Obal
Obal’s music is trad, folk, Atlantic and a virtuoso and innovative proposition. Their instruments surprise by their singularity, surrounded on stage by percussion, octaviated strings and effects, all giving a dazzling power trio.
Iván Costa, bagpipes and hurdy-gurdy
Jaime Rebollo, nickelharpa and hurdy-gurdy
Diego Langarika, bouzouki and guitar
L’air inconnu
L’Air Inconnu is an experienced and creative musical trio that brings today’s traditional dance and music to the stage for all curious people – and plants or animals – who want to hear it and see it and dance! Their compositions and arrangements of traditional melodies are inspired by the emotions and the intense sensations lived in the balfolks and festivals: joy of the gathering, intimate poetry, virulence of the sound, energy of the bodies in mouvement, collective trance…
Fabien Bucher: Guitare, mandoline, voice
Sylvain Pool: Accordion, guitare, voice, kick
Dani Velasco: Violin, voice
canibalproductions.net/lairinconnu
Itsasuko Soinulariak
The four musicians from Itsasu leave their “Holy Land” to have fun on the other side of the Basque Country! Although in the town they often play with each other, Itsasuko Soinulariak was born for Folkirrika, a beautiful opportunity to make their music sound outside the square of this beautiful corner of Iparralde.
Members of different groups (Bilaka, Bilabal, Holako, Habia, Bahez, Uztaritzeko Txistulariak, Atzarbale…) Mirentxu Lascano, Pauline Lafitte, Maiana Aguerre and Jokin Irungaray come with a more traditional and at the same time strong formula.
After all, is there anything better than a flute, a ttuntún, a violin, an accordion and an atabal for dancing jauzis, fandangos, skotix, mazurkas and other waltzes?
Grand Balthazar
Coming directly from French-speaking Switzerland, Grand Balthazar composes, arranges, retouches and twists melodies and rhythms inspired by traditional European music, especially those that make your skeleton move and your head spin!
Circles, waltzes, chappeloises, tarantellas, bourrées, avant-deux, scottish, mixers, mazurkas, asymmetrical waltzes,…
All these traditional or more modern dances are quickly learnt and passed on from bal to bal, from workshop to workshop… and the dynamism and creativity of Grand Balthazar will take them to another dimension!
Grand Balthazar is a quartet in constant creation and at the service of dance. Their taste for improvisation and spontaneous playing make them an original group in the field of (neo)traditional music.
Baladans
Baladans is a quartet from Cantabria that plays Balfolk music. The group’s repertoire is based on three main pillars: international dances (mazurka, polka, chapelloise, gavotte caresse, etc.), dances from the more local Central European region (an dro, polska, bourrées, rond de Saint Vincent, Ronde du Quercy, Branle de Noirmoutier, etc.), and Cantabrian dances (Río Verde, Danza de Seña, A lo Pesáu del occidente).
All our repertoire consists of original pieces, composed mainly by Míguel Cobo and with arrangements from the whole group. In it, both instrumental pieces and vocals are included. We firmly believe that folk music must stay alive, creating new paths and sounds.
Baladans is a group with a strong female presence: three women and one man.
Members:
Maribel Fernández Garrido: Lead vocals and chromatic accordion
Olga Recalde Gómez: Nyckelharpa and backing vocals
Fernanda Gonçalves Freitas: Flutes, percussion, and backing vocals
Miguel Cobo Díaz: Percussion and backing vocals
Izaskun Iturri
Izaskun Iturri Agirre has been teaching Basque folk dance for about thirty years. She has a qualification from the Basque government for teaching dance. She is a member of the jury for Basque dance competitions. She has studied Art Direction at ECAM (Madrid). Trained in different dance styles; she has been dancing Basque folk dance and fusions with other styles for more than 40 years, having taken part, together with Maite Churruca Alemán, in numerous groups (Nahia Dantza Konpainia, Oinarin, Mielotxin, Paz de Ziganda, Mikelats), concerts, collaborations and trips with shows at the local, national and international level in which traditional dance fuses with other styles, giving it a contemporary feel. She currently teaches Basque folk dance lessons and works on the projects of the traditional music group KORRONTZI, with which they take Basque music, dance and culture around the world.
Maider Martineau ta lagunak
(Performance cancelled)
Carte blanche to Maider Martineau !! Musician and singer originally from the French-Basque Country, she discovers the stage through the practice of traditional bal, first playing in the family group Trikili Trakala and later participating in international festivals such as “le Grand Bal de L’Europe de Gennetines” or the “Gran Bal Trad de Vialfré” with different bands (Ibiltariak, Bilaka, Oreinak). Collaborates with Agnès Perez, Jokin Irungaray, Mathieu Vivier, Ana Perez, Leinua. She then joined several concert groups intensely influenced by the aesthetics of dance and without ever straying too far from singing: two essential dimensions of the living tradition of her native Basque Country that never ceases to inhabit her. These groups are Bostgehio and Sasi Ardiak where she is also a composer. The list of Maider’s projects is long: TokaTaNoka, Otxo (with Lolita Delmonteil-Ayral), Adar (with Arnaud Bibonne), Plisti-plasta, Bahez, Aliette (with Pauline Lafitte)…and in Folkirrika Maider is going to propose us a refined mix well surrounded by her musician friends!!
María Cubero y Francesco Palmeri
Francesco Palmeri and María Cubero are two dancers and teachers with more than eight years of experience in teaching Balfolk and other disciplines. Francesco studied music and is experienced in festivals management, María is trained in dance, movement and artistic skating.
After many years in balfolk, their professional careers are joined together in 2015 with the creation of Folqué?. Since then, they organised tons of events, concerts, workshops and festivals.
Their view of dance, strongly influenced by their cultural and political background, led them to create very innovative workshops, specifically in folk couple dances, which were taught in the most recognised festivals and residencies in Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Italy, France, Belgium, Poland, UK and Czech Republic.
https://folquemadrid.wixsite.com/bailando
Pello Irurzun
Pello Irurzun, dance teacher with more than 20 years of professional experience, specialised in balfolk, traditional Western European dances, world folk dances and historical dances, has given more than 500 workshops and dance animations in Spain, Portugal and France, in addition to the weekly classes he gives in various municipalities in Community of Madrid.
Since 2004, he has been running a free monthly activity, Danzas del Mundo (Dances of the World) in the Parque del Oeste in Madrid, which attracts around 100 participants.
Founder and first president of the Association La Vida en Danza.
Founder and president of the Trotadanzas Association.
Creator and director since 2012 of the dance company Trotadanzas.
