The International Contemporary Dance Festival of the Canary Islands, MASDANZA, was born in Gran Canaria, in 1996. It is the result of the initiative of its Director from the very beginning, Natalia Medina, with the support of the Department of Culture of the Municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana. The Department recognised and supported this initiative, with the intention of covering an important cultural space that had not been included previously in the agenda of any public or private institution in the Canaries.
Since its first beginnings in 1996, MASDANZA has consolidated itself year after year, going from a small regional festival, to national by the second, and then on to international from its sixth edition until now, spreading beyond our national borders and open to the participation of international choreographers and dancers.
MASDANZA has grown as an event that every year acquires more strength and prestige outside the borders of our community, allowing the public to see that there are important cultural alternatives when visiting Gran Canaria. The most convincing evidence of this fact is the increasing number of public attending every edition of the Festival. Thanks to their interest in discovering new creators and trends, this Festival has become a leader in the national and international arenas.
In the beginning, the audiences were formed by dance professionals and people with a very keen interest in dance, however, year after year, we have been able to attract the interest of the general public, therefore awakening their interest in discovering a new form of artistic expression which until now seemed destined for a select minority.
Our Organisation´s commitment to offering our audiences the best in dance, leads us to invite Dance Companies of recognised prestige to perform during the Opening Ceremony and at different events during the Festival, performing their latest productions.
Parallel to the competition, during the week, there are many activities: Guest Companies, Break-Dance Championship, Masdanza Showcase, Dance Marathon, Exhibitions, Dance In Open Spaces, Conferences, workshops and courses.
It is important to mention also, that the Organisation is sensitive to the difficulty that new creators have in obtaining a place in the professional world, that is why it guarantees the winners with participation in important circuits and national and international dance spaces. At the same time, MASDANZA also awards grants to outstanding performers.
After 14 years, we can say that MASDANZA is a platform for the launching of new local, national and international creators. And because of the geographical location of our archipielago, events like MASDANZAprove the TRANSCONTINENTALITY of the Canary Islands, with people travelling back and forth from Latin America, Africa and Europe.
MASDANZA is an international showcase for the Canary Islands, which for a few days become the neuralgical center of the world’s dance avant-garde, and an unprecedented reference in our community.
One important objective of MASDANZA is to promote The Canary Islands and their culture. Dance has recognition around the world and we are contributing to it from the Canaries.
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