With last night’s performance at the Bosnian Cultural Center in Tuzla, the Puerto Flamenco ensemble from Seville officially concluded its mini-tour of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which also included shows in Mostar and Sarajevo. All three performances were held as part of the Dansar Dance and Art Festival, presenting the “PURO” program, which combines flamenco dance, song, and live music.
“We are very pleased with the performances and our interactions with the audience in all three cities. Bosnia and Herzegovina is a beautiful country, and your audiences truly feel the flamenco and the emotion we bring to the stage. It has been a truly wonderful experience for us. We thank the organizers of the Dansar festival for the invitation and their hospitality. When we return home to Spain, we will speak highly of your country and the people we met here,” said Francesca “La Chica” Grima, a dancer, choreographer, and co-founder of the ensemble.
“Following last year’s sold-out Gran Gala Flamenco performances in Sarajevo, hosting the Puerto Flamenco ensemble was a logical next step in promoting flamenco in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is evident that there is an audience here that understands and enjoys this artistic expression. We aim to bring artists next year whose work adds new value to the cultural offerings of BiH,” said Enis Avdić, co-organizer of the Dansar festival.
Dansar is an international dance and art festival founded in Sarajevo that connects dance with other art forms by hosting established artists and providing a platform for young talent. This year, the program expanded to include Mostar and Tuzla for the first time, bringing festival events closer to audiences outside the capital. Puerto Flamenco operates in Seville, one of the centers of the flamenco tradition, and their program “PURO” combines dance, vocals, guitar and percussion. Along with shaped choreographies and musical units, the performance leaves room for improvisation and immediate exchange between the performers.
The Dansar festival program continues with the international modern dance competition DDC Open, which will be held on October 10 and 11 in Sarajevo’s “Goran Čengić” hall. The competition will bring together dancers from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region in different dance disciplines and age categories, and the audience will have the opportunity to enjoy choreographies of different styles over the course of two days – from hip hop and street dance to jazz, contemporary ballet, show dance, disco dance and Latin. DDC Open promotes dance as art, sport and a form of healthy lifestyle, giving young talents the opportunity to present their knowledge and gain new stage experiences.
