Fortuny Theater brings culture closer to the Reusense community

The annual meeting of Cap Infant Does Not Fortune, in May, is preceded this year by the 11th International Roseta Mauri Dance Prize, held in March every two years, and the Sant Jordi Ball, in April. In this way, lThe Fundació del Teatre Fortuny achieves its main goal of bringing culture closer to the Reusense community.

Rosetta Maori International Dance Award
There will be a total of 55 young dancers Finally they will take part in Roseta Mauri which runs from March 13 to 16 at the Fortuny Theatre.. This is a new record for participation after 50 entries registered in the last edition of this competition, which was organized by the Fortuny Theater Foundation and the Fortuny Theater Union. Participants come from Five different nationalities – Italy, Portugal, Japan, Korea and Spain – with a large majority of females. A total of 49 of the 55 registered are from the country, 30 from Catalonia and 19 from other autonomous regions, most of them from Madrid and Valencia.

The competition's jury will be composed of figures of international standing in the world of dance: Joaquín de Luz will be the president, and he will be accompanied by John Saint-Martin, Laetitia Pujol and Henning Albrechtsen. Arancha Arguelles will be the classical dance teacher and will be accompanied by Luis Carmona on the piano. It should also be noted that the Rosetta Maori International Dance Award is one of the most financially fortunate dance competitions in the entire state. The first three awards consist of financial grants of 5,000, 2,000 and 1,000 euros provided by the Fortuny Theater Federation.

Competition The Fortuny Theater has been transformed into a Theater of Opportunity throughout the ten editions held since 2002. Dancers have successfully fulfilled their dream of dancing in prestigious international companies such as the Royal Ballet in London, Compagna Nacional di Danza, Birmingham Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Norwegian National Ballet, or Stuttgart Ballet.

Regarding the competition, the President of the Fortuny Theater Foundation, María Dolores Sarda, noted that “at the ceremony held on Saturday, March 16, apart from the great international dance duos, the dancer Martí Baixa, son of Montbrio del Camp, who participated in the 2015 competition and who was He has a wonderful career in one of the most important dance companies in the world such as the Stuttgart Ballet.”

It must be remembered that, in parallel with the competition, a motor workshop for the deaf has been scheduled. Under the title “Dance. Sign Language and Voice”, the social and inclusive activity will take place on March 12 from 5 to 7 p.m., in the Josep Laporte Hall of the Fortuny Theater. It will be taught by Johnny San Martín, a member of the Roseta Mauri jury who is partially deaf, and for registration You should send an email to [email protected].

Sant Jordi concert “Probe del Mar”
As for the Sant Jordi concert, it will be held on April 26, and will mark the 100th anniversary of the deaths of Ángel Guimeira and Joan Salvat Babasit, two great names in Catalan literature. It is the first symphonic choral concert organized by the Foundation as part of the Xavier Blanc concert cycle and will include the participation of the Camerata XXI – Ciutat de Reus Orchestra, with 48 musicians and the Core Canta, with 130 singers.

This concert is a tribute to the character of Guimira and Salvat Babasit in combining their works with the musical works of important Catalan composers. The concert will begin with the Overture to Terra Baixa by Francesc Pujol. The first part will conclude with Joan Mannin's Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, a work composed by Pau Casals. The second part will begin with selected excerpts from Enrique Moreira's opera Titaina, with libretto by Ángel Gumera, which premiered at the Liceo in 1907. The play “The Poem of the Rose in the Lips” for voice and orchestra by Eduard Toldra, based on 6 poems by Babassett's predecessors. The concert will conclude with “Camí del sol” by Juan López in honor of Babasit's predecessors. The concert was jointly organized by the Fortuny Theater Foundation, the Camera Ta XXI Foundation, and the Manin and Cor Canta Association.

In this sense, Sarda wanted to point out in particular “the challenge that organizing a concert of this size represents on the part of the Foundation, both on an organizational and financial level. We have been working on it for several months and it responds to the Foundation’s desire to promote initiatives of high artistic quality that go beyond the field of Rios effect. He continued: “This fact has resulted in a project woven into 3 bands from Barcelona, ​​Reus and Vendrell. That is why the concert will take place at the Palau de la Música Catalana on April 25, then it will come to the Fortuny Theater on April 26 and it will go to the Àngel Guimerà Hall on April 27.”

Ticket prices range from €21 to €10 They can be purchased through the Fortuny Theater ticket sales platform.

There is no child without wealth
Finally, on May 30, The theater will host the fourth edition of Cap Infant without Fortuny, an educational, social, comprehensive and cultural proposal that has already become a major project of the Teatre Fortuny Foundation. The activity consists of a visit to the theater so that the schoolchildren can get to know first-hand what Fortuny is like: the boxes, the audience and the stage, and then the live attendance of a theatrical music event that will bring them closer to the performing arts and music. The goals are very clear. On the one hand, the determined desire to train new audiences and, on the other hand, to offer one of the city's reference cultural facilities, the Fortuny Theater, to all the children of the city without exception.

These years It is the first edition in which the Fortuny Theater Foundation addresses a new project, both in terms of music and scenography. This year's work is titled “The Invention of Dr. Larsen” and reflects on the role of artificial intelligence and environmental awareness, two topical issues that directly affect new generations. All schools in Reus are invited to participate in the session on May 30 and in all previous working sessions held periodically since last October 2023.

Preparatory work takes place in the classroom throughout the academic year and culminates in Fortuny. This year, given the themes we have covered, schools are participating through music teachers but also from other disciplines such as technology and social sciences. This activity also has a noticeable social and comprehensive nature, as it includes all children in the city without exception, including those with special needs. The activity is free for everyone.

In this regard, Sarda pointed out that “although it is an activity targeting children, it… We work so that the production quality is top-notch and that is why we have local talent in musical and theater direction Written by Rafael Fabregat (Tortosa) and stage direction by Iban Beltran (Terra Alta), as well as in collaboration with Jordi Cornodella on the original music.

In general, the playwright and artistic director of the Teatro Fortuny, Francesc Ciro, commented regarding Roseta Mauri: “We are very proud of it because it places us as a theater and as a union within the national and international panorama. I hope it will spread even more for the great job it does.”

on 11th International Dance AwardIts artistic director, Cristina Anciola, confirmed that “the pillars that give the award the prestige are, on the one hand, the quality of the jury members, who are very influential figures in the world of dance, and on the other hand, the financial endowments of the award winners are extremely important.” Anciola also noted that Rosetta Maori “is also a space for relationships and training, and therefore those who participate leave it enriched. Both national and international teachers accompany their students, compare working methods, and establish contacts with other teachers. The Dance Association of the Tarragona Regions also has access, so that They benefit from the warmth of the entire sector and “produce very interesting professional exchanges.” He added, “For the province's students, it is an opportunity to admire the work of the participating dancers, and ultimately it is a competition that carries great weight for the region.”

For her part, representative of Fundació la Caixa, Montsi Malafre, pointed out that the three projects presented at the press conference are “three events in capital letters and they continue to position the Teatre Fortuny Foundation as a cultural reference in the city of Reus.” “.

In this line, he wanted to emphasize “the interest of the Teatre Fortuny Foundation that events are becoming increasingly inclusive and reaching everyone without exception, and in this social aspect you will always find Fundació la Caixa, through CaixaBank, as we work to achieve a more just society.” In the Rosetta Maori programme, Malafri highlighted the second workshop organized for the deaf, entitled “Dance. Sign Language and Sound”, taught by Johnny San Martín, a member of the Rosetta Maori jury who is partially deaf. He explained that it “aims to link sound, body, language and technology through pioneering research related to deafness and the use of sign language as an inexhaustible source for the ability to create movements and dances.” Finally, the representative of the Fundació la Caixa also celebrated, in Cap Infant without Fortuny, “the possibility given to students to enjoy theatre, free of charge so that all centers in Reus can participate, which include schools of different capacity to integrate all students.”

Vice President and Treasurer of Fundació Teatre Fortuny, Santi Vila, explained that although one of the foundation's rules It is allocating at least 70% of its income to the same activity of the institutionIn the case of Fortuny Theater, “we devote 90%, we devote all the effort to fundamental issues of culture, such as opening the theater to people so they can learn about it.” Villa, who recalled his personal relationship with the Teatro Fortuny – first his father, then he and his brother, the owners – also wanted to emphasize that “the most important thing is Reus and his people… without these people who move the theatre, who give strength to the institutions dedicated to culture, without the creative, beautiful and strong Reus “We will be nothing.”

For her part, the Education and Citizenship Advisor of the Reus City Council, Pilar Lopez, wanted to thank “the work that the Fortuny Theater Foundation is doing to bring culture closer to the community of our city, and to prepare, for another year,The Primavera is full of dance, music and art for all audiences“. Therefore, he particularly praised the “No Child Without Luck initiative for the area where I serve in the city council, which is the education of our sons and daughters.” “As you know, from the Reus City Council, we are fighting for a good, comprehensive school that combats segregation in schools and has a 360-degree vision.” For education, which goes beyond the educational classroom itself. We want to achieve quality education that guarantees talent, social cohesion and equal opportunities.”

finally, Sarda also thanked the unconditional support that the Foundation has received from the Tarragona Council since the beginning of the project, as well as from the Reus City Council. Whether from the Council for Culture and Language Policy or from the Council for Education and Citizenship, and the unconditional support of honorary members and collaborating members of the Foundation.