PHOTOS: Sergio Betancort
The traditional Canarian songs and dances permeated the banks of the Charco de San Ginés on Friday night. Organized by the Arrecife Choirs and Dances Folklore Group and with the collaboration of the Department of Festivities of the Arrecife City Council, the XXV San Ginés Folklore Festival made the audience enjoy.
The invited groups put on stage the most representative of the songs and dances of their island. The first to take the stage were the representatives of the island of El Hierro, the Sabinosa Folklore Group, created in 1931. After a break motivated by the Spanish civil war, the group started its journey again, taking the most representative of the island of El Meridiano throughout the Canary Islands and some peninsular communities, counting in its assets many distinctions for its outstanding work in disseminating the culture of the island of El Hierro. In their performance they offered Mazurka, Berlina, Tango Herreño and the traditional Baile del Vivo.
Next came the performance of the Tajaraste Folklore Group, representing the island of Tenerife. Constituted as a cultural association in 1984, this group is part of the Federation of Choirs and Dances of Spain and has participated in important folk festivals held in the Canary Islands, also taking Canarian songs and dances to many other countries such as Puerto Rico, France and Holland. They own five record productions and have participated in different television programs. For this performance at the San Ginés festivities they chose seguidillas machegas from Tenerife, folias, malagueñas and isa parrandera.
In third place, the representatives of the island of Gran Canaria, the Choirs and Dances Folklore Group of Ingenio, took the stage. Its existence dates back to the 40s, when the Women's Section, among the various activities it carried out, included making Canarian folklore profitable. It was between 1977 and 1986 when it was officially constituted as an association. They are the authors of the project of the Villa de Ingenio International Folklore Festival "Solidarity Exhibition of the Peoples" and have also taken the name of Gran Canaria to many countries such as Germany, Belgium, Peru and Chile. They own important awards as well as official recognitions. In their performance in El Charco, they offered Santo Domingo and Seguidillas, Polka del Capotin and Isa de la Paría.
The organizers and representatives of Lanzarote, the Arrecife Choirs and Dances Folklore Group, put the finishing touch to the festival, which began their performance with the projection of a video in which some brushstrokes related to their "60th Anniversary" were collected, which they have begun to celebrate with an extensive program of events that they will be announcing to the entire population.
Coros y Danzas Arrecife, in collaboration with the Arrecife City Council, celebrated the XXV edition of the traditional Folklore Festival framed in the San Ginés festivities in style. The group has an important record in its history in terms of its performances throughout the Canary Islands as well as in different countries in Europe and Latin America, radio and television programs, participation in national and international festivals, pilgrimages, etc. Since its inception in 1958, more than 300 members, women and men, have been part of this great family, who have contributed to the folklore of Arrecife and Lanzarote continuing to rise.
Coros y Danzas Arrecife closed the festival with, Seguidillas, Isa de Figura, Sorondongo and Malagueñas. All the participating groups received as a prize the loudest applause from the numerous public that crowded the capacity installed next to the House of Fear. The mayor of Arrecife, Eva de Anta, was also present at the festival and congratulated the organizers for the success achieved.
