“Giving companies the ability to act fills us with a lot”
- The Pasaia Dance Festival (PDF) was created by members of the company Haatik along with the City of Pasaia with the objective of giving visibility to the dance. From 8 to 11 June, twenty events were organized in the streets of Pasai Antxo. Along with the performances of the Basque companies, the fifth edition egitaraua.Besteak will pay tribute to the dancer Iker Murillo, who has left his professional activity in the scenarios. The last day of the festival will be the Grand Zanja with the participation of many citizens. We talked to Jon Arsuaga and Iurre Aranburu, members of the organization team, about the development of the festival.
How did you think about creating a PDF?
As a Pasaitarra company, before the festival we had contact with the city hall and we were asked to do something related to dance, and we thought that the way to make an attractive dance offer for citizens was a street festival. It was initially a one-off initiative, without continuity. Given the success of this first edition, we decided to reorganize it.
It has been five years of great development and change…
With the initiative launched in 2018, the pandemic came at a time of strong momentum. We all know how complex it was to organize everything, but we kept it with distances, capacities and other measures. Moreover, being a city festival, the festival is also conditioned by public works. For example, underground works have conditioned the place of performances.
In addition, Pasaia has a geographical peculiarity, as within the municipality there are four small localities around the bay: Antxo, Donibane, Trintxerpe and San Pedro. Although the initial idea was to change country each year, we decided to take root in Antxo because, in addition to the welcome of the first festival, Antxo has many connections with dance: Iker Murillo is from here and has here the academy, there is the dance group Alkartasuna, the dancer and creator Ebi Soria lives here, we also have headquarters… By chance, Akira Yosida, which is going to be this year’s festival, told us that he also lived here.
What do you choose from?
Year after year, as we see and learn, we are increasingly defining the criteria for completing the programme. The beginning was more experimental, perhaps not facilitating access to the general public. Contemporary dance is the basis, and the presence of many good companies in the Basque Country helps us to do so. On this basis, we seek different styles: urban, traditional, classic… As a sign of wealth, we have developed this year’s programme with the Basque companies.
What has it brought you to organize this festival?
It asks us for a lot of work, but we enjoy a lot, because we are also dancers. We live from within, in every way. We learn a lot from what we bring, from creativity and from organization, but above all we are very happy to give companies the opportunity to act. We know how difficult their lifestyle is, and we try to give companies what we would most like us, to make public. In addition, being a dancer makes it easy for us to meet the demands of the companies and we think they appreciate it.
We know that dance has a minority audience, but anyone can take 15 minutes to see a choreographic piece. We try to facilitate and channel this situation, moving dance to the plazas and streets of the town. We take great care of the character of the performance and choose the place accordingly. We try to create a special environment.
PDF is a mirror of the work you do in the company beyond creation?
You could say yes. We do activities other than choreography. In collaboration with Gipuzkoako Dantzagunea, we organized contemporary dance training workshops Hik Dantza Lantzen throughout the year with different teachers. We work with a close look at the culture and the people, and we believe it is an attitude that is reflected in the festival.
PDF 2023 Programme
8 June, Thursday (new creators)
- 19:00 Ground Zero. You are not machines. Skate park.
- 19:30 Jone Amezaga and Manu Gaigne. Waltz remedies. Skate in stands.
- 20:00 Unity Collective. One. Plaza Viteri.
Friday, 9 June
- 18:30 Yet. Tilde. Plaza Viteri.
- 19:00 Akira Yoshida. Burial of the bark. Skate park.
- 19:35 Mizel Theret. Communicative incommunication. Skate in stands.
- 20:30 Bear and Mujika. Back. Luzuriaga Park.
- 21:00 Lokke. Doppel-Leo. Luzuriaga Park.
- 21:30 Paula Parra. The bleedings issue. Luzuriaga Park.
10 June, Saturday
- 11:00 Family dances workshop. Teachers: Jone Amezaga and Manu Gaigne. At the municipal premises of Luzuriaga.
- 13:00 Special event: Tribute to dancer Iker Murillo. Plaza Viteri.
- 17:30 Iker Murillo Studio 24. Exhibition. Plaza Viteri.
- 18:30 Alkartxiki. Group of Danzas Alkartasuna. Plaza Viteri.
- 19:30 Qabcall. Zatitu zaigu. Skate park.
- 20:00 Cia. By city. X2. Skate in stands.
- 20:45 Amaia Elizaran. Evi. Luzuriaga Park.
- 21:30 Salitre. Amoria & Dolore. Luzuriaga Park.
Sunday, 11 June
- 12:00 Classic bar. Iker Murillo Studio 24. Cat apple.
- 13:00 Popular initiative. Large trench. Plaza Viteri.
- 13:30 Ttip. Directed dance. Plaza Viteri.
Information: Festival Pasaia Dantzan
The idea that we in the dance world often repeat is that dance is ephemeral. The Elhuyar dictionary gives as a counterpart to "ephemeral" English: ephemeral, destructive, perishable, ephemeral, ephemeral, perishable, perishable, ilaun. I don't remember who I first read that idea... [+]
Moor Krad
By: Ertza company.
When: 3 October.
Where: In the Muxikebarri room of Getxo.
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Transmisioa eta dantza taldeetako erreleboa aztertu nahi izan dugu Dantzan Ikasi topaketetan, eta gazte belaunaldiek lan egiteko ereduak ezagutu nahi izan ditugu “Gazteen parte-hartzea euskal dantzan” mahai inguruan: Eder Niño Barakaldoko... [+]
