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 17 Sep 08

9:30pm at Palau Sant Jordi 25-60€ Buy tickets

Gloria Estefan is a Cuban American singer and songwriter. she is in the top 100 of best selling music artists with over 90 million albums sold worldwide, with 15.5 million of those alone in the United States. She has won five Grammy Awards becoming among the most successful crossover performers in Latin music to date.

She will be awarded by the Latin Grammy Award Recording Association as the “Person of the Year” in the ceremony to be aired on November 2008, the award will be given to her for her long career of more than 20 years and her worldwide success, she’s also the first female singer to receive this prestigious award.

Gloria will be presenting her new album “90 Millas”. Some of the legendary artists joining her on this album include Carlos Santana, José Feliciano, Arturo Sandoval, Andy Garcia, Chocolate, India, Cachao, Papo Lucca, Johnny Pacheco, Generoso, and many more…

(Taken from www.wikipedia.org, www.actualidadmusical.com & www.90millas.com)

Thu 11 Sep 08

8:30pm at L’Auditori, Hall 1 Pau (Pablo) Casals (Lepant 150) 22 - 42€ Buy tickets

Shaila Durcal is a Spanish singer-songwriter best known for being the daughter of singing legend Rocio Durcal. She is presenting her third work “Tanto amor” after the success of “Recordando”, that was number 1 in Spain with two platinum discs and a nomination for the Latin Grammys in the best female pop category.

“Tanto amor” will mark a before and after in the career of this young artist, as it displays a significant step forward in her music. (Taken from www.auditori.org & www.shailadurcal.es)

Until 18 Jul 08

At Casa Asia, Sala Samarcanda (Av. Diagonal, 373) Free admission

After six year of success in Madrid, this selection of the best of the ImagineIndia Festival could be seen in Casa Asia. This year the festival is dedicated to the women’s role in the cinema; their view as movie directors and and their influence in order to change the Indian society.

Program

Mon 14 Jul

7:30pm - Dharm
103 min. Color. 2007. India Bhavna Talwar. Winner of the best director prize and to the best actor in ImagineIndia 2008 Madrid.

Tue 15 Jul

19 h. - Honeymoon Travels
120 min. Color. 2007. India. Reema Kagti. Winner of the best music prize en ImagineIndia 2008 Madrid.

Wed 16 Jul

7pm - Paradeshi
128 min. Color. 2007. India. P.T.K. Muhammad.

9:15 - Dansh
103 min. Color. 2006. India. Kamika Verma.

Thue 17 Jul

7pm - India Documental: Black Pamphlets
84 min. Color. 2007. India. Nitin K.

8.45pm - Indian Clasics: Sujata
161 min. B/N. 1959. India. Bimal Roy.

Fri, 18 Jul

7pm - No Smoking
128 min. 2006. India. Anurag Kashyap.

(Taken from www.casaasia.es)

Sat 26 Jul 08

8:30pm at Sala Apolo (Nou de la Rambla, 111) 15€ - 18€ Buy tickets

“Yeah, we’ve got our own thing”, states matter-of-factly Ray Lugo, leader of New York City powerhouse KOKOLO. Based on the spiky and hyper-funky grooves found in their latest album, “Love International”, it would be difficult to argue with the man. Few groups in today’s global Afro scene generate as much attention and excitement as they do debate and criticism as KOKOLO. “It’s the result of going against conditioned expectations”, expands Lugo. “People often expect the familiar, but I’m doing my thing in my time. This music comes from my heart, it’s humble music for the whole world. ” KOKOLO’s ever-growing international appeal (to date, the band has performed in over 20 countries) appears to lend weight to Lugo’s
words.

A former punk rocker who grew disenchanted with the promise held by that genre, Lugo formed KOKOLO in 2001 in the Big Apple’s Chinatown district. He took the name from Spanish Harlem slang used to refer to devout fans of afro music. From the outset, he sought to carve a path of his own. “There may be better afrobeat, funk, latin or polka groups around…but we were going to be the best KOKOLO in the world.” Within weeks of the group’s formation, they recorded their urgent “Fuss and Fight” debut at Gabe Roth’s Daptone Studios. Soon after the album’s release in 2002, the band found themselves playing to receptive audiences both at home and abroad. (Taken from www.kokoloonline.com).

Mo 14 Jul 08

10pm at Espai Movistar (C/ Pascual i Vila, 2 - Les Corts) 40€ Buy tickets

Erykah Badu is a Grammy-winning American R&B, soul, and hip hop singer and songwriter, whose work encompasses elements of jazz. She is best known for her role in the rise of the neo soul sub-genre, and for her eccentric, cerebral musical styling and sense of fashion.

Early in her career, Badu was recognizable for wearing very large and colorful head wraps. For her musical sensibilities, she has often been compared to jazz great Billie Holiday.[1] She was a core member of the Soul guardians, and is also an actress having appeared in a number of films playing a range of supporting roles in movies such as Blues Brothers 2000, The Cider House Rules, and House of D. (Taken from www.wikipedia.org, www.espacio.movistar.es & www.theproject.es).

Mon14 & Tue 15 Jul

At Auditorium Forum - Ticket Hotline 902 10 12 12. International enquiries +34 933 262 946. Buy Tickets also available online from www.telentrada.com. Tickets on sale Monday 2nd June at 9.00AM.

Tom Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by one critic as sounding “like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car.”

With this trademark growl; his incorporation of pre-rock styles such as blues, jazz, and Vaudeville; and experimental tendencies verging on industrial music,Waits has built up a distinctive musical persona. He has worked as a composer for movies and musical plays and as a supporting actor in films, including The Fisher King, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and Short Cuts. He has been nominated for an Academy Award for his soundtrack work on One from the Heart.

Lyrically, Waits’ songs are known for atmospheric portrayals of bizarre, seedy characters and places, although he has also shown a penchant for more conventional ballads.

(Taken from http://www.antilabelblog.com and www.wikipedia.org)

Fri 11 Jul

9pm at Sala Razzmatazz (Almogavers, 122) 25 - 30€ Buy tickets

Duffy, is a British singer-songwriter. In 2003 and was invited to appear on Wawffactor, a Welsh television show similar to Pop Idol on local station S4C. She was expected to win, but came second to winner Lisa Pedrig.

She recorded a three-song-EP in Welsh in 2004 and also appeared on two tracks on the album See You in the Morning by Mint Royale. Owen Powell of Catatonia and Richard Parfitt of Newport band 60ft Dolls, introduced Duffy in August 2004 to former Public Image Ltd. member turned music manager and part-owner of Rough Trade Records, Jeanette Lee. Lee moved Duffy to Crouch End in London, and orchestrated a meeting between Duffy and Suede’s ex-guitar player Bernard Butler.

Contracted to A&M Records during 2007, together with another rising star, Adele, Duffy was the most prominent of the so-called “new Amys” (a reference to singer Amy Winehouse. On 21 April 2008 Duffy was at the top of the Pan-European Album chart for Rockferry and the Eurochart Hot 100 Singles chart for “Mercy”. (Taken from http://www.iamduffy.com/ and www.wikipedia.org).

Mon 23 Jun

Picture by Marcelo Aurelio

The Saint John’s Festival is the midsummer solstice celebration. It is celebrated on 23rd June every year and is also called “La Nit de Sant Joan” - Saint John’s Night.

The summer solstice is the day of the year when the night and day are of equal length and in ancient times this was considered the most important event of the solar year.

Fire use to be the symbol of abundance, purity and fertility; that is why fire is the central element of this Festival in the form of fireworks and bonfires on the beaches.

At midnight, everybody can participate in the ritual of fire purification. The tradition is, that you should write on a paper the things you want to change in your life, throw it into the flames and then jump three times.

Each “barrio” has its own firework display and all-night bonfires. The biggest celebration is at Montjuic with a fabulous fireworks display and a massive bonfire. (Taken from www.arte-redes.com and www.barcelonayellow.com)

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)