The Backpackers Hostel Blog

Tue 16 & Wed 17 Sep 08

9pm at Mercat de les Flors (Lleida, 59)  22€  Buy tickets

Akram Khan cultivates the art of the encounter, in search of an identity that goes through all borders from a dance energetic and full of personal stories that become universal.

This work, carried out with the training of classical ballet of China, supposes a continuation of the eagerness for Khan to combine different traditional dances with the goal to create a new vocabulary and original in this field. In “bahok”, a word Bengali that means “carriers”, dancers coming from different cultures, traditions and origins (Chinese, Koreans, Indians, South Africans and Catalans) show the updated version of the tower of Babel.

Akram Khan is one of the most prestigious choreographers of the international scene and one of the more distinguished dancers of his generation, famous for his intercultural and interdisciplinary collaborations and to challenge the conventional ideas about the traditional forms of dance.

The National Ballet of China – NBC, headquartered in Beijing, was founded on December 31, 1959, and is the only national ballet troupe of the country. Master Peter Gushev from the former Soviet Union laid a solid foundation of classical ballet for the NBC.

NBC has produced Chinese ballets, Western ballets, modern ballets, as well as modern dances. Many NBC dancers have won gold, silver and bronze medals at various international ballet competitions. (Taken from www.mercatflors.org & www.wikipedia.org)

Wed 3, Thu 4, Fri 5 Sep at 8pm
Sat 6 Sep 5pm & 9:30pm

At Gran Teatre del Liceu (La Rambla, 51-59) 14,25 – 95,75€ Buy tickets

The Balé da Cidade de São Paulo was founded in 1968. The contemporary idiom of its dancers has been further enriched by the company’s Brazilian flavour. With Mônica Mion as its artistic director, it has consolidated its position among the most innovative and original ballet troupes and has accepted the collaboration of top-ranking choreographers. For its debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu it offers a programme representative of its wide and varied repertory.

The piece by Gagik Ismailian (created specially for it in 2001) mingles fados sung by Amália Rodrigues with music by Wim Mertens and seeks, in the words of the choreographer, «to use the disquiet and melancholy of the fado to choreograph a love that is constant, violent, and almost tribal».

Perpetuum, on the other hand, is one of Ohad Naharin’s most surprising, variegated and popular choreographies. This veritable classic of contemporary dance, performed to waltz rhythms by Johann Strauss II, parodies drama, opera and dance itself in a whirlwind of humour, irony and colour.

The programme also features a new work by Cayetano Soto, a choreographer born in Sabadell who is a member of IT Dansa and the Ballett Theater München. Soto’s new ballet will be included in the repertory of the Balé da Cidade de São Paulo in its forthcoming international tours. (Taken from www.liceubarcelona.com)

Thu 24 – Sun 27 Jul

Barcelona is going to play host to the EuroGames Barcelona 2008, the European championship for gay, lesbian and transsexual sportsmen/women and their friends. An amazing event which will involve more 30,000 people and which for a few days will transform Barcelona into the authentic European capital of sport and gay and lesbian culture.

EuroGames Barcelona 2008 will consist of 28 sporting events together with a range of cultural and leisure activities based in and around the city. The event will make its mark on Barcelona for a few days as more than 5,000 sporting participants descend upon the city from all corners of Europe.

Sportive Disciplines: Aerobics, Badminton, Ballroom, dancing, Basketball, Beach volleyball, Bowling, Bowls – Pétanque, Canoeing, Cycling, Floorball, Football, Golf, Handball, Hockey, Rollerblading, Rugby, Running, Sailing, Softball, Squash, Swimming, Synchronized swimming, Table tennis, Tennis, Track and field, Volleyball, Waterpolo, Wrestling.

Cultural Program: Ceremonies, forums, festivals, parties, tourism, etc. More info Buy tickets

EuroGames is sport, fun and culture. More info

Wed 16 – Sun 27 Jul 08

6:30pm & 9:00pm at Teatre Tivoli ( C/ Casp, 12) 24 – 30€, Kids below 14 years old 15€ Buy tickets

With “The Secret” spectacle, the magician Lari excites the public but without revealing the mysterious secrets of the art of magic.

He has more than 10 years of experience in the magic field, and has given more than 3,000 functions in Catalonia and Spain.

(Taken from http://garum.blogspot.com & www.servicaixa.com)

Until Sat 2 Aug

July and August

Wed until 11pm / Tue until 10pm at Caixa Forum (Av. Marques de Comillas, 6-8)

Concerts, Scenic Arts and Poetic Recitals, Cinema, Multimedia Performances

Tríada (Bulgarian Voices: Valya Petrova, Boryanka Dimitrova, Elena Aleksieva; Pulshar, La muerte y la primavera (Teather), EEDL (electronic music), Branquicefalias mistéricas, Ni Romeo ni Julieta, Barco de arena (Scenic Art), Sitjazz Band, Digital China (Audiovisual Thematic Concert), Los libros arden mal (tango novel), Zaharregia, txikiegia agian / Una manera de mirar (poetry and music), Binomis (Down-tempo experimental electronic + Balago Dance & Erre que Erre, Asíkides (greek music), Divine Gospel Reunion, A paso de Rosalía de Castro (poetry), Carta de una mujer desconocida (Letter from an unknown women Xu Jinglei, China, 2004, 94 min, Movie in VOSE), One Woman Blues & Swing Show, Sforzinda (Flute concert), Flamenco (Mercedes Cortés/voice, Jordi Flores/guitarra; Jesús Flores & “el Nano”/palms), Institut FATIMA (Multimedia Spectacle), December Quintet, Sunflower Zhang Yang, China, 2005, 131 min, VOSE (Movie), The Baghdad Ensemble (Classic Music from the Middle East), Fernando Lagreca (electronic pop), Vida (Poetic Recital), Ping-pong mongol Hao Ning, China, 2005, 107 min, VOSE (movie), Barbad (Classic Music from form Persia, tradicional Armenia and popular Magreb), A paso de Charles Baudelaire (Scenic art), Micro Music BCN (multimedia concert), La boda de Tuya Wang Quanan, China, 2006, 95 min, VOSE (movie), One Woman Blues & Swing Show, The Orient Express Orkestra (sefardi and klezmer music), edukando.org (electronic music), Pere Arquillué dice a Gabriel Ferrater (Scenic art).

(Taken from http://obrasocial.lacaixa.es).

See Program (just in Spanish language)

Wed 25 Jun – Sat 2 Aug

1 2

3 4

Click here to see complete programme Click here to Buy tickets

This is the 29th edition of the Barcelona Grec 2008 Festival , with a huge programme of more than 40 theatre, dance and music performances.

Many of the bigger music events take place in the Poble Espanyol, with artists such as The Brothers Size, Vanessa da Mata, Hiroaki Umeda, as well as international pop stars. Other big name highlights include Marianne Faithfull at the Teatre Grec, and the highly acclaimed contemporary dance maestro Trisha Brown. It is recommended to book your tickets well in advance.

(Taken from www.barcelonafestival.com; http://gothamist.com; popnewss.files.wordpress.com; www.eu-japanfest.org; www.icatfm.cat).

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1 The Brothers Size (Theatre)
2 Vanessa da Mata (Music)
3 Hiroaki Umeda (Dance)
4 Nit de Circ (Circus Night)

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.