The 31st edition of the International Folklore Festival 'Solidarity Showcase of the Peoples' in Ingenio came to a close this Saturday with a show lasting over two hours at the Néstor Álamo Park. The event featured groups from Asia, Africa, America, and Europe, along with an emotional tribute to Venezuela following the earthquake.
The Néstor Álamo Park in Ingenio was the venue on the night of Saturday, July 25, for the closing of the 31st edition of the International Folklore Festival 'Solidarity Showcase of the Peoples', which began on July 13. For more than two hours, groups from four continents presented a varied repertoire of traditional dances and music before a full audience.
The event was hosted by the décima poet and professor from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Yeray Rodríguez, who encouraged the audience to "prepare their souls and hearts" to enjoy the performances. "Tonight, Ingenio becomes the heart of the world, because with this festival we continue to seek what unites us," stated the host.
The evening began with a tribute to Venezuela, a country that suffered a violent earthquake a month ago. Ingenio singer Goreti Benítez, accompanied on piano by Samuel Pérez, performed 'El becerrito' and 'Pajarillo verde', two songs through which the festival aimed to show its solidarity with the Venezuelan people.
The international journey was initiated by the hosts, the Cultural Association of Choirs and Dances of Ingenio, who performed pieces such as 'Conde Olino', a sorondongo, a zaranda from Lanzarote, the Capotín polka, and a farewell isa. This group has been organising the festival for over three decades with the support of the Ingenio Town Hall and sponsorship from the Cabildo of Gran Canaria.
From Taiwan came the Kuo-Shin Chuang Pangcah Dance Theatre, performing for the first time in the Canary Islands. Hailing from Hualien, a small coastal town, they presented five traditional songs linked to the land and gratitude for the harvests.
Armenia was represented by the Husher Dance Company, which was debuting in the islands although they had performed three times in Spain before. Their dancers displayed a delicate balance with pieces like 'Artsakhi zmrukht havker', while Greece participated with the Cultural Association of Greek Tradition Alonaki, which was performing in Spain for the first time. Their 27 dancers and seven musicians executed dances such as the tsamikos, the kageli, the xasapiko, and the xasaposerviko.
Andalusia was present through the Cultural Association of Choirs and Dances of Roda, which also made its debut in the Canary Islands. They performed tanguillos from Cádiz and Jerez, as well as the fandango 'Huelva', rescuing from oblivion mountain dances, abandoned fandangos, rondeñas, and verdiales.
One of the most applauded moments was the performance by the Mien Moh Dance Company from Ivory Coast, which combined energetic acrobatics with traditional African rhythms. Puerto Rico, Bulgaria, and Canarian folklore completed the lineup, offering a journey through the heritage diversity of the invited peoples.
Among the audience were the president of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria, Antonio Morales; the mayor of Ingenio, Vanesa Martín, accompanied by members of the municipal corporation; the cultural councillor of the Cabildo, Guacimara Medina; the mayor of Tegueste, Norberto Padilla; the rector of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Lluís Serra; ethnographer Maximiano Trapero; the general director of Social Services and Immigration of the Government of the Canary Islands, Elizabeth Santana; senator Ramón Morales; and deputy Luis Campos, among others.
The festival, which has established itself as a cultural reference point in the municipality, concluded with a farewell isa performed by the host group, thus closing three weeks of cultural exchange and solidarity among the peoples.
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