School Blog

OH CUBA! explores the relationship between Cuba and Federico Garcia Lorca.

It is a performance with unpublished texts left in Cuba by the poet from Granada and with poems from Nicolás Guillen and Alejo Carpentier and other particular testimonies from his colleagues and acquaintances.

It is a performance with a flamenco that flows along the whole play and has also some hybrid moments of Afro-Cuban rhythms fusioned with traditional flamenco or with a modern flamenco-style rap portraying the most radical version of Lorca.

OH CUBA is seasoned with classic beats that accompanied Lorca on the island, flamenco dances that pay homage to our encounter with Cuba and the Escuela Bolera.

It is a play with an exceptional team of Spanish and Cuban artists.

OH CUBA! will have the presence of the Spanish Ballet of Cuba, featuring its main stars and choreographed by their director Eduardo Veitía.

The programme Lorca y Granada en los Jardines del Generalife was born with the objective of creating a great cultural performance for the summer nights of Granada in 2002.

The leading figure of Federico García Lorca and the knowledge of his work all over the world are joined with the evocative power of flamenco to make the perfect formula for this artistic proposal which comes from our writers and oldest cultural origins and are an excellent expression of the Andalusian cultural potential.

During the month of August OH CUBA! will be part of our weekly cultural programme!

The aim of the Granada Film Festival Cines del Sur (Cinemas from the South) is to disseminate and promote films made in the countries of the so-called geopolitical south, such as Africa, Latin America or Asia.

Thus, the Festival will provide a space for the meeting of both young filmmakers and established talents from these countries, allowing for the screening of both new productions and emblematic and historic works. The Festival is a platform for an annual meeting of films coming from the South.

For further information check out the Festival Facebook site or the Junta de Andalucía website.

The city of Granada; hosts a new edition of the Tango Festival from 14 to 19 of March 2017, dedicated to this style of dance which is widely practised all over the world. There has been an explosion of tango enthusiasts and professional dancers in recent years, going to show that tango is, essentially, a manifestation of contemporary urban culture. This event aims to fill the whole city with rhythm and passion, with over fifty artists and some fifteen shows, as well as parallel activities that go from dance classes and night time parties, through to street performances and meetings between artists and enthusiasts.



For further information visit: www.tangogranada.com

Our school offers students the chance to experience the practical skills of
Tango whilst learning the Spanish language. We provide the opportunity to complement a Spanish Course with Tango dance classes in collaboration with recognized instructors. There are classes at all levels, starting with beginners to more advanced levels:

http://www.escuela‐montalban.com/en/courses/spanish‐and‐tango.php

Today, Friday, 08.07. is the last day of the Granada International Festival of Music and Dance! There can surely be few better settings in which to listen to high quality music than some of Granada’s emblematic, renowned venues. Consequently, the annual International Festival of Music and Dance, which took place during the last 4 weeks, has provided a perfect experience for lovers of music, dance and Granada to truly indulge themselves. Venues where events took place included the King Carlos V Palace, the open-air theatre in the Generalife Gardens, in El Patio de los Arrayanes in the heart of the Alhambra and various other of Granada’s historic churches and buildings.

During a week, there are all kind of celebrations and activities all around the town.

There are also Flamenco and regional music performances in Casetas in the fairground and in the city centre. Two major processions take place during the feast. The first is the Tarasca, of pagan origin, which leads out on Wednesday. In this procession, a figure of a woman on a dragon, accompanied by giants wearing big papier maché heads, walks through the streets.

During this week bullfights with horseback lancers are held. Carocas (a traditional satirical competition) are placed around the Plaza Bib Rambla, near the Cathedral, for the people to read and comment on. Carocas are cartoons which humorously highlight the major local and national events that have taken place during the year. They are accompanied by verses which are placed underneath in large panels. From hundreds of cartoons the top twenty are selected.

This Granada fair, though less well known than Seville's, has nevertheless a great deal of charm and appeal. The fairground comprises three parts: the stands area, the swings and attractions, and the access paths to these two parts where you will find many bars and stalls with confectionery and baked potatoes. Each of these paths is decorated with thousands of lamps and lanterns.

The cover of the main façade of the fair is different every year, generating great excitement among the people. The theme is usually some emblematic monument of the city.

The entrance to the Casetas is usually free and you will taste typical Spanish food. As in previous years, the fair will be located at the fairgrounds in Almanjáyar, in the northern part of the city.

Semana Santa, also known as Holy Easter week, is a festivity you will never forget, especially when you celebrate it in Granada! In 2016 Easter in Granada is celebrated from 20 to the 27 of March. During this week 32 processions take place through the city center of Granada leading through the beautiful cathedral of the city!

This Catholic Festivity is very unique when you compare it with other cities in Andalucía. Granada is known as one of the most beautiful cities because of its unique surroundings of the processions and their “pasos” that are known as float of thrones with important religious icons.  

Palm Sunday-  20 March
Palm Sunday is the last day before the lent starts. This day they celebrate the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, 1 week before his resurrection.
On this day 5 fraternities (also known as cofradías) are going through the streets of Granada. Around 16.00h the Church Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro gives the opening of the holy week by letting out “La Burriquilla”. The best place to see tis procession is from de Arco de Elvira, that is situated behind the large street Gran Vía.

Holy Monday – 21 March
On this day the neighborhood Zaidín which is located in the south of Granada starts its Holy Week by starting their procession at 16.30 h from the church Corpus Christi. They start with their youngest fraternity Santismo Cristo del Trabajo and Nuestra señora de la Luz.  

Holy Tuesday – 22 March
This day around 18.00 h at Plaza Nueva, many people wait to see a spectacular procession that comes from the church of San Gil. The procession is named as Nuestro Padre Jesus del Gran Poder and Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza.

Holy Wednesday – 23 March
Holy Wednesday is a big day in the neighborhood Sacromonte where the gypsies (los gitanos) live. They say that this is one of the most beautiful and impressive procession of the Holy Week. The name of the procession is María Santísma del Sacromonte and starts around 19.20 h at Calle Ganivet. The best way to see it is when it is on his way back to the Abadía del Sacromonte.

Maundy Thursday – 24 March
This is a big day in the old Moorish neighbourhood Albaicín. People are standing in the small streets of Albaicín to watch La Estrellla, La Aurora and La Concha.

Good Friday – 25 March
On good Friday there are 6 processions in Granada.  Around 15.00 h nearly 5000 people will be at Campo del Príncipe in the neighbourhood Realejo to see El rezo al Señor de las favores.

Holy Saturday – 26 March
On Saturday there is only 1 procession which starts at 17.30 h. The procession begins at the church that is located inside the Alhambra namely Santa María de la Alhambra.

Easter Sunday – 27 March
The last day of Semana Santa: The bells of the churches toll joyfully in Granada. There are processions in the morning that close this beautiful week: at 09.00 h starts a procession from the church San Miguel; the last one starts at 11.00 h from the church of Sagrario that is located next to the Cathedral.

For the exact times, routes please click on the link below (IN SPANISH):
http://www.granadadirect.com/fiestas/semana-santa-granada/

The Granada International Jazz Festival began 35 years ago, in 1980 and quickly became one of the most significant jazz festivals that Europe has to offer. Over the course of 35 years a number of Industry giants have performed here which helped shape a genuine jazz movement.

This year, which is the 35 year anniversary of the festival, we will again be blessed with the presence of some amazing Jazz artists. Artists from all over the world such as Carmen Souza, Aaron Goldberg and many others will be performing. The culture that has submerged in the course of the 35 years of existence is one that promotes contact and exchange of experiences between local and foreign musicians, making the whole festival quite a spectacle for the true jazz fans but also very enjoyable for people who have never listened to Jazz in their life!

This is the perfect vacation for people who want to learn Spanish, enjoy the beautiful sights Granada has to offer and appreciate the culture the Jazz festival brings to the city.

For more information about the program please click here

The dancer and choreographer Rafael Amargo transformed one of the most essential poems of Federico García Lorca into a work of dance. He created the choreography for one of the most innovative flamenco shows of nowadays. Its main characteristic is unquestionably the fusion of both music and dance, of pure flamenco with contemporary trends such as Jazz and Latin music. This hybrid character –fusion– went on to become a constant feature of subsequent flamenco shows. Amargo went even further when he gave his work an audiovisual montage created by the filmmaker Juan Esterlich to complement the dance performance.
The show won several prizes, including particularly the Max Prize for Scenic Arts for the best performance by Rafael Amargo.

Our school will offer the show “Poeta en Nueva York” during July and August as a part of the weekly schools cultural programme. Students have the unique opportunity to enjoy this Flamenco performance whose technical and artistic level is enormous at a perfect setting , the Generalife Gardens of the Alhambra.

It will be held from the 17th – 20th June 2015. The closing and awards ceremony will take place on Saturday, June 20th.

Projections and the closing and awards ceremony are performed in Alhambra Theatre. The workshops will be held at various film schools and cultural centres of Granada.

When a group of people joined four years ago to show their work, they never imagined today that they would start organizing the 2015 edition of the VI International Short Film Festival Opera Prima.

“Opera Prima en Corto" is a festival of short films from audiovisual and film schools, where a meeting of directors, jury members and teachers of schools is generated. Workshops and competitive activities are free. The prizes are always film training, resources and tools for the feelmakers. 

For more information check the Festival Website.

Every year, thousands of visitors come from all over Spain to experience this holiday. According to legend, an alabaster cross was erected in 1625 in the district of San Lazaro, and all of the locals celebrated its commemoration by singing and dancing around it.



The tradition continued in the most well-known districts of Granada, the Albaicin and Realejo; children began to build small altars with a cross and decorate them with pottery and copper objects.

Some of these traditions live on to this day. One of the traditions that still remains is the placing somewhere in the decorations of the Cross of an apple with a pair of scissors inserted into it; this is done so as to try to avoid any criticism that might be made of the decoration of the Cross.

On this feast day, it is common to find all over Granada crosses that are decorated with carnations. Neighbourhood associations, guilds, schools, even town halls create their own cross. The atmosphere is unmatched. The Granadines, adults and children alike, dressed in flamenco costumes, walk around the city visiting various crosses and, in this way, celebrate this important feast of Granada.