17MASDANZA will take place in Maspalomas, Gran Canaria from the 20 to the 27 October 2012. The Registration Period is open until June 30.

The registration period will close on June 30 (date on postmark).

We recommend you to read carefully the Rules and Regulations for participation in the contests and to fill out the Registration Sheet that can be found in the section RULES AND REGULATIONS of this web page.

We also want to remind you to be especially careful with the recording of the DVD with the piece that you will present to the Contests. Make sure it can be reproduced in any PC or domestic DVD to ensure it arrives without a problem to the Selection Committee of 17MASDANZA.

We wish you the best of luck from MASDANZA!

We remind you that if you wish to receive specific information regarding the latest happenings in the Festival, our official Facebook and Twitter pages always show updated information, you may also register at our section “Friends of MASDANZA” in this web page, and you will receive the latest information by e-mail.

MASDANZA presents every year the MASDANZA-Canary Islands Award at this very prestigious Asian festival, to a choreographer participating there, and that immediately grants access to participate in the Contests of 17MASDANZA.

The XVII Edition of MASDANZA will take place from the 20th. to the 27th. of October, 2012.

Since its first beginnings in 1996, MASDANZA has consolidated itself year after year, going from a small regional festival, to national by the second, and then on to international from its sixth edition until now, spreading beyond our national borders and open to the participation of international choreographers and dancers.

MASDANZA has grown as an event that every year acquires more strength and prestige outside the borders of our community, allowing the public to see that there are important cultural alternatives when visiting Gran Canaria. The most convincing evidence of this fact is the increasing number of public attending every edition of the Festival. Thanks to their interest in discovering new creators and trends,  this Festival has become a leader in the national and international arenas.

In the beginning, the audiences were formed by dance professionals and people with a very keen interest in dance, however, year after year, we have been able to attract the interest of the general public, therefore awakening their interest in discovering a new form of artistic expression which until now seemed destined for a select minority.

Our Organisation´s commitment to offering our audiences the best in dance, leads us to invite Dance Companies of recognised prestige to perform during the Opening Ceremony and at different events during the Festival, performing their latest productions.

Parallel to the competition, during the week, there are many activities: Guest Companies, Break-Dance Championship, Masdanza Showcase, Dance Marathon, Exhibitions, Dance In Open Spaces, Conferences, workshops and courses.

It is important to mention also, that the Organisation is sensitive to the difficulty that new creators have in obtaining a place in the professional world, that is why it guarantees the winners with participation in important circuits and national and international dance spaces. At the same time, MASDANZA also awards grants to outstanding performers.

After 16 years, we can say that MASDANZA is a platform for the launching of new local, national and international creators. And because of the geographical location of our archipielago, events like MASDANZA prove the TRANSCONTINENTALITY of the Canary Islands, with people travelling back and forth from Latin America, Africa and Europe.

MASDANZA is an international showcase for the Canary Islands, which for a few days become the neuralgical center of the world’s dance avant-garde, and an unprecedented reference in our community.

One important objective of MASDANZA is to promote The Canary Islands and their culture. Dance has recognition around the world and we are contributing to it from the Canaries.

Through the years, MASDANZA, The International Contemporary Dance Festival Of  The Canary Islands, has received international recognition as one of the most important Contemporary Dance Festivals in the world. There are many choreographers and dancers from diverse countries that have launched their careers from this Festival, and the general interest in the activities of MASDANZA grows with every new edition.

Due to this growing interest, many international festivals and institutions have decided to collaborate with MASDANZA with the common interest of encouraging creation in Contemporary Dance, providing the opportunity to present the works of new creators in different theatres and festivals, giving these artists a unique chance to show their creations, something that is normally difficult otherwise.

MASDANZA has signed Collaboration Agreements with:

This is the reason why, in 2004, MASDANZA organized its first extension, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, presenting a representation of Solos in the Teatro Victoria and Groups at the Auditorium of Tenerife “Adán Martín”. This pioneer extension has been a success from the beginning, with a splendid reception from the audience and it continues to grow to this day.

Backed by this experience, and with the support of the City Hall of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and La Caja de Canarias, in 2007, the first extension in the capital city of Gran Canaria was organized, at the CICCA Theatre, and it has been a success during the following years, well received by the audience, it has sold out in every edition since then.

In 2008, MASDANZA inaugurated its extension in the island of El Hierro, at the Asabanos Cultural Centre in Valverde. This extension was held also in 2009 and 2010.

In 2011 MASDANZA presented MASDANZA FUERTEVENTURA for the first time, on October 25 at the Insular Auditorium, in Puerto del Rosario.

1.- Emily Tanaka (Tokyo, Japan), Winner of the First Prize in the Solo Contest of 16MASDANZA with the piece « CUBE ».
2.- Younhyun Choi (Seoul, South Korea), Winner of the Second Prize of the Solo Contest of 16MASDANZA with the piece « NOT I ».
3.- Manuel Rodríguez (Madrid, Spain), Finalist of the Solo Contest of 16MASDANZA with the piece « LIMITS ».

Our congratulations to the three of them !