open-minded Dutch audience.

 

The program kicks off with one of the most successful pieces of recent years:

 

Fluid Flamenco: Manuel Liñán Company

The dancer and choreographer Manuel Liñán is making international waves with his shows that invite reflection on gender identity. In ¡VIVA!, six dancers give a twist to traditional flamenco roles with a wink. The IX Flamenco Biennial 2023 Part 2 opens in a festive and polyphonic manner with this globally acclaimed show where gender and identity are celebrated in dance without borders and with fluidity. “An honest and joyful expression of gay identity” (The New York Times).

 

The presentation at the Amare Theater in The Hague will be hosted by Dolly Bellefleur, the alter ego of the artist/queer activist Ruud Douma and an iconic figure in the LGBTQI+ community in the Netherlands. The dancer and theorist Fernando López will give a lecture on the History of queer flamenco. The opening night concludes with an afterparty featuring DJ Onno Paloma.

 

 

 

 

Flamenco Dialogue and Electronic Music: Artomático & Paula Comitre

In 2023, live electronic music breathes new life into flamenco. In this second part, the festival presents Electroflamenco 3.0 by Artomático, following the success of their own creation “La Reina del Metal” in the first part last January. Rising flamenco dancer Paula Comitre explores a new language of movement on magical soundscapes crafted by composer Daniel Muñoz and improvisations by saxophonist Juan M. Jiménez. A “flamenco playground” where traditional flamenco movements and rhythms are turned upside down with pulsating live electronic music.

 

 

 

 

Radical Boost to Innovation: Andrés Marín

A distinctive figure in contemporary flamenco and the recipient of the 2022 National Dance Award, Andrés Marín believes that “flamenco must free itself from its aesthetic codes, or else dance will die.” Thanks to pioneering and uncompromising creators like Marín, flamenco underwent a transformation in the 21st century. In his latest spectacle, “Jardín Impuro,” inspired by Picasso, the flamenco provocateur sets a new milestone. Twenty-five years of radical innovation unfold in a selection of the best solos from Marín’s work and in a duet with the legend Concha Vargas and the voice of José Valencia.

 

In 2010, Concha danced in Andrés Marín’s “La Pasión según se mire” at the Flamenco Biennial in Seville. The encounter won the Giraldillo for Magical Moment and had its sequel in Marín’s “Tuetano.” Relive the year 2023 in his latest creation, “Jardín Impuro,” by special request of the Netherlands Flamenco Biennial.

 

 

 

 

The Engine of Jazz-Flamenco: Juanfe Pérez Quartet

In 2023, it’s thrilling to witness the evolution of jazz-flamenco, as demonstrated by the energetic debut album of bassist and composer Juanfe Pérez. Following in the footsteps of Carles Benavent, Juanfe Pérez builds beautiful bridges between flamenco and jazz. In his own jazzy compositions with flamenco nuances, titled “Prohibido el Toque,” Juanfe Pérez effortlessly connects both worlds, creating a new and astonishing instrumental flamenco language. Pérez, who, like his keyboardist David Sancho, studied at the Codarts Conservatory in Rotterdam, pays homage to his masters and skillfully translates their influence into an explosive soundscape brimming with music. Flamenco at its core but with a contemporary vitality and starring the bass. The quartet will perform in four cities across the country.

 

Café Madrid Jam Session: Following the concert, at the iconic BIMhuis jazz venue, there will be a jam session featuring students and recent graduates from the Conservatories of Amsterdam and Rotterdam.

 

 

 

 

Resplendent Ode to Flamenco Guitar: Rocío Molina

With “Vuelta a Uno,” the iconoclastic flamenco dancer/choreographer (Silver Lion Venice 2022) Rocío Molina concludes her Trilogy on the Guitar, her very unique ode to the flamenco guitar. In the third part, she returns to herself with an unstoppable rhythm and a physical poetry, challenged and propelled by the devilish touch of guitarist Yerai Cortés. In a frenetic dialogue with the guitar, Molina unfolds her body and femininity, pushing the boundaries of flamenco even further in her quest for a new flamenco aesthetic. “Molina emerges into the light in an epic, pounding dance, with complete freedom” (La Voz del Sur).

 

 

 

 

A New Vision of Guitar Tradition: Yerai Cortés

Yerai Cortés (Alicante, 1995) stands out as one of the great talents among the new generation of flamenco guitarists. His style draws inspiration from the classic Gypsy tradition he learned in his father’s home, his first teacher. In his early years, the young Cortés accompanied important deep-rooted flamenco singers and dancers such as Farruquito, Rancapino, Pitingo, Guadiana, and La Tana. However, his musicality thrives equally well with jazz bassist/singer Richard Bona or popular Spanish rapper C. Tangana. With his playful rhythm and music-filled silences, he renders the guitar tradition timeless. Yerai Cortés previews his highly anticipated solo album during a four-day tour, accompanied by two handclap performers. “Yerai is the game. He goes straight to the essence of things, no detours.” – Rocío Molina.

 

 

 

 

Flamenco Biennale NL Program / Part 2

Manuel Liñán – ¡VIVA! December 12, 2023, Amare Den Haag

Artomático and Paula Comitre – Electroflamenco 3.0 December 14 and 15, 2023, Stadsschouwburg Utrecht

Andrés Marín – Jardín Impuro, un ojo en Picasso December 16, 2023, Stadsschouwburg Utrecht

Juanfe Pérez Quartet – Prohibido el Toque

December 14, 2023, Paradox Tilburg

December 15, 2023, Tivoli Vredenburg Utrecht

December 16, 2023, Lantaren Venster Rotterdam

December 17, 2023, BIMHUIS Amsterdam

Rocío Molina – Vuelta a Uno

January 24, 2024, Parkstad Limburg Theaters, Kerkrade

January 29, 2024, Musis Arnheim

Yerai Cortés

January 25, 2024, De Regentes Den Haag

January 26, 2024, Zeeuwsw Concertzaal Middelburg

January 27, 2024, Tivoli Vredenburg Utrecht

January 28, 2024, BIMHUIS Amsterdam

For more information, visit www.flamencobiennale.nl.