From July 8 to 14 the first Artistic Tours 2009 will take place through Colombia. Three artistic companies of the highest level will tour four municipalities of La Guajira and César. They will then tour the rest of Colombia.
Three artistic companies of the highest level in the areas of music, theatre and contemporary dance will make presentations in the municipalities of Riohacha, Maicao, Fonseca and Valledupar, thanks to the support of the Ministry of Culture, in partnership with Fundación Espacio Cero and the regional and municipal authorities.
Through the Caribbean circuit will travel the performing arts companies Ancestros Música del Pacífico (music); Teatro La Candelaria will present ‘A título personal’ (theatre); and La Arenera will present ‘Bogotá, Cuerpo preparado’ (contemporary dance).
This program makes part of the project Artistic Tours through Colombia, run by the Arts Direction of the Ministry of Culture, which promotes intercultural dialogue and creates new audiences by supporting the regional mobility of artistic productions of the highest level in areas of the country where artistic offer is scarce and the cultural infrastructure is weak.
These circuits decentralise artistic offer and stimulate the creation of new audiences with critical capacity, through encounters with artists and cultural promoters in the regions.
“Artistic Tours through Colombia wants to decentralize culture and allows for people in the regions to appropriate artistic work of high quality, in order to promote dialogue and cultural integration, as well as appraisal and acknowledgement of national artistic production”, stated Paula Marcela Moreno, Minister of Culture.
This project began in 2006 and its statistics are important: 13 national circuits, 29.731 spectators have attended, 48 artistic productions have been mobilized, 42 municipalities have been served in 20 regions, 108 performances have taken place and 78 pedagogical activities have been carried out.
“These tours are a favourable space for real intercultural dialogue. The workshops and encounters with the audience are privileged moments that transform into civil spaces and that facilitate a different way of relating to contemporary performing arts productions”, stated Clarisa Ruiz, Ministry of Culture’s Head of Arts.
The artistic productions were called for publicly and selected by a curatorial committee based on these criteria: regional representation, quality, experience and acknowledgement from other artists.
This program is possible thanks to partnerships with public and private institutions. The Caribbean circuit is supported by La Guajira’s provincial government; the municipalities of Riohacha, Maicao and Fonseca, and Cesar’s provincial government and the municipality of Valledupar.