The new edition of the Dansa Metropolitana festival. taking place from 1 to 17 March (there are some shows that run until 24 March), will once again be bringing movement arts to city residents with a series of free and theatre-based shows. This year, urban dance forms the backbone of a programme that shines a spotlight on French companies and artists and seeks to share knowledge of movement arts through the Artèries programme.

Taking part in the initiative are the municipalities of Badalona, Barcelona, Cornellà, El Prat, Esplugues, Granollers, L’Hospitalet, Sant Cugat, Sabadell, Santa Coloma, Terrassa and Viladecans. In the theatres and also public spaces of these towns and cities, you’ll have the chance to enjoy almost two weeks of performances from major local and international companies.

It all begins in Sabadell on Friday 1 March in Parc Catalunya (Skatepark and Plaça Argub), with an urban dance battle courtesy of the Soul Headquarters school and a performance from French company Accrorap, directed by urban dance master Kader Attou, who will be presenting Prélude, a choreography set to the music of Romain Dubois.

And this gives way to a whole host of free shows, including the French company Dyptik’s travelling show D-Construction, , which will be popping up in various municipalities over the course of the festival.

Sessions featuring a single show or double and even triple bills, free of charge, will bring us an array of shows ranging from Diego Garrido’s solo Nunca bailaré solo to Iron Skulls Co’s La perla, Núria Guiu’s Cyberxorcisme, choreographies such as Colectivo Glovo’s Alleo; references to boxing in the form of Àngel Duran’s Clinch; the stimulating shows from LaSala (Alive) and the passionate piece by Led Silhouette and Marcos Morau entitled Los perros.

Adrián Vega (Gargots), La Corcoles (H), the Eelelei company, presenting the co-production Too Much (also showing at the Soy madera festival), Marina Pravkina’s groove and Esbart Rocasagna and Quim Bigas’s the blend of tradition and modernity (Era) are just some of the shows on Dansa Metropolitana 2024’s free, open programme.

International creations such as those from Marco da Silva Ferreira, Fantasie minor (2022 creation), the double bill from Leïla Ka and Maciej Kuźmiński and, straddling Hong Kong and Barcelona, Panda Waack and their Beautiful Chaos, are part of the wide-ranging “Artèries” programme. Here you’ll have the chance to see a series of choreographies (free of charge) by professional creators showcasing their talent and, at the same time, working with students from local dance schools to perform urban dance pieces resulting from the collaboration between learners and professionals.

The festival also has a theatre-based programme (admission fee payable) which will feature shows from well-known names from the international dance scene and the best of the local scene.

Choreographers such as Joaquín Collado (Hacia un sol negro, in Barcelona), Patricia Donn and the flamenco of Ángeles y Demonios, double bills such as the one featuring Amalia Fernández (Solala) and Laila Tafur (Maja y Bastarda EP), shows for children such as those by Animal religion (Copiar; in Barcelona) and French artist Maud le Pladec (Silent Legacy, with Jr Maddripp), among others, make up a programme with moments approaching theatre (Los gestos, by Pablo Messiez) and with can’t-miss shows such as the one by Portuguese artist Piny (. G RITO). Ascent and Impermanence, two choreographies by the Sydney Dance Company (directed by the Catalan choreographer Rafael Bonachela) showing at the Mercat de les Flors, and French company Käfig’s hip-hop piece in which dancers are challenged by the forces of nature (Zéphyr), are some of the other shows on the programme of a festival with performances from Club Guy and Roni (Islands of Empathy, in Santa Coloma; Maria Pagès (Paraíso de los negros, at the TNC) and the stunning Tragédie, new edit by the Olivier Dubois Company, which is a reinterpretation of a piece created some years ago.

There are many more shows and events, including several activities that enable spectators to access the world of dance and movement barrier-free, and even enjoy it at the cinema, with both the Filmin platform and some of the theatres that are members of the Gremi de Cinemes de Catalunya screening filmed performances of some of the gems of this genre.

If you want to get your fill of movement arts, come along to Dansa Metropolitana 2024, but check out the full programme on the website first and pick the shows you really don’t want to miss.

 

The final curtains came down in Badalona, Barcelona, Cornellà, El Prat, Esplugues, Granollers, Hospitalet, Sabadell, Sant Cugat, Santa Coloma, Terrassa and Viladecans on the sixth edition of the Dansa Metropolitana Festival, held from 9 to 26 March, with over 330 dance activities in different venues of these cities.

This year’s festival presented a total of 183 performances of 118 shows, 29 film screenings, 50 fringe activities and 58 educational activities, at a 100 different venues. A programme that stood out for having a bigger number of international activities (12), featuring well-known international ballets and focusing on Latin American creators, and also more co-productions (10), with the festival aiming to support the local fabric.

Activities in the theatres, community centres, streets, squares, public venues and iconic buildings of the dozen metropolitan-area cities, together with screenings in cinemas and on the Filmin platform, attracted over 66,200 spectators during the nearly three-week festival. Indoor activities were up by 26% and street activities by 38% on last year.

Public attendance at the shows and indoor activities was higher than in previous editions. Around 80 performances of school, national and international shows were offered as well as some 50 fringe activities, watched by 22,100 people. Tickets were sold out for most of the performances at big stage venues, such as Mercat de les Flors, Teatre Lliure and the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya, as were over 20 shows at other theatre halls in the metropolitan area, where overall average occupancy was 80%. The family shows, with maximum attendance at many performances, were equally well received.

This year’s Dansa was back with a vengeance in the city’s unique, public and outdoor spaces, where free activities attracted a total of 9,700 spectators in the 12 cities. This was made possible thanks to an extensive, diverse street programme and to the new Liminar project, which highlighted and reclaimed iconic spaces from the metropolitan area’s architectural heritage, with dance activities specially thought up for the location and occasion.

This year’s programme also saw a notable increase in the number of community projects involving city residents, twice as many as in the previous year; educational projects which, through the Liminar project in particular, helped to get more schools than ever taking part in the festival (53, with 1,756 students), and exhibitions of amateur projects, up from 4 in 2022, to 19 this year, with 722 participants.

As in previous editions, Dansa could be enjoyed at the cinema too, with screenings of big productions, and through the Filmin platform, run by Choreoscope, which attracted a total audience of 34,400. 

 

Dansa Metropolitana, a benchmark festival

Given these figures, Dansa Metropolitana is now the most important dance event in the metropolitan area and has found its niche among dance festivals in the Spanish State. It has become a benchmark in Europe, with a programme that features every style and is accessible to everyone, where the public can enjoy not just international but also local artists, both established names as well as upcoming talent.

We are reaching the end of the sixth edition of Dansa Metropolitana and we encourage you make the most of the last fourteen shows, which range from family entertainment to international ballet and emerging talent. 

Over the last weekend there are three shows that younger children will certainly enjoy, as well as the adults accompanying them. At the Mercat de les Flors in Barcelona, we make a fascinating journey with Cometa, brought to us by Roser López Espinosa; at the Teatre La Faràndula in Sabadell we discover LOOP, by Aracaladanza, the best FETEN 2022 dance show; and at the Atrium in Viladecans, the premiere of Macarron Power, a new show by the choreographer Sol Picó, which reflects on immigration seen through the eyes of a child. 

This year, Dansa Metropolitana stands out for the increase in the number of classical and neoclassical dance productions, with the presence of great ballet companies from around the world, including the three we can see this weekend: At the Factoria Cultural in Terrassa, Acosta Danza, the company run by renowned Cuban ballet dancer Carlos Acosta, presents a five-piece repertoire in Spectrum, with the seal of the most modern, contemporary Cuba; (LA) HORDE – Marseille National Ballet at the Mercat de les Flors, with Childs / Carvalho / Lasseindra / Dogherty, an explosive combination of the work of four choreographers (the urban movement of Oona Doherty, the voguing of Lasseindra Ninja and the rigour and clarity of Lucinda Childs and Tânia Carvalho); and Ballets Jazz de Montreal, which presents Essence at the Teatre-Auditori in Sant Cugat, a mixed programme featuring three acclaimed choreographers to celebrate the company‘s 50th anniversary. 

More international talent with the Argentinian Josefina Gorostiza, who premieres Las Cantatas Eufóricas at the Teatre Principal in Terrassa, a Dansa Metropolitana co-production which brings Bach‘s cantatas to the present day; and for a younger audience, one of the outstanding jewels of the festival: Les Autres, by Anton Lachky Company, at the SAT! Sant Andreu Theatre. 

One of the festival‘s must-see shows is the premiere of La casa vacía, by Proyecto Larrua, a contemporary dance production about the relationship between a renowned, recently-deceased artist and their partner, also co-produced by the festival.

And we couldn’t do without emerging talent on the contemporary scene, exemplified this weekend by Àngel Duran with Cowards, at the Teatre Sagarra in Santa Coloma; discover new creators at the La Caldera creation centre, with a double programme: Los lunares del Puma, by Adrián Vega, and Yo soy un baile breve, by Rosa Romero, and the brilliant company Mucha Muchacha at the Sala Ramon Romagosa in Cornellà.

And the last Liminar project for this year, where we invite you to discover dance and architecture at the Editorial Gustau Gili building in Barcelona, featuring live music with the accordions of Les Rustines de l’Ange. A sensory, emotional, physical immersion with the production CoraSon, rounded off with improvisation from the company and dancers Alícia Pérez Cabrero, Bebeto Cidra, Jordi Cortés, Cecilia Colacrai, Junyi Sun and Lila Ribera.

One of the goals of Dansa Metropolitana is to bring all audiences into closer contact with dance. Little ones can also enjoy dance with ten family shows for them to discover this year in the different cities in the Barcelona metropolitan area.

The first week sees the Teatre Principal in Terrassa offering Plàcton, a show with choreography from Anna Rubirola, along with the Col·lectiu Big Bouncers company, while the Auditori de Sant Ildefons in Cornellà will be offering a show by the choreographer and puppeteer Antonella D’Ascenzi entitled Filar.

Sunday 19 comes packed with a diverse array of options, such as the urban dance and visual art of Brodas Bros and Desilence with Doji at the Teatre-Auditori in Sant Cugat, as well as the dance, puppets and visuals of La gata que volia canviar la història by the Thomas Noone Dance company at the Teatre Margarida Xirgu in Badalona. 

Young children who have not yet had their first contact with dance can also enjoy shows such as Paisatges. Estudi #1 by CreaMoviment, an artistic experience inspired by the work of Pablo Palazuelo at the Centre Cívic Jardins de la Pau in El Prat or Natanam by DA.TE Danza, where contemporary dance, theatre and original salt drawings from southern India fuse at the Atrium Viladecans. The Teatre Auditori in Granollers is also offering a show from the Roberto G. Alonso company, Marúnica, delving us into the world of the fascinating painter from the Generation of '27, Maruja Mallo.

The final weekend for Dansa Metropolitana offers us a chance to enjoy three shows which young children and those accompanying them are sure to enjoy. At Barcelona’s Mercat de les Flors we can go on a fascinating journey with Cometa by Roser López Espinosa, at the Teatre La Faràndula in Sabadell we’ll discover LOOPby Aracaladanza, the best dance show at FETEN 2022, and at the Atrium Viladecans there’s a premiere of the new show by choreographer Sol Picó reflecting on immigration through the eyes of a child, Macarron Power. 

 

Remaining true to its commitment to excellence, this year Dansa Metropolitana brings us eleven foreign productions that have already won over the public and critics alike. Given the Focus on Latin America, seven of them are by creators from across the Atlantic. 

One of them is the Chilean Marco Layera, who is returning to Teatre Lliure with his company Teatro La Re-Sentida to present the dance project Oasis de la impunidad, following his highly successful Paisajes para no colorear. 

Other examples include the Brazilian Poliana Lima, who will be presenting Las cosas se mueven pero no dicen nada, a show with a dozen female performers on stage, at the Mercat de les Flors; and the Argentinian Marina Otero, currently one of the most popular creators, who will bring to L’Hospitalet’s Teatre Joventut a provocative look at the body in FUCK ME, a work with five naked performers.

The Argentinian Josefina Gorostiza will premiere her Las cantatas eufóricas, a Dansa Metropolitana co-production that gives a modern makeover to Bach's cantatas, at the Teatre Principal in Terrassa. 

In Terrassa's Factoria Cultural, the renowned Cuban dancer Carlos Acosta’s company Acosta Danza will present Spectrum, a set of five pieces with the distinctive features of the most modern and contemporary Cuba. 

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, we’re keen for you to discover the artists turning stages on their heads and who you’ll be able to see during Dansa Metropolitana. 

We’re also offering discounts for you to enjoy their shows between now and Saturday:

Mujer en cinta de correr sobre fondo negro, by Malaga’s Alessandra García, is the revelation show for the Max Awards 2022 and offers a snapshot of people from humble neighbourhoods through humour, words and movement. The show is on at the Antic Teatre from 16 to 19 March and the discount code is PROFESSIONAL.
 

The Argentinian choreographer Marina Otero presents FUCK ME at the Teatre Joventut in L’Hospitalet. This successful piece on narcissism has been performed all over the world. The show falls somewhere between fiction, documentary, dance and performing arts, and there’s a 50% discount on tickets with the code dansalh.
 

Soleá o../o../.o/o./o. is a research project on a single dance, directed by Rafael R. Villalobos, which saw flamenco dancer María Moreno light up the 22nd Seville Flamenco Biennial. Using the code MARIAMORENOyou can get a 30% discount on your tickets for this unmissable show.

Built from the sound of dancers’ bodies, Las cosas se mueven pero no dicen nada, by Brazil’s Poliana Lima,is a dance piece about ideas of permanence and insistence performed by women only. You can see it with a 30% discount at the Mercat de les Flors using the code COSAS30.

 

In Tradere, by Catalonia’s Laia Santanach, contemporary dance and electronic music combine to reflect on traditional group practices, where the body is the main means of exhibition. You can see her creation at the Atrium Viladecans with a 30% discount  using the codes DansaViladecans and Vila2023.

Don't miss out!

From 9 to 26 March, for the sixth edition of Dansa Metropolitana, dance will take over the theatres, civic centres, streets and squares, public spaces and iconic buildings of twelve metropolitan towns and cities, with a total of 331 activities for audiences of every kind. Badalona, Barcelona, Cornellà, el Prat, Esplugues, Granollers, l’Hospitalet, Sabadell, Sant Cugat, Santa Coloma, Terrassa and Viladecans, are the municipalities once again taking part in this big dance fest. 

With a programme that makes dance accessible to everyone and facilitates a dialogue between critics, artists and audiences, the 2023 edition features a greater number of classical and neo-classical shows, with great ballets from around the world, and a focus on Latin America with a selection of pieces by creators from across the ocean.  The programme aims to stir up enthusiasm through a diverse array of national and international proposals, ranging from urban dance to flamenco and contemporary dance, among others. What’s more, through the involvement of theatres and municipalities, for its 2023 edition, the festival is co-producing, supporting and presenting 10 new pieces from a new generation of creators. 

As in previous editions, Dansa Metropolitana will be presenting shows in a diverse range of spaces, with a particularly extensive programme of free shows in public spaces in all the participating municipalities. New to this year's edition is a broader vision of iconic architectural spaces and the creation of the Liminar project which inhabits cultural heritage spaces undergoing a transition, and transforms them into unique spaces for hosting dance projects. For example, the Masia Freixa (Terrassa), the former Mercedes Benz factory (Barcelona), the former Gustau Gili publishing house (Barcelona), Vapor Codina (Sabadell) and Can Bagaria (Cornellà), among others. The diversity of venues responds to the aim to bring dance to new audiences, introducing it to new communities from public spaces within their local area or inviting them to discover new ones. 

See you there!

Dansa Metropolitana returns once again, from 9 to 26 March 2023, in twelve cities in the metropolitan area: Barcelona, Badalona, L’Hospitalet, Cornellà, El Prat, Viladecans, Esplugues, Santa Coloma, Sabadell, Terrassa, Granollers and Sant Cugat.

Over two weeks of dance, with a varied offer of shows for all audiences, as well as a wide range of activities.

The complete programme will be presented at the end of February, but this Christmas, with the collaboration of the facilities taking part, we are able to give you advance notice of a selection of shows you'll be able to see during the festival's sixth edition, for which the tickets are already on sale.

Give Dansa Metropolitana as a present this Christmas!

BADALONA 

Teatre Zorrilla

• Soleá, María Moreno
• Rèquiem nocturn, Pere Faura

Teatre Margarida Xirgu

• La gata que volia canviar la història, Thomas Noone Dance

BARCELONA

Antic Teatre 

• Mujer en cinta de correr sobre fondo negro, Alessandra García

La Caldera Les Corts 

• Programa doble: Rosa Romero + Adrián Vega

Mercat de les Flors

• Las coses es mouen però no diuen res, Poliana Lima
• Carcassa, Marco da Silva Ferreira
• Crowd, Gisèle Vienne
• TRES del Ballet Triàdic, Taiat Dansa
• Ànima, Arrangement Provisoire - Jordi Galí
• Cometa, Roser López Espinosa
• Childs / Carvalho / Lasseindra / Doherty, Ballet National de Marseille

SAT! Sant Andreu Teatre 

• Beneath, Thomas Noone Dance
• La casa vacía, Proyecto Larrua
• Les autres, Anton Lachky

Teatre Lliure de Gràcia

• Oasis de la impunidad, Teatro La Re-Sentida

Teatre Nacional de Catalunya

• Trilogia sobre la guitarra, Rocío Molina

EL PRAT

Teatre L’Artesà 

• ENR2, Hip Hop Prat con dirección de Úrsula Rilo
• Ballarina, Sònia Gómez
• Made of Space, Guy Nader & María Campos

Centre Cívic Jardins de la Pau 

• Paisatges. Estudi #1, CreaMoviment

GRANOLLERS

Teatre Auditori de Granollers 

•  Trencats, Cia. Liant la Troca

• Marúnica, Roberto G. Alonso

L’HOSPITALET

Teatre Joventut

• Fuck me, Cia. Marina Otero
• Yarin, Kukai Danza

SABADELL

L’Estruch 

• La mecànica de l’infortuni, Clémentine Telesfort & Lisard Tranis
• Lóng, Kernel Dance Theatre

Teatre La Faràndula

• LOOP, Aracaladanza

SANT CUGAT

Teatre-Auditori de Sant Cugat 

• IT Dansa
• DOJI, Brodas Bros
• Essence, Ballet Jazz Montreal

SANTA COLOMA

Teatre Sagarra

• Parts, Wang Ramirez
• COWARDS, Angel Duran

TERRASSA

Teatre Principal i Teatre Alegria

• Plàncton, Anna Rubirola
• Above, Gaston Core
• Latung La La en dansa, David Ymbernon
• Las cantatas eufóricas, Josefina Gorostiza

LaFACT Cultural

• Acosta Danza
• Béjart Ballet Lausanne

VILADECANS

Atrium Viladecans

• Tradere, Laia Santanach
• Natanam, DA.TE Danza 
• Macarron Power, Sol Picó

Last year, Dansa Metropolitana filled the theatres, civic centres, streets, squares and public spaces of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area with dance, with over 250 productions. This highlights its commitment to bringing dance to all kinds of audiences. Let's remember: