PICK OF THE WEEK : Saturday, 19th February – Friday, 25th February, 2022

CARNIVAL 2022

From Friday 25th February to Wednesday, 2nd March

(*For more information about the traditions of Carnival in Andorra see end of this Cultural Events.)

ENCAMP

v Thursday, 24th February at 16h in the Party Room of the Sports and Sociocultural Complex of Encamp. (Price: 1€. Mandatory reservation, open until February 21st, at the Department of Culture, Encamp (La Valireta). Carnival for the Senior Citizens of Encamp. Don’t miss the Seniors’ Carnival! Dance, music, fun and a snack to help share the Carnival spirit together. To attend the activity it is mandatory to use a FFP2 mask and to present your COVID passport. v Friday, 25th February at 17h10 at the Encamp Communal Library, Encamp. (Free activity open to children aged 6 to 8. Mandatory booking in advance at at +376 732 704 or [email protected]) Carnival workshop for children: ‘I’m a clown’. Carnival is a world-famous holiday, a means of expression that many children value and enjoy. We will discover how to carry it out without ceasing to instil positive values or impart ancient traditions. v Saturday, 26th February at 12 noon in the Plaça del Consell, Encamp. (Free activity.) The Hanging of His Majesty King Carnestoltes. The Carnival party begins with the traditional hanging of His Majesty, King Carnestoltes, which takes place in front of the Plaza del Consell General.

**The hanging is defined as an act where social and political satire plays a prominent part and is the activity that guides the other performances. • Saturday, 26th February at 13h in the Plaça del Consell, Encamp. (Free activity.) Performance by the folkdance group, Esbart Sant Romà. The Esbart Sant Romà will offer a performance created especially for this year’s Carnival celebrations. Its members will bring us closer to traditional music and will help us enjoy a show for the whole family. The Esbart Sant Romà was created in 1989 with the aim of cultivating and disseminating traditional dances. From 1992, it moved towards more contemporary forms, without neglecting the folkloric and traditional precept. This new identity was strengthened thanks to the renewal of their repertoire, which has since been integrated by new choreographies created specifically for the group.

• Saturday, 26th February at 15h in the streets of Encamp, Encamp. (Free activity.) Processions and a Parade of Floats through the main streets of the village is recouperating after the shutdown experienced due to the pandemic. This year the prizes have been improved, from 100 to 800 euros. You can check out the contest rules aquí!

• There will also be gastronomic experiences, snow activities etc.

• Saturday, 26th February at 18h in the Conference room of the Sports and Sociocultural Complex of Encamp, Encamp. (Free activity.) Children’s show: Orelles de Xocolata/ Chocolate Ears is a family show produced by Temporada Alta and Orella Activa. The activity is designed to bring live music to the little ones through the enthusiasm and love of their parents. Orelles de Xocolata is a proposal for a different and original family audience: both adults and children will enjoy a concert-show conceived by a group of teachers and professionals from the world of music as a real pedagogical alixia.

• Saturday, 26th February at 22h in the Party room of the Sports and Sociocultural Complex of Encamp, Encamp. (Free activity.) Night Dance with Swing Latino. Swing Latino brings us one of the fastest-paced carnival activities! The Night Dance will make us move the skeleton with versions of songs that we all know. The first adventures of Swing Latino began in 1980. At first, it was a band that did not include guitar, and then you could see the quality of the band. During this decade they did not stop performing in all corners of Catalonia and little by little it ended up becoming an orchestra with two dancers, a guitar and a total of 11 members on stage. The work and effort were rewarded with its first nomination for the Arc Awards. In 1996 they recorded their first CD of cover versions under the name ‘When the music changes hats’. In the year 2000, the dancers disappeared and 2 more voices joined the group, thus expanding the possibilities of the repertoire and opening up the range of cover versions able to reach all audiences, both in the evening and at night.

PAS DE LA CASA

v Friday, 25th February at 14h30 in the streets of Pas de la Casa

Encamp. (Free activity.) The youthful batucada percussion band, ‘Batrakes’ will animate the parade of His Majesty, the King of Carnival. The children of Pas de la Casa’s schools will accompany His Majesty the Carnival King in the traditional parade that opens the celebrations of Carnival. • At 15h30 at the Plaça de l’Església, Encamp. The Hanging of His Majesty, King Carnestoltes. This year, the traditional hanging of His Majesty the Carnival King should not be missed. The stage to carry out the activity will be the church square of Pas de la Casa.

ORDINO

v Friday 25th February at 10h in Ordino High street and the Plaça Major. Ordino Schools parade.

• 18h the Hanging of Carnestoltes in the Plaça Major.

LA MASSANA

From Friday, 25th February to Thursday 3 March

Come and enjoy the carnival activities in La Massana: parade, children’s fancy dress contest, cinema, workshops …

v Friday, 25th February at 11h a Parade starting at the Plaça de L’Esglesia and then through the streets of La Massana.

v Saturday, 26th February from 14h30 – 15h in the Plaça de les Fontetes. (Register at the Tourist Office or 835 693.) Children’s Fancy dress competition: Parade, judging, prizes plus SAM desserts accompanied by music with Helena Marsol.

SANT JULIÀ DE LÒRIA v Friday, 25th February at 10h30 in the streets of the parish, Sant Julià de Lòria. Carnival 2022 – Parade by the schools of Sant Julià de Lòria through the streets of the parish with animation by La Família Gordiniand and the batucada drum group Tokem x tu.

Route: Departure from the schools, c / Dr. Palau, av. Virgin of Canólich, pl. Francesc Cairat, av. Virgin of Canólich, pl. Laurèdia (Banca Mora), av. Virgin of Canólich, and return by c / Dr. Palace at the French and the Andorran School. v Saturday, 26th February: From 17h in the Plaça de la Germandat, Sant Julià de Lòria. (Information and registration at 744 044 or at the Concierge of the Lauredià Cultural and Congress Centre.) Children and Youths’ Obstacle Race with the Lauredià Scout and Guide Group.

• Followed by a parade with the Witch Key by the Giants of Sant Julià de Lòria. Route: Departure from Plaça Sant Roc, c / Dr. Palau, c / Casa Comuna and arrival at plaça de la Germandat.

• Opening speech and hanging of the Carnenstoltes by the Wizards and the Ladies and Gentlemen of Lauredia in the Plaça de la Germandat.

ESCALDES-ENGORDANY v Saturday, 26th February From 10h – 11h30 at Atenea Espai d’Aprenentatge, Escaldes-Engordan. (Number of places:12 places (children) or 6 places (families) Phone / contact address for registration:www.ateneaespai.com/reserves-2 725 252. Activity for families and children aged from 3 – 12. Workshop price: 18€ per child, payment in cash.) Family Carnival artistic proposals, Do you want your children to have a good time and be creative at the same time? Carnival is approaching and our bodies are asking us for fun, joy and, if possible, colourful moments! You know, for Carnival, it’s all worth it! We have prepared some very cool artistic proposals and crafts for these very special dates!

MUSIC. v Saturday, 19th February at 21h30 at the Hotel Sant Gothard, La Massana. (Free entrance) Vibrand in Clau de Soul in concert. Live Music Saturdays are back in Arinsal! The band will perform your favourite songs from artists like Sting, Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone James Brown, Aretha Franklin and Bruno Mars in a surprising way. Come dance and sing to the beat of funk, soul, reggae, swing and jazz with us. v Sunday, 20th February at 20h30 at the Hotel Hermitage Soldeu, Canillo. (Free entrance.)

Shuffle Express in concert. After a good skiing session, recharge your batteries with a pure blues concert! Every Sunday the band will help you enjoy the best cover versions of traditional and contemporary artists like BB King, Eric Clapton, Muddy Waters, Junior Wells, Joe Bonamassa, Jr. Watson and Little Walter, Elmore Jame among many others, and also with the band’s original songs.

v Monday, 21st February at 21h30 at the Hotel Màgic, La Massana. (Free entrance) Vibrand in Clau de Soul in concert. Every Monday you have an appointment with the best live music. Start the week enjoying Magic Mondays and the best atmosphere! (See more above at Saturday, 19th.)

v Every Tuesday and Wednesday at 19h15 until Tuesday, 21st June at the Biblioteca Comunal d’Encamp, Encamp. I love music … All music! (Free activity. For more information contact +376 732 704 or [email protected]) Hosted by the Encamp Communal library. During the activity, which will be led by Màrio Raviola, you will be able to hear annotated and illustrated musical works from all eras and all genres. v Friday, 25th February at 18h at the Palau de Gel d’Andorra, Canillo.

Shuffle Express at the Palace. (Admission to the stands of the Ice Palace is free but an admission ticket is required. To enjoy the music whilst skating then normal ice rink admission cost will be charged, with the rental of skating equipment included. As if the Mississippi were frozen, the classic blues with a touch of humour from the Shuffle Express will accompany skaters and everyone who comes to the Canillo

Ice Palace. Paul DeVille: guitar and vocals Virginia “Coco” Yañez: keyboards and vocals Marc Milian: bass and double bass Dante Falótico: drums

v Saturday, 26th February at 21h at the café-teatre La Fada Ignorant, Andorra la Vella. Neus Ferri in concert at La Fada.

MUSICAL NOTE FOR YOUR DIARY

v Tuesday, 8th March at 20h at the Centre de Congressos, Andorra la Vella.

MUSIC & DRAMA v Saturday, 19th February at 19h at the Andorra National Auditorium, Ordino. (Admission: €5) Sofia’s Journey. An intimate journey through the lanes of European culture. With the actor Joan Hernandez and with the Trio Desconcierto in full form.

v Sunday, 20th February at 12h30 at the Andorra la Vella Congress Centre, Andorra la Vella. (Admission: €5) They. A conversation between music and literature created solely by women. Two young musicians and a poet will bring us closer to the music and words of great creators of now and forever. With Carolina Bartumeu on cello, Rosalia Gómez-Lasheras on piano and Glòria Coll, poet.

THEATRE v Saturday, 19th February at 18h and 19h at La Llacuna Cultural Centre, Andorra la Vella. (Admission: €3) The Little Home. Microtheater. Growing up surrounded by snow and nature is priceless, but when you turn 18 you have to make a decision: stay in Andorra or go abroad? Our protagonists will try to enjoy, between laughter and tears, the adventure of living abroad with their hearts divided between the risk of starting from scratch and the comforting memory of their home.

CAST: Elena Santiago and Oriol Guillén v Thursday, 24th February at 21h at the Claror Auditorium of the Lauredià Cultural and Congress Centre, Sant Julià de Lòria. (Admission €22) 60th Theatre Season: Desdemona We’ve all heard of Shakespeare’s Othello, but what is this play about? And in what new ways can this Shakespearean story be told? Alba Sarraute and the Ophelias do so using the language of the circus, through acrobatics, music and the bodies of the performers in order to create a set of images loaded with poetry with which, from the point of view of Desdemona, Othello’s wife, we will delve into the most dramatic aspects of the human condition … with a smile on our lips.

A circus and Shakespeare show where the characters express themselves with body and music. Circus techniques illustrate tragedy by making it volatile and universal.

Adaptation and direction: Alba Sarraute Dramaturgy: William Shakespeare.

Director: Laia Sanmartín

Musical direction: Jordi Claret

Cast: Alba Sarraute, Martí Soler, Berta Pascual, Anna Pascual, Tomeu Amer, Adrià Montanya, Laura Martí, Jordi Claret, Noè Escolà and Benjamin Eugene

CHILDREN See also carnival activities in the parishes mentioned above. v Saturday, 19th February from 10h30 – 12h30 at the Escaldes-Engordany Art Center, Escaldes-Engordany. (Cost: 3€ Limited places: Reservations by phone: 802 255 or [email protected]) Art Saturdays: Keith’s Dolls. Keith Haring was an American artist who lived in the 1980s, filling walls, cars, T-shirts, and fabrics with his cheerful, dynamic characters, taking up impossible positions: dancing, running and jumping. We imitate the protagonists of Haring’s work using our bodies to express ourselves. v Saturday, 19th February, at Atenea Espai d’Aprenentatge, Escaldes-Engordany.

(Workshop price: €18 per child, payment in cash. Registration: 725 252 or www.ateneaespai.com/reserves-2 . 12 places (children) or 6 places (families) Black Light Party. Do you want your children to have a good time and also be different? With black light this is possible. Thanks to the atmosphere of the black light and the materials we offer, your little ones will have a great time building with fluorescent straws, painting with neon colours and much more!

Activity for families and children:

• Aged 3 – 5 from 10h – 11h30,

• Aged 6 – 8 at 16h – 17h30,

• Aged 9 – 12 from 18h30 – 20h. v Saturday, 19th February from 16h – 17h at the MW Electricity Museum, Encamp. (Free activity for children aged from 3 to 7. Phone / contact address for registration: Limited places and reservation required: + 376 739 111 [email protected]) Without plastic it’s great! Plastic is everywhere…

It is useful, but it pollutes the planet and there is no way to make it disappear once produced. It is much better to try to reduce the consumption of plastic, because the less we consume, the less we create. And with the waste we still generate… then we can do wonders! Come and learn tricks to consume less plastic and also to create playful objects with a handful of waste. Without plastic it’s great – and with you it will be even better!

 

CONFERENCES Remember, conferences are in Catalan unless stated otherwise. v Tuesday, 22nd February at 20h at the Hotel Rosaleda, Encamp. (Free activity. Registration: [email protected] This doesn’t seem to work. Try ringing 875 700. Number of places: 20.) Conference: Towards a feudal society. Justice in the Middle Ages (900-1230). The medievalist historian, expert in the history of law in Catalonia and current resident researcher of Faber Andorra, Dr. Cornel-Peter Rodenbusch, proposes a conference on the occasion of the study that is being done in the country on the function of the sage in Andorra in the Middle Ages.

Both the Andorran and Catalan archives preserve an exceptional number of documents related to the justice of the Middle Ages. Thanks to the recent and systematic publication of these sources, they are now

available for extensive research that allows us to analyse the mutation of a society in the process of feudalization. The documents talk about domestic violence, theft, counterfeiting, and so on.

This social change also affects the legal world and the legal procedure. This includes aspects such as the place and date of the proceedings, the prologues required for the evidence, and the trial itself: the composition of the court and its assistants, and the dynamics during the assemblies. In addition, the ordeals and court duels show that in the practice of conflict resolution the evidence was also affected.

Rodenbusch will give a new vision of the continuities and transformations that took place in Catalonia and Andorra during this period, the role of the courts and the administrators of justice, as well as the way in which these processes were narrated.

EXHIBITIONS v Until Saturday, 26th February at the Edifici l’Estudi, Ordino. (Free activity.) Exhibition “Believe it ” by Catalina Vargas Campos. Sample of watercolour drawings on paper recreating characters from the artist’s imagination.

Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 8h. – 20h. Saturday from 9 –13h. v Until Monday, 28th February at the Gallery Taranmana, Escaldes-Engordany. (Free activity) Pervivència (Survival) by Xandri. Exhibition and installation by the artist, who deals with and questions modernity in our modern society and the role of nature with elements such as fire, which burns the earth and allows its rebirth.

Opening hours: Tuesday – Friday from 10h – 13h & 16h – 20h. Saturday: 11h – 13h & 16h30 – 20h. Closed Sunday and Monday. v Until 3rd March at the Exhibition Hall of the Pas de la Casa Tourist Office, Encamp ‘(Free activity) Epiphanies and false gods: Artistic exhibition of paintings by Alícia Luño.

v Until Monday, 7th March at the Studio of Miquel Mercè, Avinguda de les Escoles, 18, Escaldes-Engordany. (To register a visit or to find out more information please send an email to [email protected] ) Photography: Ikebana series, the new exhibition of summer photographs in the open house workshop. Opening hours: Mornings from 8.30h – 13.30h. Afternoons from 14.30h – 17.30h. v Until Tuesday, 8th March at the Plaça de la Germandat, Sant Julià de Lòria. Materialize memory by Miquel Mercè. A photographic exhibition of the last century of the Comú in the street. v Until Thursday, 10th March at La Peixera, Escaldes-Engordany. (Free entrance) JO-II. Until March 10th, Naiara Escabias will embark on a journey of self-discovery in La Peixera, (Goldfish Bowl) where she will spend much of the day accompanied only by herself, a mirror, her inseparable camera, a notebook and other artistic materials.

• The idea is to listen to herself, listen to what surrounds her and look around her from the perspective that La Peixera (A sort of glass box in the street next to the river) will give her, a cube of glass walls immersed in the noise of the river and the green of the nearby orchards.

• All this will give rise to a creative work consisting of a daily self-portrait as well as some dance performances with live music on days and hours that we will announce soon.

• The role of visitors can be as active as they wish. They will be able to write or paint in a notebook that they will find in La Peixera, they will be able to ask to be photographed while they are interrogated in front of the mirror, they will be able to undertake a dance with Naiara, they will be able …, whatever they want.

• About Naiara Escabias: Naiara Escabias is a multidisciplinary photographer and artist. She understands art as a path to self-knowledge and growth. Breathing, contemplation and mindfulness are at the core of her artistic creations. Naiara creates from listening to the body and emotions. www.naiaraescabiasphotography.com [email protected] +376 341 703 v Until Friday, 11th March at the Espai d’Art, La Llacuna, Andorra la Vella. (Free activity) Nature body. Photographic exhibition by Dolonguevitch, which captures Marta Moran dancing in the middle of the natural landscapes of Andorra, to the music of Mireia Planas.

During the month of the exhibition there will be a dance and music performance organized by Moran and Planas. v Until Saturday, 12th March at the Espai Caldes, Escaldes-Engordany. (Free activity) A Journey Through the History of the Andorran Pyrenean Club. Andorra, surrounded and all of it mountains… A country in the middle of the Pyrenees. Commemorative exhibition of the creation, in 1970, of the Andorran Pyrenean Club, an entity born from the desire and drive of a group of people in love with the valleys of Andorra, with the desire to bring the mountains closer to everyone.

Through graphic documentation and everyday objects. from today and yesterday, necessary for the practice of hiking, climbing, caving or cross-country skiing, among others, this exhibition aims to bring us closer to the nature that surrounds us.

• Family workshops on Saturdays, 26th February and 5th and 12th March, from 16h – 18h at the Espai Caldes Av. Carlemany,8 Escaldes-Engordany 30 minute sessions (Limited places with prior reservation on tel. +376 890 897 or [email protected] ) Opening hours: Monday to Saturday from 9.30h – 13.30h and from 13h – 19h. v Until Tuesday, 15th March at the Historic Centre of Andorra la Vella, Andorra la Vella. Materialize memory. Photographic exhibition of the last century of the Comú in the street, by Miquel Mercè.

v Until 21st April at the fine art Galeria Alta above Anyós. (http://[email protected] Viewing by appointment only.) Joel Meyerowitz: License to See. Galeria Alta are proud to exhibit the legendary photographer Joel Meyerowitz. Among Meyerowitz’s first important exhibitions were those at Eastman House, Rochester, in 1966, and “My European Trip” at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, in 1968. A pioneer of street photography and colour, Joel’s extensive career spans decades from the bustling streets of New York City to the quiet corners of Italy. v Until Sunday, 27th August, 2023 at the Casa d’Areny-Plandolit Museum, Ordino. (Admission: 2.5€. Free on September 25th and 26th.) Abracadabra: Illusionism and magic in Cal Plandolit. Discover one of the least known facets of the Areny-Plandolit family: the connection between some of its members with the world of magic, a field in which they stood out prominently on a Spanish and international scale during the first half of the twentieth century.

SPORT v From Saturday 19th to Sunday, 20th February from Naturland cota 2000, Sant Julià de Lòria, Canillo, Encamp, Ordino. (Phone / contact address for registration: [email protected] Tel (+376) 810 005 – 390 88) Andorra Skimo 2022: The Refuge Crossing. Andorra Skimo: the crossing of the refuges is a consolidated test in the winter calendar that the fans, from this country and abroad, value very positively. The natural scenery that the participants have to go through gives Andorra Skimo an incomparable setting.

New this year is that the Skimo 2 will be open to the public (from the age of 15) and that the Skimo 8 will consist of two stages: Saturday Skimo 6 + Sunday Skimo 2.

Programme 2022

· Skimo 2. A route of 14 km and 1,050 m of elevation gain between the Sorteny car park and the Ordino-Arcalís ski resort.

· Scheme 4 . A route of 40 km and 3,000 m of difference of level that leaves from the ski resort of Grau Roig and finishes in Ordino-Arcalís.

· Skimo 6. Route of 30 km and 2,000 m of elevation gain, with departure from Naturlandia and arrival at Grau Roig.

· Skimo 8 . It runs in two stages, with a total of 44 km and 3,050 m of elevation gain. The first stage leaves Naturlandia with arrival at Grau Roig, and the second leaves the Sorteny car park and ends at the Ordino-Arcalís ski resort.

· Skimo 10 . Test in two stages, with a total of 70 km and 5,000 m of elevation gain. The first stage leaves Naturlandia and reaches Grau Roig, while the second leaves this sector of Grandvalira to end in Ordino-Arcalís.

The Sportiva Andorra Skimo:, the crossing of the refuges, recovers the spirit of mountain racing and has become a benchmark for mountaineers, professionals and amateurs who practice this discipline. In all races you can only participate in teams of two or three people. The event scores for the Andorran Mountain Ski Cup and the FEEC Catalan Cup.

Place and dates: Naturlandia, Grandvalira-Grau Roig and Ordino-Arcalís. February 19 and 20, 2022.

Culturally yours,

Clare.

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Look for about the author of the blog Clare Allcard

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