The programme of the 17th edition of Jornadas de Inclusión en las Artes Escénicas (Conferences on Inclusion in the Performing Arts) has been presented to the public. The conferences have been organised by the National Institute of Performing Arts and Music (INAEM), an autonomous agency of the Ministry of Culture, and are to take place from 22 to 24 April in Tenerife. With the slogan «Desplazamientos: escenarios de resistencia» (Displacement: Stages of Resistance), this new edition of the INAEM-sponsored event will focus on migratory phenomena, diaspora, and the challenges this reality poses for today’s society, performing-arts professionals, and institutions. This year’s edition will be the first time the event is held on an island in the Kingdom of Spain. INAEM has also unveiled a new image and structure of its inclusion website, which provides information and coverage of the conferences.

Registration has been open since 2 February, and those who wish to sign up for the activities may do so from today onwards via the form available on the website.

The 17th edition of Conferences on Inclusion in the Performing Arts has been organised by INAEM and Tenerife Island Council-Auditorio de Tenerife in alliance with the Government of the Canary Islands and the Spanish Network of Theatres and Auditoriums. Other collaborators include the University of La Laguna, the British Council, Santa Cruz de Tenerife Town Council, Círculo de Bellas Artes of Tenerife, Apropa Cultura, the Association of Performing Arts Distribution and Management Companies (ADGAE), and Sinpromi – Tenerife Island Council.

Venues and non-conventional spaces

The conferences, curated by Eva García, are to offer attendees seven performing-arts events, including ‘La Placita’, which will feature five offerings, each lasting less than 10 minutes, and a sampling of performing arts from the San Matías neighbourhood. Other activities include the projection of two documentaries, spaces to share thoughts and experiences under the title Del ensayo al acto, encuentros profesionales (From Rehearsal to the Act, meetings with professionals), six workshops and, for the first time, a mentoring programme with renowned performing-arts professionals.

The conferences will also serve as a window for the presentation of inclusion projects, the traditional comunicaciones, renamed this year as En el foco (In Focus). The programme has been expanded this year and will take place at several venues in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and other nearby locations on the island. The Auditorio de Tenerife will serve as the centre of operations for the event, with a range of activities and offerings at the venues Espacio La Granja, Espacio TEA and Círculo de Bellas Artes, as well as in non-conventional spaces such as the San Matías neighbourhood and the Penitentiary Centre Tenerife II.

Narratives on migration

The programme features a performance of Vagabundus, a show by Mozambique-based choreographer Idio Chichava and Converge+ Dance Company. The work will be interpreted by 13 performers and is inspired by the migratory movements and ritual dances of the Makonde people. Interweaving dance, voice and symbolism, Chichava creates powerful, melodic narratives about the multiple faces of migration. The second offering will be Mahmud y no sólo Mahmud, of Madrid-based Puntocero Company, whose members are migrant artists from the African diaspora. The show tells the true story of Senegalese immigrant Mahmud Traoré through words, circus language and live singing. The work speaks for millions of displaced persons who face labour exploitation, racism and the lack of legal resources that would provide them with safe mobility.

A Spanish-Palestinian production, Trapped in Hope / Preso en la esperanza is a performing arts creation by Palestinian artist Nabil AlRaee and the Spaniards Juan Ayala and Miguel Oyarzun. Through his biography, AlRaee will give spectators a glimpse of Palestinian resistance against colonial occupation, reflecting on hegemonic narratives of repression: how they are constructed, what they are made of, and the factors responsible for their perpetuation.

Also, in the category of documentary theatre, Polígono, by La Escrig Producciones, draws on testimonies from a group of Jinámar residents to reveal the impact of tourism and urban speculation on the most vulnerable sectors of the population.

Other scenic formats and projections

The grounds of the Auditorio de Tenerife will be used for La Placita, an event with small-format works created by five Canarian artistic and cultural professionals: the Artistic Association Memvus from Gran Canaria, and the Tenerife-based Grupo de Teatro of the Canarian Foundation El Buen Samaritano, Acerina Amador, Satélite Teatro, and Barrios Orquestados.

The conferences will also feature activities, including two screenings of El canto de las manos. This Spanish-Venezuelan documentary, directed by actress María Valverde, explores deafness through music, featuring the experiences of Jennifer, Gabriel, and José, three deaf musicians from Venezuela.

Reflection and dialogue

Along with the artistic offerings, the activities will include opportunities for reflection and dialogue. In this year’s edition, five spaces for reflection and experience will allow professionals in cultural management and performing arts to discuss different aspects of inclusion. The opening presentation will bring together Vicente Zapata, Dagmary Olívar and Yeison F. García, who will offer insights on the subject of Comprender la movilidad y los desplazamientos en el mundo contemporáneo (Understanding mobility and displacement in the modern world). The second round of talks, titled “Diversidad e interculturalidad en las artes escénicas y la música” (Diversity and interculturality in performing arts and music), will feature Diego Salazar and José Ramón Hernández. Afterwards, Alia Alzougbi and Francisco Godoy Vega will speak about Patrimonios interculturales invisibilizados o no reconocidos (Invisibilised or unrecognised intercultural heritage). In the last round, José Antonio Vitoria and Xirou Xiao will address the subject Prácticas y metodologías con personas migrantes en artes escénicas y música (Practices and methodologies with migrant persons in performing arts and music).

In addition, the conferences will offer five workshops for sharing experiences in which the attendees will be encouraged to participate: Idio Chichava will work with the human body and movement in Upload the Rhythm; Miguel Oyarzun will give a workshop on documentary theatre; Christian Fernández Mirón will show his research through singing in Círculo de nanas; Unidad Dād La Gomera – Centro Coreográfico de La Gomera director Martín Padrón will offer a workshop on conscious movement; and Puntocero Company members Colins Ouna Opiyo, Elvis Kyengo Kakiti and Joel Bwana Anabaka will share their knowledge of the circus in Circos del mundo: Kenia.

Two workshops will be held in non-conventional spaces. Juan Ayala and Laura Marrero will offer the first at Penitentiary Centre Tenerife II, an activity involving theatre and movement for the inmates. The second is Participabarrios.es – Deriva y escenificación junto a la vecindad del Barrio de San Matías, an interpretive review with the collaboration of the neighbourhood association Asociación Vecinal ‘La Montaña’, among other institutions.

Mentoring

A new addition to this year’s edition is the mentoring programme. Taking place over the course of the conferences, it consists of spaces for accompaniment, contrast and reflection and is designed for projects that seek feedback from renowned performing-arts professionals.

For further information, please see the conferences programme.