The Backpackers Hostel Blog

Fri 5 & Sat 6 Jun

9pm at Mercat de les Flors / Ciutat del Teatre (Calle Lleida 59)  6 € per day / 10 € two day subscription

“The Marató de l’Espectacle” is a great celebration of performance and contemporary art in Barcelona where, year after year, more then 4000 spectators, as well as many professionals and programmers of the sector attend Mercat de les Flors for a marathon of more than one hundred different shows.

With nearly 200 productions and artists, who presents an extract of their work (10 min max).  In 25 years, the Marató has gained strong experience and professionalism. It has become an unique event, where a large number of artists from different origins, artistic trends and disciplines show a fragment of their work in excellent atmospheric and technical conditions.

This year, the Marató celebrates its 25th anniversary and for this special occasion we propose a wider programme of experimental, risked, original and creative productions. Any type of performance is welcome: performing arts of big or small format, music, video, cinema, flash projection, videogames, videoart, animation, itinerant shows, performances, visual arts, photography, installations.  (Taken from www.marato.com)

Marató 2007 -watch video

Sun 13, 20 & 27 Apr

12 h at Teatre Nacional de Catalunya - Sala petita (Pl Arts, 1) 12€

Magic, imagination and shadows. These are the three elements the Barcelona illusionist Sergi Buka combines in Umbra.

The show will surprise the audience, with the battle between the magician and Jean Claude Lavache. A duel of appearances and disappearances, of surprises, to confuse, reaching the point where it is difficult to decide what is real and what imaginary.

Fri 4 & Fri 11 Apr

11:30pm at Cafè-Llantiol Theatre (C/Riereta, 7. Raval) 14€ Reserve 50% off

ARGENTO TANGO FUSION is an excellent combination of Astor Piazzolla’s music and electronic vanguard arrangements.

This attractive modernization of popular Buenos Aires’s music will lead you lead to sonorous landscapes full of passion and music.

Sat 24 May

5:30pm & 9:30pm at Palau Sant Jordi (Sants-Montjuïc) 26 - 75€ Buy tickets

Bareback riders, acrobatics, pinpoint dressage, colourful costumes, gorgeous movement and a herd of admirable beasts, mean that it isn’t a horse show in its traditional mould - Apassionata is pure entertainment.

Watching these beautiful animals up-close is a spell-binding experience. Audacious Cossacks demonstrate fine horsemanship, in addition to nerves of steel, as they spin themselves around their steeds, grazing the surface of the sand. Expert riders guide their horses in complex, mesmeric patterns across the arena, and trainers convince their horses to jump, from standing, high into the air. This is all backed up by music, lights and secondary performers including dancers, a bull fighter, and an unforgettable comic donkey. (Taken from www.londontown.com)

One Sunday a month: “Los Domingos son de Lunares “

Sun 10 Feb

8pm at Apolo, Sala 2 (c/ Nou de la Rambla 111) 10 - 12 € Buy ticket

The promoter “Arte por derecho”, is bringing its latest flamenco creation: “Los Domingos son de Lunares”. Inspired by a song by El Capullo de Jerez, the title of this new event reflects the spirit of this famous piece of music: joy, colour, vitality, authenticity and a passion for the sounds of rumba, flamenco and fusion.

El Tablao de Carmen

Tue to Sun 07:45 to 09:00pm & 10:00 to 11:15pm

El Tablao de Carmen (Avda Marques de Comillas, s/n) Pueblo Español de Montjuic.
Drink+show 35 euros
Dinner show + tablao menu 69 euros
Dinner show + upper menu 79 euros
Dinner show + gala menu 94 euros Reservations

The “Tablao de Carmen” pays homage to the legendary dancer Carmen Amaya, of gypsy blood and Catalan birth, who made her debut in 1929 before his majesty King Alfonso XIII at the inauguration of the “Pueblo Español” during the World Fair taking place in Barcelona at the time.

Each show lasts 75 minutes and features an internationally acclaimed artist accompanied by young, up-and-coming talents. Historically, young artists have always started out at a tablao, traditionally a place where they learned their craft and launched their careers.

El Tablao Cordobes

7pm; 8:30pm & 10pm at El Tablao Cordobés (Las Ramblas, 35) 33€ (drink+show); 68€ (dinner+show)

Founded in 1970, on its scene has passed great flamenco figures as Farruco, Camaron, Manuela Carrasco, Mila de Vargas, Lole and Manuel as well as key figures in contemporary dance like Eva la Yerbabuena, Belen Maya, Israel Galvan or Rafael de Carmen, just to name a few.

El Tablao de Tarantos

8:30pm, 9:30pm and 10:30pm

Tarantos (Plaça Reial, 17) 5€

The Tarantos tablao has become a popular gathering place for flamenco lovers. Following the tablao’s tradition, both professional and amateur performers take to the stage to transmit their passion for flamenco and the feelings that inspire them.

Wed 27 & Thu 28 Feb

8:30pm at Teatre Lliure ( Pl. Margarida Xirgú, 1)  26€  Buy Tickets

“An abstract full-evening ballet by William Forsythe. This is the first time ‘Impressing the Czar’ has been performed by a company other than Forsythe’s Ballett Frankfurt.”

In ‘Impressing the Czar’, Forsythe uses dance as a means to reflect upon the medium itself. Though there is no narrative theme, the action focuses - with a great sense of humour - on nothing less than the history of Western civilization.

Tue 5 - Sun 24 Feb

Tue - Fri 9pm; Sat 6pm & 10pm ; Sun 6pm at Teatro Tivoli (Casp 8)  23 - 25€  Buy Tickets

This is a show which takes the monks and teachers of Shaolin and Wudang as an example, a show revealing the classic elements of the kung-fu of Shaolin and the kung-fu of youth in all their perfection and skill. The basic elements of the art are the incredible exercises of pure Qi gong and collective combat exercises with classic weapons.Based on the philosophy of zen buddhism and the phenomenal techniques of combat and of meditation practiced by the teachers of Shaolin and Wudang. The show reflects the unimaginable power of the mind.

Thu 31 Jan to Wed 6 Feb

Sitges is close to Barcelona, and you should go and see the most exuberant Carnival celebration in all of Catalonia. The people from Sitges are the proud organisers of the area’s most famous Carnival.

The Carnival ends with the coronation of the Carnival king and queen and the Drag Queen of Sitges, who will preside over most of the public events held during the following week.

There you will find a lot of different activities for everybody, a gymkhana, cultural events and the official visits of the Carnival king and queen. At night you could see people in extravagant costumes and the music of a wide variety of bands.

Trains to Sitges leave from Psg. de Gràcia and Sants Estació every 20 minutes. There is a night bus every hour after 1am that connects Sitges with Plaça Catalunya in Barcelona.

More information at http://www.sitges.cat/carnaval/

Tue 26 Feb to Sun 23 Mar

9:30pm at Teatre Tivoli (Casp 8 ) 20€-37€ http://www.servicaixa.com/

The show seizes the motif, the choreography, and the most successful soundtracks of the 80s from Indian film history to create an impressive mixture of dance, theater, musical, and film.

The contrasts between traditions of India and the glamorous world of cinema are captured in a Bollywood-typical love story.

Based on the family history of one of the most famous Indian film dynasties, the Merchant family. The youngest star choreographer, Vaibhavi Merchant, also created the breathtaking dance scenes of the show.

Mon 29 Jan to Sun 10 Feb

Mon to Fri: 9pm
Sat: 5pm and 10pm
Sun: 5pm

At Plataforma Marina Fòrum (Calle Plataforma Marina S/N) 29€-129€ www.telentrada.com

“For the first time on stage, the equestrian arts are infused with unprecedented magic and emotion in Cavalia, an innovative multimedia extravaganza.

Homage to the poignant history and fascinating bond between human beings and horses, Cavalia is a poem written in the language of sound, image and extraordinary performance. Blending dramatic visual effects, live music, dance and acrobatics with the bold presence of over thirty magnificent horses -including the incredible Lusitanian stallions -Cavalia raises the bar of spectacular entertainment in the 21st century.” (Taken from Cavalia)