Fiestas de San Isidro 2010: Free Music, Theater and Dance

Surrounding the main day-to-day events of  the Fiestas de San Isidro are cultural events that will go on from the 12th to the 16th of May. Click here to go to the main San Isidro events page, read below to find more about other free concerts, dances and theater performances that you can check out.

Musica en las Vistillas, May 13 – 16
The once royal Vistillas Gardens will be the backdrop for a number of performances from very diverse artists, the common link being that they are all Spanish and nearly all from Madrid.

Thursday, May 13th
20:30 p.m. – 22:00 p.m.: Olga Maria Ramos
The veteran singer and dancer will give a performance entitled pure cuplé, which refers to a musical style very traditional of Spain and particularly of Madrid. Popular, light and emotional are characteristics the cuple has carried since its popular inception in Spain in the 17th century–an apt description of the style is that of a woman singing in monologue. This song and dance carries with it the colorful and characteristic dress of the performing Spanish woman, the kind of fashion that has become a stereotype of Spain outside the country. Come see Mrs. Ramos and you´ll see one of the best performers of this genre in action.

Friday May 14
20:30 p.m. – 22:00 p.m.: MOTA
The popular Madrid based pop-rock band will present their first album since 2006. The band goes for rocky riffs, catchy melodies and your typical british rock influenced sound. Their first cd, self entitled MOTA, was well recieved in the national rock scene.

22:30 p.m.  - 12:30 a.m.: Primital
Composed by six members, Primital aims to be more a rock opera or music circus than a mere live band. It´s the kind of group that can´t help fusing jazz, rock and other genres to create a decidedly funky sound. Central for this band is the use of voices for chorus and backdrop sound; its with this element of acapella that they attempt to bring more complexity to their work–come and check them out for free.

Saturday May 15
11:00 a.m. – 14:30 p.m.: Cultural Display of Spain´s regions
The Federation of Regional Houses in Madrid has organized this event that fits perfect to any foreigner’s expectations: it literally entails a show about the diverse cultural aspects of Spain´s regions. Dubbed Homage to the People of Madrid, the display will feature folkloric performances and music from Galicia, Asturias, País Vasco, Aragón, Cataluña, Castilla y León, Castilla-La Mancha, Extremadura, Andalucía and Canarias.

18:30 p.m.- 21:30 p.m.: Traditional Madrid dances festival
This (quite short) festival will put some of Madrid´s traditional dances on display, an event sure to satisfy the musical and cultural expectations of the audience. Here is the list of associations that will perform:

• Asoc. Coros y Danzas Francisco de Goya, 18.30 h.
• Asoc. Coros y Danzas de Madrid, 19 h.
• Asoc. Cultural Arrabel, 19.30 h.
• Asoc. Folklórica Villa de Madrid, 20 h.
• Asoc. Universitaria de Danza El Candil, 20.30 h.

22:30 p.m. – 00:30 a.m.: Dorsia Band
Finally the night will be topped off by the loud and lively Dorsia Band. The rock group moves to their own beat and covers all kinds of pop rock classics.

Dance
Friday May 14, 19:00 p.m.: Et un, deux, trois, quatre…
C/ Arcos del Jalón,  C.C Antonio Machado
A performance of neoclassical and contemporary dance—mostly French dancing that predated and influenced the birth of ballet—organized by the Santamaría Dance Company. The show´s goal is to lure young children (or perhaps their parents) into the art, but even if you don´t fall in to this category it should still be enjoyable.  The choreography is by Juan Carlos Santamaría, 2008 winner of the national dance prize.

Saturday May  15^th, 18:00 p.m.:  Jonda Emoción
Parque Pradolongo – Plaza de la Media Luna (C.C. de Usera)
A traditional Flamenco show organized by the Rafael Peral Company in which the genre´s four expressions—guitar, dance, percussion and song—will be exhausted. Rafael Peral and Isabel Adame are sure to transmit flamenco´s sounds and moves in their purest form during the hour long show.

Theater
Saturday, May 15, 19:00 p.m.: Tejido abierto – Tejido Beckett
Paseo de la Chopera, 6 C.C. Casa del Reloj
In Jorge Eines´ play an anonymous letter joins four Samuel Beckett fans—two men and two women, all lovers—in an abandoned train station. The letter commands each person to represent a character and bring a text from the famous playwright. So is the start of this surrealistic tragicomedy that aims to be not only a study of human nature but also a dissection of Beckett´s literary work.  Starring Carmen Valls, Inma González, Dani Méndez and Alexander Caballero and directed by the Eines himself.

Saturday, May 15, 19:00 p.m. : Juana-Delirio
C/ Arcos del Jalón,  C.C. Antonio Machado
This play by Eva Hibernia wants to expose the mind and intimacy of one of the most dissected characters in contemporary theatre and literature: Joan of Arc. Set in the prison cell that Joan spent her last hours in before being led to the stake, the heroin is depicted in a state of delirium—a chance for the play to move back and forth between Joan´s thoughts, dreams, past memories and the dreaded present. Directed by Margarita Reiz  and starring Lola Cantero, Ena Fernández and Sara Martín.

Puppet Shows
¨El amor de Don Perlimplín con Belisa en su jardín¨ by  Federico García Lorca
Friday May 14th, 19:00 p.m.: Plaza Donoso 5, C.C. Eduardo Úrculo
Saturday May 15th, 19:00 p.m. : Avda. General Fanjul, 2-A C.C. Latinarte
El amor de Don Perlimplín con Belisa en su jardín is a puppet show for adults: a beautiful tragicomedy based on the play by Federico Garcia Lorca. In it an old man who never felt love discovers it with the young woman who is forced to marry him—who in turn, of course, falls for another man. When else are you going to be able to watch a free puppet show based on a García Lorca play?

Music
Thursday May 13th, 19:00  p.m.: Insomnia
Avda. de Moratalaz. C.C. El Torito (Distrito de Moratalaz)
Hard rock and metal band that´s been doing the Madrid circuit for over five years and released its first album only last year.

May 12th, 13th and 14th, 19:30 p.m. : Banalidades by Enrique Viana
C/ Mantuano, 51 C.C. Nicolás Salmerón
Famous tenor Enrique Viana will pull off an eclectic show to say the least. The setting will be a bel canto concert—referring to an Italian opera style—that will feature not only music but also lyrical comedy and social commentary. Creative and loose, it is one of the more awaited performances of this year´s lot.

Friday May 14^th, 19:00 p.m.: Jesuly
C/ La Verdad, 29 C.C. Lázaro Carreter
Real name Jesús Samper, Jesuly is a well known MC from Sevilla that is on the way to release his third record. Lyrical and streetwise, his music and persona represent much of today´s hip hop scene in Spain—come check out his concert and you´ll see a side and face of Madrid you may have not seen before.

By Daniel Sznajderman