Photos: Sergio Betancort
El Charco de San Ginés hosted the XXIX Festival Campesino "Por ti" on Sunday night. At 9:15 p.m., under the musical direction of the Group's professor Carmelo Pérez, the first musical chords of the "Isa de Ronda" began to sound, an instrumental composition for the dance corps to also make its presentation on stage.
Next, players and dancers displayed a laborious musical repertoire also including the traditional dances collected in their latest record work "Desde Lanzarote", such as Isa del Campo, Folías al Vino, Seguidillas - En el aire del aire, Sorondongo a Mancha Blanca and Malagueñas a los Hijos etc. A very special night where the Campesina family had very present the founder of this project, the teacher Juan Brito Martín, recently deceased, and to him they dedicated the flagship piece created by him, the Zaranda del Viento.
There were also recognitions for the Arrecife Choirs and Dances Folk Group for its "60th Anniversary", for Amigos de Portonao for being the heralds this year of the San Ginés festivities, dedications to which the prolonged applause of the public joined.
A new edition where the great family of Los Campesinos gave the best of themselves with their traditional songs and dances that their followers expect every time they are presented with the opportunity to enjoy and show them their admiration and affection.
Los Gofiones
The second part of the festival was occupied by the Musical Group "Los Gofiones" with their show "50 years for you". Directed by Professor Víctor Batista, he made an impeccable and constantly moving staging where at some moments the almost 30 members came down from the stage to mingle with the public and sing to them face to face. And so for more than ninety minutes they were interpreting and combining the traditional registers of the Gofión songbook with others of Caribbean origin such as Calle Mayor de Triana, La Mascarita, Sombras del Nublo, La Bikina, Isa de Candidito, Te lo voy a decir Cantando, Caminito de Teror, etc. All of them were sung by the public who applauded contagious by the complicity of its director. Víctor Batista inexhaustible until the last minute knew how to steer the helm getting each of the components to give everything strictly following the established script.
At one point in the concert, they invited the Lanzarote child, Elieser Betancort, 11 years old, to share with them a few minutes, who performed a melody dedicated to the Gofiones for their 50th Anniversary, to which the public responded with applause. Without a doubt a night so special that the little Elieser will not forget so easily.
Reaching the end of the concert, Pedro Miguel González, the only founding member who is still active in the group founded back in 1968, Totoyo Millares, a recognized timplista from Gran Canaria. González made a brief summary of how the group that today 50 years later continues traveling the world representing the Canary Islands was formed. Together with his companions on stage they raised the glass to "toast for those who are no longer there, for those present and for the public" that shelters them with their applause wherever they go interpreting the song "Brindis Gofión". Finishing his performance with the popular and parrandera song "Somos Costeros", where Gofiones and the public joined and together sang and danced thus putting the finishing touch to the XXIX Festival Campesino, For you.