…..GO!
Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th August 2024
Les Inédits d’Amélie is nearly upon us – and with something for everyone, even the grumpiest among us, it already looks like it’s going to be yet another exciting and spectacular success!
Organised by the Association for Culture and the Arts in the Vallespir, a group of business people, professionals and artists all linked to Amélie, the mastermind behind the festival is Ian Stephens, former dynamic English theatre director. Now based in Amélie les Bains, he has created and run festivals around the world, and was responsible for bringing the ab fab ‘Sinatra & Friends‘ to Amélie three years ago, and Les Inédits for the past 3 years.
The festival is supported by the commune of Amélie les Bains and the Department of the Pyrénées-Orientales.
This two day festival (Friday 2nd – Saturday 3rd September) is jam packed with events, shows, music, art, cinema, hairdressers!! Have we missed anything? Oh yes, LOADS OF FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY!
….AND WOULD YOU BELIEVE IT – IT’S ALL FREE!
The streets and squares of Amélie-les-Bains are set to come alive on Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th August thanks to the transformative power of the annual Les Inédits d’Amélie festival.
The third edition of this festival, organised by the Association pour la Culture et les Arts en Vallespir, which organises cultural activities throughout the year in the town and the wider valley, has been much expanded this year with the arrival of no fewer than five street arts companies from Catalonia.
Ian Stephens, President of the Association: ‘I’ve spent years visiting street arts festivals and found that some of the best were south of the border here. So we’ve been looking at festivals in Catalonia to bring some brilliant companies and shows to Vallespir. I really think we’re going to attract people from all over the department for this opportunity to see such eclectic artists here in the Vallespir.’
A contemporary dance piece, Uroboros is performed by two dancers who go through the different stages of the life cycle, with which everyone can identify. Using ingredients from different styles of dance, physical theatre and performance, the piece is characterised by a playful and amusing tone that contrasts with the intensity of a movement that aims to reflect the human journey beyond birth, growth, reproduction and death.
Back2Classics is an intimate trampoline show for all the family that fuses classical circus with urban culture through dance, music and the art of turntablism (vinyl record scratching).
Automatàrium is an installation inspired by the coin-operated fairground attractions of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In this installation, the actors are in individual booths made of wood and methacrylate (imitating the old booths) and activated by coins that the audience inserts into a slot.
Possê by Sound de Secà is a show that reclaims the public space through a fusion of percussion, dance, theatre and voice. A cry of hope to reclaim the street as a space for coexistence. A game of interaction to share a space and a moment. A catharsis of energy and positivism from start to finish.
Have you already forgotten your first radical haircut? or the first time you changed hair colour? or who knows, even the first time you shaved your head? With the Sienta la Cabeza show, you have the chance to experience another unforgettable change. A surreal hairdressing salon in Amélie’s main square, with two daring hairdressers, an inspired DJ and a curious audience eager to join in.
Add to that the now-famous afternoon of Artists on the Square, with local artists invited to work alongside each other in full view of the public. Artists, are you looking for inspiration, technical know-how or simply camaraderie with your fellow artists? Come and transform the Square!
And the music of Trip for Léon, which, with its percussive Perpetual waves, unravels the thread of our flaws and seeps in, everywhere. Imagine Beth Gibbons (Portishead), the Casady sisters (CocoRosie) and Alela Diane all together, reading a Philip K. Dick book by the fireside, all to the sound of Björk, Ez3kiel or Massive Attack. It’s an enchanting experience, infusing folktronica music that caresses and stares, repairs and liberates.
Then there’s Kristina, a favourite of Les Inédits with a stunning voice and charming stage presence, in a concert of rock and pop classics.
Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th August
Detailed programme with times and places: www.lesineditsdamelie.com
All events are free
CHECK OUT THE WEBSITE FOR FULL DETAILS
Or contact: Ian: 06.24.65.00.15 or hpctheatre@yahoo.co.uk.
