12 cities dance with the Dansa Metropolitana festival

From March 10 to 27, the Dansa Metropolitana festival returns, expanding this year to two new locations in the metropolitan area, thus consolidating itself in 12 municipalities. Born in 2018 with the aim of democratizing dance by making it accessible to all citizens and supporting the local fabric, it reaches its fifth edition having managed to be considered the most important dance festival in the State and one of the most prominent in Europe, which is no small feat.

The big news this year comes with the incorporation of Sabadell and Granollers as new participants, along with Badalona, Barcelona, Cornellà de Llobregat, El Prat de Llobregat, Esplugues de Llobregat, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Sant Cugat del Vallès, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Terrassa and Viladecans. This continues the expansive line of previous editions, in addition to continuing the festival's proposal to bring dance to unique and unorthodox places to reach a wide and diverse audience.

Among the new spaces added to the Dansa Metropolitana festival, we will find L'Estruch in Sabadell or the Roca Umbert creation factory in Granollers, while in the Catalan capital, the Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB), the Centre d'Arts Santa Mònica, the exterior of the former headquarters of the Gustavo Gili publishing house ---recently acquired by the City Council--- and the Centre d'Arts Digitals IDEAL are added. The latter will also include as a novelty the incorporation of immersive shows, such as the one presented by the urban dance company Brodas Bros in collaboration with visual artists Desilence, which aims to be the opening of a new programming line for the center to present immersive performing arts.

Among the more than 300 planned activities, the free open-air shows stand out, which this year are part of the Confluències project. The Dansa Metropolitana festival has set itself the goal of betting on new proposals that can be presented in unconventional spaces and thus facilitate access to dance for everyone, taking it to places such as parks, gardens, squares, patios and other places, and valuing cultural diversity. A sum of eclectic proposals that allow all possible styles to be united under the same umbrella. Within the framework of this project, where the shows that will move the most through the different venues are found, starting with Migrare by the multi-award-winning Cia. Maduixa, which will tour all municipalities; Young Blood by Cia. Arnau Pérez, a piece that will also be one of the protagonists of the inaugural day, or Blue Monday by Agnès Sales & Héctor Plaza.

The Dansa Metropolitana festival presents a solid and powerful program of companies from all over the Spanish territory that represent cultural sensibilities from different autonomous communities, as well as important foreign productions already praised by critics, contributing to consolidate the cultural co-capitality that Barcelona has together with Madrid, and expanding its influence to the other participating municipalities.

Beyond the in-person events, the Filmin platform will once again be an ally for the Dansa Metropolitana festival and with the curation of the Choreoscope Barcelona Dance Film Festival they will present a collection of dance films that can be enjoyed online. So there's no excuse to miss anything.

The festival will offer the opportunity to see a new generation of artists who are beginning to emerge in the world of dance in our country, so, as the great Pina Bausch said, "dance, dance, or you will be lost".

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Many are the award-winning pieces and dancers who gather at this edition. Here is a summary of the most essential shows:

• Badalona

At the Teatre Zorilla, the National Dance Award 2020, Jesús Carmona, will presentDance of Beasts. In the Centre Cultural L'Escorxador, the AndalusiansMarcos Vargas & Chloé Brûlewill be withUniversal Shipwreck, which will also be performed at the Centre Cultural La Bòbila in L'Hospitalet.

• Barcelona

At the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya (TNC), international proposals such asAisha and Abhaya, of choreographer Sharon Eyal and the Rambert company, orHarakiri, of the national onesLes Impuxibles.

At the Mercat de les Flors, Jan Martens/GRIP & Dance On will bring Any attempt will end in crushed bodies and shattered bones; the contemporary dance company formed by two of the dancers from the CNDCompañía Nacional de Danza, Kor'sia, present their particular Giselle, and Laia Santanach will be with Tradere.

At the Teatre Lliure, international and national proposals alternate, with Amber by HODWORKS ---the most important company in Budapest---, and PLI by Viktor Černický, along with Toná by the national Luz Arcas/La Phármaco.

At the SAT! Sant Andreu Teatre, one can see Mucha Muchacha, the debut work by Cia. Celso Giménez, or Hacemos como que bailamos, by the Valencian company UNAIUNA.

Concrete Matter, by Los Detectives, will dance at the Antic Teatre, and as for unique spaces, one can enjoy the piece Poema Circular by Lorena Nogal in the courtyard of Editorial Gustavo Gili; Díptico del desierto by Gaston Core in the Capella del MACBA, or an excerpt of Lo Faunal by Pol Jiménez in Can Sabaté park.

• Cornellà de Llobregat

Dance corpsofPablo Messiezit can be seen in the Ramon Romagosa Room, as well as two choreographies byGaston Core, Desert Diptychin the Auditori de Sant Ildefons and Chorus in the Church of Cornellà.

• El Prat de Llobregat

The national companyMal Pelo, National Culture Prize of Catalonia, Ciutat de Barcelona Prize and National Culture Prize, will bring back theirHighlands to the Teatre L'Artesà, as well as to the Teatre Auditori de Sant Cugat.

• Esplugues de Llobregat

The festival opens in this municipality and will be the projectConfluences the protagonist of the inaugural day, with three pieces from young companies such as FangofQuim Girón (Animal Religion),Young Blood of the Cia. Arnau Pérez, andLet Us All Smile ofThe Jokerz Company, these last two representatives of urban dance.

The festival opens in Esplugues de Llobregat with the project Confluències as the protagonist of the first day

• Granollers

The Teatre Auditori premieres at the festival with pieces such as In the background shimmersofRocío MolinaandCometa ofRoser López Espinosa.

• L'Hospitalet de Llobregat

The Teatre Joventut is the chosen venue to present Vibrance andMedian of the multidisciplinary and avant-garde Japanese artistHiroaki Umeda, andAKompasado, of the nationalsJordi Cortes and Iván Góngora.

• Sabadell

9 of CanadiansCas Public---a piece born from the functional diversity of one of the dancers--- can be enjoyed at the Teatre Principal, andTears in the RainofWondergroundandEcoicaofBlanca Tolsàin l'Estruch, one of the new spaces.

In L'Hospitalet, the Teatre Joventut is the chosen venue to present Vibrance and Median by the multidisciplinary and avant-garde Japanese artist Hiroaki Umeda

• Sant Cugat del Vallès

Stands out Plàncton Smart City/Vox Balaenaeof theBallet Contemporani de Catalunyain the Teatre-Auditori. Pol Jiménez, this time with his companyThe Heels, will presentCronexionesin the Modernist Cellar.

• Santa Coloma de Gramenet

The Sagarra Theater will hostDouble You of the Belgian company Be FlatandAn Exquisite Corpse IIof Pau Aran.

• Terrassa

One of the greats, as is theAlonzo King Lines Ballet, will present two pieces at the Factoria Cultural:The personal element andAzoth. Also there will be seenDeath and the Maidenof theValencian Institute of Culturewith choreography by Asun Noales ---awarded the Max 2021 prizes for Best Dance Show and Best Choreography---. At the Teatre Principal, it will be seenAzul Petróleoof theIron Skulls Co, andBOGUMER (or sons of Lunatxarski) ofVero Cendoya, choreographer specializing in collectives with functional diversity.

• Viladecans

It recoversHiddenofLali Ayguadéin the Atrium.