Dakar, Oct 19 (APS) – A “subtle and sensitive” flamenco show, original creation of Spanish artists Sara Jiménez and Pablo Giménez, was presented in Dakar, for the first time on the African continent, Friday, on the occasion of the celebration of the national holiday of the Kingdom of Spain.
Called “Variation à tempo”, this 55-minute piece oscillates between dance and guitar, seeking to find balance and fulfillment between “shadows and light, music and silence”.
It invites us to reflect on the passage of time and its representation in space, emptiness and silence, to make movement and music possible, explain the authors of this piece.
With this original creation by dancer and choreographer Sara Jiménez, accompanied by classical and flamenco guitarist Pablo Giménez, the Spanish Embassy wanted to provide a new look at the heritage of flamenco in Senegal.
“We brought the artists to celebrate our national holiday because we want to celebrate the good relations between Spain and Senegal,” declared the ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain to Senegal, Dolores Rios.
She praised the cultural exchanges between the two countries, welcoming the large number of students following a course in Spanish at the Cervantes Institute and in Senegalese universities.
“As part of this cultural cooperation, we intend to organize next week the ‘Taste of Cinema’ festival and an exhibition of photographs by certain artists as part of the Biennale at the Cervantes Institute,” announces the diplomat .
This institute, inaugurated in 2021, “has been a very important tool” for bringing together Senegalese and Spanish cultures “through music, literature, and above all learning to […] “Spanish language,” said the first secretary of the Spanish embassy, responsible for culture, Juan Fabregas.
He considers that the celebration of their National Day of the Kingdom of Spain is “a good way to bring flamenco closer” to Senegal.
This popular art of oral tradition articulated around singing, dancing and guitar is one of the most representative artistic expressions of Spanish culture, he notes.
The dancer Sara Jiménez expressed her satisfaction at presenting this piece “for the first time in Africa and in Senegal”, with the ambition to “share the pleasure” of this show with the Senegalese public.
“This room […] was put together, thought out and created in 2020. There was a process in the creation, but there are also improvised pieces in this presentation,” she explains, emphasizing her artistic complicity with guitarist Pablo Giménez .
“We decided to bring Flamenco here, so that the Senegalese public can enjoy all the spectacle and the variety of this dance which is a style from the south of Spain,” recalled the cultural manager of the Cervantes Institute, Javier Mantecon Botella.
Spain’s National Day is celebrated on October 12 each year, in commemoration of the discovery of America by the Spanish in 1492.
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