12° Fira Mediterranea de Manresa
[size=medium][color=CC0000]12th Fira Mediterrània shakes the modernity and the tradition[/color][/size]
www.firamediterrania.cat / www.myspace.com/firamediterraniamanresa
Women voices, protagonists of Mediterrània
The twelfth edition of the Fira Mediterrània of Manresa, taking place from the 5th to the 8th of November, has rebalanced the productions featuring performing and circus arts with music, which nonetheless still continues to predominate. The Mediterranean’s most dynamic market for performances with an emphasis on roots shall have a unique thematic focus that brings together tradition and modernity and will be led by Valencian artist Carles Santos. Our languages adapted to obtain a tradition that still remains strong shall come, for example, from the circus or aerial dancing, specifically through the company Circo Delicia, which will put on one of the market’s most striking performances, in this case on the main façade of the Town Hall of Manresa.
Thanks to Santos, the Fira Mediterrània grows in artistic ambition as it strengthens the public’s curiosity and especially that of the professionals of the performance programme. For that reason, this year, it has opened new sections of interest with the rebalancing of the various disciplines that it combines and which make this event absolutely unique in the world of markets, not only in Catalonia but at an international level as well. For the very first time, the Fira generously opens itself up to the world of storytelling, through the programming of new performances that comprise the FiraConte section. This section has been made possible through an agreement with the En Veu Alta (EVA) Festival, which is held in El Penedès every spring. In addition, there are also small-format performances which take into account the times of economic hardship that we are currently experiencing.
Collaboration with other events and institutions in the country is one of the trends of this twelfth edition. The central performance by Carles Santos, to be held on Saturday at mid-day in the Plaça Major, will shake up the tradition of the Clavé choirs, with the outstanding participation of the prestigious Polifònica de Puig-reig and Orfeó Manresà. It has been co-produced with the Torroella de Montgrí Music Festival, which next year will hold its thirtieth edition and is also one of the festivals that have been declared strategic by the Catalan government. The cultural industry, specifically the company Amunt Produccions, will also participate in this co-production, which has been financially backed by the Consell de les Arts de Catalunya.
Another of the co-productions is the documentary “El contrapàs llarg”, based on the work of the renowned Belgian director and dancer Catherine Allard (now with the company IT Dansa) and the veteran choreographer of traditional dance, Albert Sans. This project takes a look at one of the oldest and quietest dances of the Catalan repertoire and is part of the increase in audiovisual work presented at the Fira (in fact, a total of four films will be screened). At the same time, it makes it possible to bring the Mediterranean together with other cultural entities that are not roots-oriented, like the Mercat de les Flors and the Institut del Teatre of the Provincial Council of Barcelona.
In addition to the storytelling and audiovisual presentations, another new section of interest is the exhibitions that are presented within the Fira. Mediterranean voices, instruments and bestiary are the main theme of three showcases, which for the first time feature guided tours as part of the event. A total of 24 activities have been programmed which are linked to this expository side of the fair.
Passeig Pere III will become the FiraPasseig, changing its structure in order to accommodate four different areas. In addition to the regular stands and information point, there will be a Fira shop, featuring products that the artistic management wants to promote, and the new food and beverage area, dubbed the FiraTeca. In this gastronomic area, visitors will be able to taste representative products, like the Catalan coques (flatbreads), couscous from Maghreb, pizza and crêpes. Next to it, there will be a very unique sampling of beverages which stem from some of the most traditional and representative celebrations of the Catalan Countries. The various wine cellars of the Pla de Bages Designation of Origin, with growing prestige, are also included in this area.
Lastly, the Fira Mediterrània, with its strong sense of culture and art, is growing like a market. Evidence of this lies in the fact that this is the first edition in which the Institut Català de les Indústries Culturals is amongst the management entities of the foundation that organises the Fira. For that reason, the Catalan Arts brand will appear on all the communications materials for this edition. The Contractual Marketplace will have a central location as it moves into the heart of the city, the square Plaça Porxada, equidistant and just 5 minutes from the 24 programmed areas: 13 interior and 11 exterior. A total of 17 professional activities will be held, and in other spaces as well, like the Auditori Caixa Manresa and the Chamber of Commerce. For the first time, following the model of other international events such as the French Avignon Festival, these spaces are included in the programme with a view to emphasising the idea of a point of contact between artists and professional programmers, and thus of potential cultural business.
The promotion of this professional aspect, related to the new sections of interest (like the storytelling, audiovisual presentations and guided tours of the exhibitions) and especially to the idea of facilitating the viewing of the productions by not limiting them to a single performance, has made it possible for the number of activities to jump from 128 in the last edition to a total of 204 in this edition (37.25% more), with practically the same number of different artists and companies: 101, in 2008; 105, this year, from 17 different countries. The interest of the companies and groups in the Mediterranean market is evident in the total number of first appearances: 43, almost 41% of the total programme. Of these, 21 are very first appearances, 8 are the first in Spain and 14 are the first in Catalonia. The Fira will have 8 of its own co-productions.
The poster for the 2009 edition is based on certain lines of programming which have given priority to effort, with the emerging productions taking precedent. Nonetheless, the Fira continues to remain faithful to programming certain headlining acts, like Souad Massi from Algeria, the Sardinian Elena Ledda, Fàtima Spar from Austria, the Valencian which is high on the European list of ethnic rhythms Mara Aranda with her new group Solatge, another Valencian who is the surprise artist of the season Carles Dènia, and last but not least the performance Coetus with Eliseo Parra and the Catalan Sílvia Pérez Cruz.
The Fundació Fira d’espectacles d’arrel tradicional, Mediterrània informs that your personal data has been obtained from previous editions of the fair and from specialized publications. This personal data has been managed with the maximum confidentiality and security, according to the privacy and security policy of the Fundació, as well as the Spanish Personal Data Protection Law 15/1999, of 13 December and the Royal Decree 1720/2007, o 21 December. The Fundació Fira d’espectacles d’arrel tradicional, Mediterrània informs that is the holder of the file of Mediterrània fira d’espectacles d’arrel tradicional de Manresa, filed in the Catalonian Agency on Data Protection. The purpose of this personal data treatment is to manage your relationship to Mediterrània, fira d’espectacles d’arrel tradicional, as well as to send information related to our events and services. In case there is a modification in your data, please contact us in order to update it. The data requested is strictly necessary to identify the client. In case you do not exercise the opposition or cancellation of said purpose during thirty days, we may conclude your consent to the previous mentioned purpose of processing your data, which will be included in the above file. You will be able to exercise your rights to access, rectification, opposition and cancellation, sending your request to the following address: C/ Àngel Guimerà, 5, 5é pis, 08241-Manresa or by sending an email to the following e-mail address: administracio@firamediterrania.cat
