The XI Festival of Jeréz, the most important annual event in the calendar of world of Flamenco and Spanish dance, will take place between 23 February and 10 March.

The official programme opens at Villamarta Theatre with the Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía directed by Cristina Hoyos. 46 other shows will follow where women have the starring role.

As has been recognised by critics and public alike year after year, it is the quality of the programme that stands out above all. Here the very best artists perform, play, dance and speak and breathe flamenco.

Organized by the Villamarta Theatre foundation, almost 27,000 people participated in last year’s event with more than 90% of seats being sold.

This year once again, staying faithful to its original ideals, the organization has managed to embrace all artistic tendencies at its various venues.

Thus, Cristina Hoyos will open the Festival on 23 February at 9.30pm in the Villamarta Theatre, using the universal language of the poet Federico García Lorca to express herself, adapting and translating Romancero gitano to the language of dance, with José Carlos Plaza as stage director.

Pleasures in store

In this way the tone is set and a taste is given of what is in store over the next 15 days in the city. For the activities are not confined to the Villamarta, but spread throughout various public spaces and special venues in Jeréz where flamenco finds it’s most authentic and artistic expression.

Great flamenco is not however confined to the Villamarta, la Sala La Compañía, el Palacio Villavicencio and la Bodega Los Apóstoles de González Byass, but can also be enjoyed in the “peñas” or clubs of Jeréz where Flamenco is lived and breathed late into the night.

Learning and spreading Flamenco

The Festival also includes 36 dance courses which are always highly regarded, so much so that pupils from 30 countries have enrolled and 90% of the available places have already been taken.

For the aim is not just to offer an artistic programme of the highest quality, but to also help train, educate, stimulate creativity and contact with other arts. Within the Festival there are presentations, talks and discussions on everything to do with flamenco as a global art.

One shouldn’t miss, for example, the series of artistic activities related to singing, guitar playing and music fusions which the Festival has planned this year in order to find new aesthetics and ways of expression for the Flamenco of the 21st century.

As has come to be expected, two great legendary figures will close the Festival of Jeréz on Saturday 10 March at 9pm. The alternation between flamenco dance and song finds its ultimate expression at Villamarta Theatre in Manolete and Agujetas.

The complete programme is available at en www.festivaldejerez.es  and ticket sales are available from www.telentrada.com 24 hours a day and through taquilla.villamarta@aytojerez.es . For more information phone +34 956 327 327.