As part of the programme dedicated to Japan, this year’s invited country, the Veranos de la Villa festival presents a show by Mayumi Kagita and Hiroki Sato’s Arte y Solera Flamenco Dance Company, which can be seen in the Central Courtyard of the Conde Duque Cultural Centre on 14 and 15 August.
Since its creation in 1998, Arte y Solera has focused on creating flamenco works from Japan, where the genre is extremely popular, respecting the flamenco traditions and techniques, whilst taking the culture and traditional arts of Japan into account. The company has taken on the challenge of performing ningyo joruri (puppet theatre) and kabuki through flamenco, and dancing to flamenco sung in Japanese, thus shattering a practice that had become taboo.
This show, produced by Arte y Solera and organised in collaboration with Japan Foundation, seeks to find common ground between the flamenco and kabuki disciplines, with the special participation of the well-known actor, Kazutaro Nakamura, and therefore create a new art form by merging the two traditions. Made up of ten scenes, it does not tell a specific story but discovers a common language that transcends borders.
Artistic File:
Dancers: Mayumi Kagita, Hiroki Sato, Tomoko Kudo, Yumi Gon, Mamiko Kashiwa, Yoko Azuma, Mao Nakazato, Fuyuka Kawamatsu, Sae Arahama, Mito Konishi, Mayu Onodera, Kirari Yamazaki, Megumi Tsuji, Yoshio Yano, Sanshiro Sueki and Nobuyoshi Nakane
Musicians
- Sho Asano (Tsugaru Shamisen- Japanese instrument-)
- Antonio de la Malena (Song)
- Ana de los Reyes (Song)
- Antonio Malena Junior (Guitar)
- Makoto Saito (Guitar)
- Ale de Gitanería (Percussion)
- Toru Yamasaki (Tsukeuchi)
- Mao Nakazato (Vocals)
- Chie Nakajima (Composition/Piano/Vocals)
Kabuki
- Kazutaro Nakamura (Kabuki actor)
- Hikaru Nakamura (Kuroko)
Approximate Duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Image Credit: © H. Kawashima
