- Arcángel, Soleá Morente and Tomasito head the bill of the festival that will take place from Friday 21 to Sunday July 23 at La Térmica Cultural and La Fábrica de Luz. Energy Museum
- The event includes performances of flamenco singing, guitar playing and dancing along with lectures, workshops and documentaries.
The first edition of the flamenco festival Bierzo al Toque presents a line-up with renowned artists who will fill with their art the spaces of La Térmica Cultural and La Fábrica de Luz. Energy Museum. Conferences, workshops, documentaries and concerts can be enjoyed free of charge from Friday 21 to Sunday 23 July in Ponferrada.
Tickets can already be booked through the website for activities at La Térmica Cultural, or by calling 987400800, by mail at guias@ciuden.es or at the museum's box office for those taking place at La Fábrica de Luz. Energy Museum. Attendees must register for each of the activities in which they wish to participate.
La Térmica Cultural and La Fábrica de Luz. Museo de la Energía will host this festival that proposes a journey through all the disciplines of flamenco, recently declared intangible cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO. Thus, the Turbinas hall will host performances by top artists such as Soleá Morente, Rosario la Tremendita or Arcángel himself, and the program will be completed with the screening of documentaries on the history of flamenco, clapping and compás workshops and other activities.
As presented last March, this festival is part of the Dinamiz-ARTj program promoted by the Institute for Just Transition (ITJ) and the City of Energy Foundation (CIUDEN) to boost cultural activity in municipalities affected by the closure of mining and thermal and nuclear power plants.
The poster of the first edition
The festival will begin at La Térmica Cultural on Friday 21 at 19:00 in the Antracita auditorium with the presentation of the book Ni tribus ni movidas, with texts by José Manuel Gómez "Gufi" and photographs by Paco Manzano.
And at 20:00 hours in the Turbinas room will come one of the highlights of this edition with the performances that will open DJ Pablo Calatayud followed, in order of intervention, Carlos de Jacoba, Arcángel, Tomasito and Soleá Morente.
On Saturday 22 at 11:30 am at La Fábrica de Luz. Museo de la Energía will take place a children's hand-clapping workshop given by the Sevillian bailaor and palmero El Torombo. The rest of the day will continue at La Térmica Cultural where, at 12:00 hours and for adult audiences, will be able to attend in the auditorium to a workshop of palmas and compás by Manuel and Antonio Montes Saavedra, Los Mellis de Huelva. In the afternoon, at 17:00 hours will be the screening of the documentary Pájaro de agua and photographs of Enrique Morente, a piece by Manuel Montaño.
The conferences will begin at 7:00 p.m. with La vigencia de la escuela de guitarra de Manolo Sanlúcar moderated by Fermín Lobatón, followed at 7:40 p.m. by Un recuerdo de Manolo Sanlúcar directed by José María Velázquez-Gaztelu.
Again at 20:00 hours will put the finishing touch to the day's performances by DJ Gufy, followed by performances by Planeta Jondo, Marina Heredia, Rosario la Tremendita and Cristian de Moret.
This first edition of the festival will close on Sunday 23 at 11:30 am at La Fábrica de Luz. Museo de la Energía with the children's workshop of palmas, again led by El Torombo.
Check the complete program here.
Bierzo al Toque, with vocation to be the reference in northwestern Spain
Bierzo al Toque' is born with the purpose of becoming the flamenco festival of reference in the northwest of Spain, giving continuity to the "Flamenco on fire" that takes place in Pamplona. Its vocation is to be a festival that goes through the music from flamenco as a starting point (singing, guitar playing, dancing) opening up to the multiple fusions with which it is associated. Also, the event aims to be a great cultural showcase that combines culture with the rest of the tourist values of the area such as architectural, historical, gastronomic and all expressions of the highest quality with which the region of El Bierzo has.
To achieve its goal, 'Bierzo al Toque' has the support of Miguel Morán, director of Pamplona's "Flamenco On Fire" since 2014 and of the Benicássim International Festival for 14 years. With extensive experience in the direction, organization and coordination of festivals, especially flamenco, Miguel Morán is originally from San Facundo (Torre del Bierzo, León). Founder and director of the Festival "Flamenco on Fire" in Pamplona from 2014 to 2019, he has directed the programming and coordinated other areas as co-founder and Director of the FIB - Benicàssim International Festival (1994-2009). In addition, he exercises different management functions, specializing in Artistic and Production Management and co-founder and co-director of the Sala Maravillas in Madrid (1992-2000) and is a national reference of music venues and epicenter of "alternative" culture.
Check here the information about prevention in La Térmica Cultural.
