It’s¡Fiesta!time

October is Spanish Month In The Philippines, as Instituto Cervantes Kicks off Fiesta, the month-long Spanish Festival for Culture and the Arts.

!Fiesta¡ is meant to commemorate Spain’s National Day, which is celebrated on October 12. This year’s edition promises to be a truly exceptional affair, with a variety of cultural events, live performances, movies, culinary delights, art and photography exhibits, all featuring the best of Spain’s very own artists.

A unique dream not to be missed! Sara Baras is not just Spain’s hottest Flamenco dancer, she is contemporary flamenco’s most famous star. The 34-year-old beauty is already considered an icon. Twice honored with Spain’s most prestigious dance award, the Premio Nacional de Danza, Baras has been hailed worldwide for her intensity, brilliant choreography, and elegant spirit.

Known for her ability to work her audiences into a frenzy with her powerful, passionate dances and unbelievably fast footwork, Sara Baras is set to perform on October 11 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Sueños (Dreams), her acclaimed traditional flamenco show that made box office history with a record-breaking five straight months of sold out performances in Madrid.

Ballet Flamenco Sara Baras includes eight dancers and seven musicians. The company has toured extensively around the globe and won many awards. Sueños sees them returning to flamenco puro, the finest and most essential form of the art.

Ongoing until November 6, Manila will be treated to a must-see photo exhibit at the National Museum of the Filipino People: 150 Years of Photography in Spain. This large exhibition places Spain in a leading position in the area of international photography. The collection of 113 photos marks the culmination of the ambitious work of Publio López Mondéjar, one of Spain’s most respected photo-historians. It shows the development of Spanish photography–from its birth to the latest photographic trends. It includes a meticulous selection of most outstanding images created by Spanish photographers over the past century and a half.

In conjunction with these exhibits, Instituto Cervantes launched Manila, My Manila Photo Contest, open to all photographers, professionals or amateurs. The theme "Manila, My Manila" is taken from the words of National Artist Nick Joaquin. This competition embraces all photographs whose subject is Manila, resulting in a photo exhibit that captures the soul of the city from different angles and varied artistic expressions. Two hundred qualified entries fill the Greenbelt 3 Cinema lobby and ground floor until October 30.

The literary world is celebrating the 4th centenary of the first edition of Don Quijote de la Mancha this year. To join this commemoration, Don Quijote was chosen as the theme for the 10th Letras y Figuras. The winning entries will be displayed in an exhibit next October.

More than two hundred participants came to the first Paint a Nook of Intramuros: Pintura rápida on-the-spot painting contest held last year. This overwhelming response deserves a repeat, open to all artists, enthusiasts, and professionals alike, at the Puerta Real Gardens in Intramuros on October 15.

In collaboration with Hyatt Regency Hotel, Instituto Cervantes invites you to enjoy the most authentic Spanish cuisine prepared by a Spanish master chef at the Spanish Food Festival.

Dulaang UP turns to Spanish drama with Antonio Muñoz Molina’s Sepharad, a 20th century story that draws on the Sephardic diaspora, the Holocaust, and Stalin’s purges. It goes on stage at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati at 7:30 pm on October 21.

Prepare for another set of the best and hottest Spanish language films to fill this year´s Pelikula: 4th Spanish and Latin American Film Festival in Manila and Cebu. This must-see event will feature an unprecedented line-up of 26 exceptional, award-winning films carefully selected from around the Spanish-speaking world. The series includes Oscar winners for Best Foreign Film, Mar Adentro (The Sea Inside) by Alejandro Amenábar and Todo sobre mi madre (All About My Mother) by Pedro Almodóvar.

Moviegoers will have the chance to vote for the best film and win a free trip. The festival runs until October 16 at the Greenbelt 1 Cinemas.

Acclaimed Spanish guitarist Jorge Orozco makes his grand comeback to the Philippines, performing at Cagayan de Oro on October 2, and in Cebu City on October 4. He will also conduct a guitar masterclass for advanced guitar students at the Instituto Cervantes on October 6.

Armando Orbón, a celebrated classical guitarist, and jazz pianist Isaac Turienzo will be playing in Manila with a repertoire by Latin-American composers such as Granados, Tàrrega, Ariel Ramírez, A. Lauro, Albeniz, Falla and J. Rodrigo, among others. They perform a night of music entitled Between Two Shores at the Carlos P. Romulo Audi-torium, RCBC Plaza, Makati at 7:30 pm on October 8.

The culmination of Fiesta takes place on October 15, when the Spanish return to Intramuros to revel in the Verbena Street Party at the Puerta Real Gardens. Everyone is invited to join in the festivities. The previous Verbena set a record with the largest paella in Asia, and this year guests can have their fill of the quintessential Spanish dish as Verbena goes all-out with a grand paella festival. Guests may also sample other varieties of authentic Spanish cuisine prepared by the famed chefs of top Spanish restaurants. A combination of music, food and fireworks make for a magical Spanish night!

In line with the Instituto’s mission to promote intercultural exchange and artistic collaboration, after the success of the Semana de las Letras (Week of Spanish Literature) held in London and Sao Paolo, Instituto Cervantes is proud to bring this annual activity to Manila and further strengthen the ties between the literary worlds of Spain and the Philippines.

Ten Spanish writers are set to arrive in Manila and meet with their Filipino counterparts to discuss aspects of literary creation through colloquies and round table discussions. The theme of the event is La huella y el viaje (Traces and Journeys), and it will mainly focus on travel writing. There will also be discussions on Filipino literature in Spanish, translation issues in literature and the literary connections between The Philippines and Spain. This activity will be held on October 24 to 27 in various venues around Metro Manila, including the Rizal monument, RCBC Plaza, Greenbelt 3, and the Instituto Cervantes.

The Instituto Cervantes is a public, non-profit institution founded by the Spanish government in 1991 to promote and teach the Spanish language and spread the culture of Spanish-speaking countries. Established in the Philippines in 1993, it strives to provide Filipinos with an understanding of Spanish culture and a broader view of the Hispanic world.

Fiesta would not be possible without the support of Lufthansa and Hyatt Regency, and the assistance of 105.1 Crossover, Aboitiz, Agencia Española Cooperación Internacional, Soluziona, Alba’s, Casa Armas, CCP, the embassies of Argentina, Chile and Mexico, Fuego Hotels, ICAA, Intramuros Administration, Kamayan, Master’s Touch, Nikon, People Support, Program for Cultural Cooperation, RCBC Plaza, and Mapfre.

For more information about Fiesta 2005, call Instituto Cervantes at tel 526-1482 to 85 or log on to http://manila.cervantes.es