Festivals with DO, rice fields and tradition: what you'll only find in the Delta

DeltebreDeltebre Danza is the fruit of an unconscious mindset. We were younger, we had enthusiasm, and above all, we were crazy. Around 800 artists, almost 300 shows, 100,000 spectators, 2,500 dance students, and a hundred teachers. The citizens of Deltebre have finally embraced it," explains Tortosa dancer and choreographer Roberto Olivan, director of the festival.

In reality, the program includes two festivals in one. On the one hand, the professional training program, which brings together nearly 200 dancers, teachers, and students from more than fifty countries each year; and on the other, a full daily program of shows in a circus tent with a capacity for nine hundred spectators, open to the public. "It was the first major festival where the great exponents of contemporary dance converge. You can find emerging teachers, but also established ones like the Venezuelan David Zambrano, who, with the techniques of flying low and passing through "It has revolutionized improvised dance," explains John Barreto. This 34-year-old Colombian is one of the many international dancers who has attended Deltebre Danza courses. "I even went into debt to be able to be at Deltebre, because for those of us who come from Latin America, travel isn't cheap. But I don't regret it. If you're a dance professional, you have to be up to date with new trends," he adds.

As a creator and programmer, Roberto Olivan has been experimenting with the hybridization of disciplines for some time: contemporary dance, urban music, and even sports. And also with the circus. "The circus is a complete art form. In a single show, it manages to blend music, theater, and dance very naturally. Increasingly, dance schools are including circus in their training programs, and, at the same time, circus schools are including dance," explains clown Pepa Plana, who opened her Envidia center in 2008. Due to her artistic affinity and geographical proximity, she has enjoyed the festival almost from the beginning as a spectator, although she has also performed occasionally.

A platform for new talents

"A dancer isn't just made to move, but also to think. This became very clear to me after attending the training courses," explains Amposta dancer Laura Ibáñez, who—like Deltebre Dansa—has just turned twenty. While still a teenager, the festival opened her mind and helped chart her course in the complex world of contemporary dance. She attended the Barcelona Professional Dance Conservatory (Institut del Teatre) and, for the past year, has been studying at the University of the Arts in Arnhem, the Netherlands. "At Deltebre, I've been able to enjoy classes with the Catalan dancer Lali Ayguadé, who moves like a cat, and who has taught me to move with delicacy and precision; or with Rakesh Sukesh, a choreographer who has managed to connect Indian and Belgian culture, rooted in the philosophy of perception about how I should breathe. My classmates at the University of Arnhem are amazed when I tell them that I've attended classes with these teachers," says Ibáñez.

This year, the festival will be held from July 7th to 20th, with around twenty guest artists, including Wim Vandekeybus, Jasmin Vardimon, and Akram Khan. In terms of performances, Deltebre Dansa will open with Lots of Girls, a Spanish dance offering viewed from a contemporary perspective. Stars such as Lali Ayguadé and Joana Gomila, David Zambrano and Milan Herich, and Carme Muñoz and Derek Van Den Bulcke will be performing. "The program is groundbreaking and daring, with pieces that may be difficult for non-dance audiences, but we've also included more popular productions, with the aim of reaching a wide audience," concludes Roberto Olivan. At a symbolic €6 per ticket, everyone has their place at the festival.

What you will only find in the Delta

The success of the Deltebre Dansa has largely been due to the uniqueness of a territory with a distinct idiosyncrasy. Beyond professional and cultural enjoyment, the spectators and dancers who come also seek connection with the river, the beaches, and the traditions. The climax of this symbiosis comes with the dance improvisation in the rice fields of the Salvador barraca, when the dancers get muddy and let themselves be carried away by the music and movement. But you don't have to put your feet in the mud to enjoy the natural surroundings of the Ebro Delta. Moving through the shallow waters of wetlands, lagoons, and canals was a common way of getting around until the middle of the last century. Fishermen and hunters sailed with pontoons, small, narrow, shallow-draft wooden boats. They were propelled by a pole: a three-meter-long wooden pole, forked at the bottom, which acted as both an oar and a rudder. Today, this technique is still used to navigate the lagoons. On the rafts, access with pontoons is restricted and only licensed professionals are allowed to circulate. However, there are small corners where visitors can try their hand at perching. At Mas de la Cuixota (www.lomasdelacujota.com) or in MónNatura Delta (www.monnaturadelta.com) you can rent these boats and go into the canals.

If you're looking to enjoy the sea and gastronomy, a visit to the mussel farms located in the center of the bays of Alfacs and Fangar is an excellent option. Oysters and mussels are farmed on these crisscrossed wooden platforms, which seem to float on the water on the horizon. There are nearly a hundred of them, which produce approximately 300 tons of oysters and 4,000 mussels annually. Currently, three of these mussel farms are open to visitors, who can sit and enjoy steamed mussels or curly oysters served fresh, with a bouquet unique water that comes from the combination of fresh water from the river and salt water from the sea. Of course, to get there, you have to take a boat.

July festivals with DO Terres de l'Ebre

Euphonic, the festival of sound, visual and digital-performative arts

Eufònic is a sound and visual experience anchored in the unique landscape of Terres de l'Ebre, and especially in the Delta. From July 10 to 13, rurality and avant-garde art will come together in a program packed with concerts, sound performances, installations, and performancesThe festival will open with the premiere of Where Water Begins, a sound piece by Canadian-Korean artist Lina Choi, performed aboard the La Perla boat, sailing along the Ebro River. This work explores the human fascination with the sounds of water. eufonic.net

The Musical Days at the Ermita de la Piedad de Ulldecona

Sunday nights in the summer in the Sénia region, where Catalonia and the Valencian Community meet, have a name: the Musical Days at the Ermita de la Piedad in Ulldecona. An eclectic and international lineup, with eleven concerts and elevated views over the Hoya de Ulldecona. This season's offerings include the rock 'n' roll of the British band MFC Chicken (July 6), the Congolese Afro-funk of King'Gongolo Kiniata (July 20), and the French-Catalan fusion of the Dynamite Shakers (July 27).

The Jazz Showcase

From this weekend until July 12, music will be playing in almost every bar and restaurant in Tortosa, including the Plaza del Absis, which will become a large open-air auditorium for the stars. Performing on June 29 will be Dominic Miller's band, a frequent collaborator of Sting; flamenco guitarist Tomatito (July 2), a leading figure in the genre and winner of six Latin Grammy Awards; and the Madrid-based jazz-punk trio Gilipojazz (July 10). All of this will be complemented by a Cajin Cuisine Demonstration and jazz river cruises aboard the Lo Sirgador lute.

Proto-fest – Tortosa Music Festival

From July 23 to August 2, the festival will combine fifteen concerts in heritage spaces in Tortosa with training courses taught by renowned artists and educators. Musicians such as violist Rivka Golani, bandoneonist Marcelo Mercadante, and countertenor Jordi Domènech will perform. The bulk of the small and medium-sized concerts will be held in the Renaissance venue of the Royal Colleges, featuring Baroque opera, gems of Catalan and Viennese classicism, and concerts that fuse the world of tango with Ebre folklore.

DeltaChamber Music Festival

This festival is based on an artistic and musical residency that, for the past ten years, has brought together instrumentalists from around the world in the Ebro Delta. The result is a program of high-quality concerts centered in Amposta, but radiating out to a dozen towns in the far south of Catalonia. The festival features chamber music and ephemeral architectural interventions designed specifically for the central concert spaces.