Spanish Fiesta 2005: To stun and dazzle / Portuguese Festival

When Ambassador Ignacio Sagaz told the press, "Each Spanish fiesta is more exciting than the last," Dr. Javier Galvan, director of the Instituto Cervantes, added: "It is also more exhausting for its organizers, but it leaves us happy."

Dr. Galvan feared the Fiesta would gain him "enemies" – those who, clamoring for tickets to the flamenco performance of Sara Baras, would not be accommodated. Even Madrileños are scurrying for tickets after the record-breaking five-month show in the Spanish capital. Sara Baras and her eight dancers are fully booked until 2008: They will arrive on Oct. 11 with just enough time for a rehearsal and the evening performance at the CCP main theater, then leave next morning for Singapore, there to dance in the evening!

Here are some quotes on the flamenco, and on Sara Baras from the IC brochure: "The great poet and writer Federick Garcia Lorca once called Flamenco one of the greatest inventions of the Spanish people. Only with this Southern Spanish art can one embody such spirited passion and intensity in a dance. The powerful footwork, the distinctive turns and the graceful arm and hand movements and the music that tells of life, death, joy, pain, love and freedom – have put many under the flamenco spell. Audiences are entranced by its sensuality and intensity of expression; it is a dance with a distinct language of its own."

"Twice honored with Spain’s most prestigious award, the Premio Nacional de Danza, Sara Baras has been hailed worldwide for her intensity, brilliant footwork and elegant spirit. Born in Cadiz, Spain, in 1971, she was named the ‘Face of Andalusia’ in 2002, her face appearing in a Spanish postage stamp."

Another highlight which will draw dance enthusiasts to the RCBC Plaza on Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m. is Besame el cactus (Kiss My Cactus) by the contemporary dance group from Barcelona, Sol Pico. Its program, which won the MAX Award for Best Dance Performance in 2003, fuses theater, dance, drama and music.

On Oct. 8, also at the RCBC Plaza at 7:30 p.m., the celebrated classic guitarist Armando Orbon and jazz pianist Isaac Turienzo will interpret works by Granados, Tarrega, Ariel Ramirez, A. Lauro, Albeniz, Falla and J. Rodrigo, among others.

Fiesta consists not only of top quality dance, music and theater performances but also of film and photo exhibits and a painting contest. On Oct. 7 at Greenbelt 1 Cinema, a night dedicated to Alejandro Amenabar, three films directed by him will be shown: Mar Adentro (The Sea Inside), Tesis (Thesis) and Abre los Ojos (Open Your Eyes).

On Oct. 5, Te Doy Mis Ojos (Take My Eyes), directed by Iciar Bollain, will attract women activists fighting for equal rights. The film swept the 2004 Goyas, garnering seven awards including Best Film, Director, Actor and Screenplay. Helen Taberna’s documentary Extranjeras (Foreigners) shows the experiences of Madrid’s immigrant women.

Films from hispanic Chile, Argentina, Mexico will also be shown: Subterra, Chile, directed by Marcelo Ferrari, Oct. 10; El Abrazo Partido (Lost Embrace), Argentina, Oct. 2; La ley de Herodes (The Law of Herod), Mexico, directed by Luis Estrada, Oct. 6.

From Sept. 28 to Oct. 16, the Festival offers the Spanish and Latin American Film Festival in an unprecedented line-up of 25 of the latest and most awarded films.

Moviegoers will have the chance to vote for the best film and win a plane ticket to Spain.

From Sept. 27 to Nov. 6, the travelling exhibit "150 years of Photography in Spain" can be viewed at the National Museum. On Oct. 15, IC will revive last year’s theme Rincones de Intramuros (Corners of Intramuros) for the on-the-spot painting contest which is open to all Filipinos, 17 and above. First-prize will be P35,000. A People’s Choice Award will also be given.

The Launch Party on Sept. 30 at Ayala Greenbelt 3 will have fireworks, a giant paella vying for inclusion in the Guinness Book of World Records, a guitar performance by master Jorge Orozco and flamenco dancing by Clara Ramona, with Lucy Torres Gomez and Richard Signey as the evening’s hosts.

* * *

The Portuguese Festival will be launched at Rustan’s Makati on Oct. 4, with speeches from Ambassador Joao Caetano da Silva, Ambassador Bienvenido Tantoco and a ranking government official. An exhibit of Portuguese food and table decorations done by eminent painter Phyllis Zaballero will also be opened.

Finally, a fair of Portuguese products including ceramics, cutlery, religious articles, kitchen utensils, food and wine will also be opened. Sponsoring companies – Herdmar (cutlery), Silampos (kitchen utensils), Aveleda (wines) and Caves Dom Teodosio (wines) – will exhibit their products at the embassy residence for the Festival’s duration.

Intercon will hold a food festival starting Oct. 4, with Portuguese Chef Luis Americo expressly preparing delectable dishes. Americo, elected "Portuguese Chef of 2004" by the gastronomic magazine Edicoes do Gosto, will offer "Bacalao" in various ways. The Portuguese, who live on dreams and subsist on salt cod, claim to know 365 ways to prepare it, one for each day of the year. All spices and ingredients of the cuisine will be found in the Food Festival.

On Oct. 16 at 9 a.m. Rustan will celebrate the last apparition of Our Lady to the three shepherds in Fatima. A replica of Our Lady will be enthroned in Rustan’s Makati on Oct. 4, for visitors to venerate.

The Festival will close with a concert of the celebrated Portuguese percussionist Pedro Carneiro at the Intercon ballroom on Oct. 24. Carneiro, one of the very few percussionists to have made an international career, has performed throughout Europe, the Far East and the US with numerous orchestras, appearing regularly with acclaimed musicians.