Santa Coloma de Gramenet (Barcelonès Nord) once again has the distinction of Mediterranean capital of flamenco culture for two weeks by hosting the fifth edition of the Flamenc-ON festival, organized for years by the Manolo Sanlúcar Aura Seguros Foundation, which this year will to know the final date for the inauguration of the museum dedicated to the consecrated flamenco artist from Sanlúcar de Barrameda and the organization that will spread his legacy worldwide, the International Flamenco Guitar Institute.
At the Flamenc-ON presentation it was possible to taste a good sample of Manolo Sanlúcar's flamenco legacy, present in most of the performances scheduled between February 29 and March 17. The last student that the Sanluqueño maestro had in his house, Can Wang, a young Chinese who is now the main disseminator of flamenco culture in China, offered a few chords (see video) and explained that, in all probability, he will be the first to open a franchise of the Manolo Sanlúcar Flamenco Guitar Institute on the Asian continent. Wang remembered his teacher as "a very demanding person," he said with a surprising Andalusian accent, but also as a joker: "He always said he had a student with a dog's name," he recalled, when in fact Can, in Chinese, means "brilliant." ".
Those in charge of announcing the performances of the fifth edition of Flamenc-ON were the president of the Foundation, José Martínez Talavera and the director of the festival, Paco Garfia. Both highlighted that this edition will also pay tribute to one of the great flamenco artists of today who will perform his last concert of the Farewell Tour, on May 3 at the Segarra theater in Santa Coloma. This is Dani Navarro, Niño de Pura, who is forced to retire from the stage by a degenerative disease. At Flamenc-ON he will be accompanied by El Pele and Pastora Galván.
Martínez announced that all the details are being finalized to inaugurate in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, headquarters of the Foundation that bears the guitarist's name, which will also house its own museum. On March 15, the Manolo Sanlúcar International Flamenco Guitar Institute will also be presented, with a show by Irene Cano.
The president of the foundation announced that "although the festival will always belong to Santa Coloma de Gramenet" on this occasion it has opened metropolitan borders with performances in Badalona, whose Zorrilla theater will host the closing gala 'Tribute to Manolo Sanlúcar' on March 16 "with an artistic cast that would have been impossible to bring together if it had not been for a memory of the maestro," said Martínez, in which established artists such as Juan Carlos Romero will perform, but also young promises.
One of Manolo Sanlúcar's greatest wishes was to spread flamenco art among the youngest. A maxim that does not ignore the festival with the children's show A dos strings of you that will be performed before the public of the secondary schools of Santa Coloma on February 29. On March 8, the Torre Baldovina will host the company of the young dancer Alejandro Cabrera who will offer the concert Where a Life is Born.
Another of the most original and outstanding acts of Flamenc-On 2024 is the traditional party entitled La mujer flamenca, composed entirely of women. Mercedes Luján on guitar, the singing of María del Tango, Sandra Zarzana, Antonia Nogaredo, Anabel Rivera, Laura Marchal, Teresa Hernández, Naike Ponce and the dancing of Violeta Barrio. Great artists gathered in the same space with the same objective, to let themselves go to enjoy and enjoy the spontaneity of those unique moments that occur in an authentic flamenco party.
The most popular Flamenc-ON act that comes out in the open is the one offered by Miguel de Tena, Juan de la Lola, Naike Ponce and the Professional Dance Conservatory of the Institut del Teatre de Barcelona. Three micro concerts that make up the route through the city will be composed of three dancers and their groups. To conclude, in the Plaza de la Vila, the Sanluqueña artist Naike Ponce will offer the show Vivir de ella. A production rooted in traditional Flamenco singing, combined with a current vision and an innovative and fresh staging.
During the presentation of the festival, the mayor of Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Núria Parlon, praised that Flamenc-ON is "a great project in the melting pot of cultures of the city", an ambitious festival of quality that always takes into account the new talents. Ella Parlon said she was proud to "see the festival grow as a unique and genuine reference for flamenco" and to project the city as a reference for Andalusian art.
