Art Festival
1st Annual International Festival of Arts
Jan 05, 2005 - Jan 23, 2005
From January 5th to the 23rd, Merida will host a unique first-time cultural event. The event is the “1st Annual Arts Festival - Merida Cultural" and it is a part of the continuing efforts by the citizens and government of Merida to involve the arts in all the activities of the city.
During these two and a half weeks, celebrated Meridano sculptors, painters, dancers, actors and other artists along with many of their international comrades will present their different art forms. There will be dance, music, theater, plastic arts, movies and readings of literature. The varied shows and presentations will take place in different venues throughout the city of Merida.
This festival is the result of a concerted group effort between Merida’s Municipal Government, the State Government, the Federal Government, universities, and private enterprise.
The festival itself is a symbol of the unity of the nations and peoples, with art demonstrating the ability to overcome all obstacles such as geographical limits and different languages. The human spirit is revealed in the things that we all have in common, with art and spirituality those things that tighten the bonds between us.
The countries that are participating in the festival include:
-Venezuela with the presence of the sonero Oscar De Leon.
-Spain with flamenco dancing as well as a series of contemporary Spanish theatre offerings.
-Cuba with the musical group “Manguare” with such figures as Ela Calvo, Coco Freeman and Santiago Garcia, to mention just a few
-Argentina will present a theatre piece by Aristides Vargas, plus an intensive course of in acting and direction.
-Belize will bring their Dance Company and Garifuna music.
Other events include the inauguration of the festival hosted by Oscar de Leon. In literature, there will be readings by the famous writers Angeles Mastretta and Maria Luisa. There will also be an exhibit called “Olympic Gods” about the Greek culture, taken from the San Carlos National Museum collection and shown in Merida at the Olimpo Cultural Center.
You can also see performances of the Gala Ballet of the National Dance Company and the Gala Opera with the Symphonic Orchestra of the Yucatan. There will be two performances of children’s theater, one about Frida Kahlo and the other about Leonardo DaVinci. Concerts by local artists include Jesus Armando, Ligia Camara and Eduardo San Ereterio, and Maria Teresa with Ruben Gonzalez, Jr. and his Orchestra all will take place in the Acoustic Shell at the Park of the Americas. You can also attend the presentation of the CD by Maru Boesta and books by Fernando Muños and Luis Peres Sabido. Lastly, there will be an homage paid to Pier Paolo Passolini and a concert by Astrid Hadad.
We hope you will all take advantage of these wonderful cultural events in the Yucatan!
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