Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Bringing Basque performing arts to the world stage

Two weeks ago, we were talking about the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the greatest show on earth for the performing arts. As part of the Scotland Goes Basque initiative, this year’s programme includes Krego-Martín Danza, Akira Yoshida, HQPC Kolektiboa and Tio Teronen Semeak.

Two weeks ago, we were talking about the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the greatest show on earth for the performing arts. As part of the Scotland Goes Basque initiative, this year’s programme includes Krego-Martín Danza, Akira Yoshida, HQPC Kolektiboa and Tio Teronen Semeak. We met up with the performers to ask them how they feel about being part of the Fringe. Here is what they had to say:

María Martín

Krego-Martín Danza

"The Fringe is world renowned and the fact that our work will be presented at that level is really significant. We don’t know what to expect when we get there, but we do know that it’ll be an amazing experience. We’ll be preforming (Non) Comfort Zone, which we presented in 2016 as a ‘work in progress’ at the Internationale Tanzmesse NRW Düsseldorf, where we were the first Basque dance company ever to perform at Europe’s largest international fair for contemporary dance. So, it’s really important for us to present our finished work in front of a live audience at the Fringe, and to make ourselves known to the many programmers, producers, artists and other industry experts who gather at the festival every year. This will definitely add another dimension to our experience by opening new avenues for collaborations in other places and crossing new borders. In any event, our greatest achievement will be to engage the audience and make them feel involved. 

We’ll adapt the piece to a showcase format, sharing the stage with Akira Yoshida and HQPC. It’ll be a great opportunity to give contemporary Basque dance the attention it deserves.”

Maylis Arrabit, Xabier Madina and Ebi Soria

HQPC 

Bringing Habrá que ponerse cachas to the Fringe allows us to show our work at the world’s largest showcase for the performing arts. So, of course this is an incredible opportunity to introduce our work to a wider audience. The fact that a disability-inclusive show like HQPC was selected to take part in such an important festival is particularly relevant. Our main goal is for audiences to pin labels on us when we first set foot on stage but to walk away from the experience having removed all labels. We also think it’s important that they selected a show created and developed by a woman with a disability. It’s both something different and a hopeful sign of normality.

We also appreciate that the Fringe has given us the chance to share our work with a playwright who will sit in on our work sessions for a week and help us adapt our work to the context of the festival. It’s always enriching for an outside expert to add their insight and further develop the show."

Akira Yoshida

Dancer

“For me it’s a real treat to be able to dance at the Fringe. After having lived abroad for four years, I look forward to making myself known in Scotland alongside other Basque performers. I think I’ve done pretty well in recent years. I’m now working in other countries in Europe, and in a few months I’ll also be in Mexico and Colombia. But feelings for my homeland run deep: my friends, my bboying floorwork group, my family... It’s here that I learned the groundwork and now I’d like to show my appreciation by bringing new energy. I’ll go to Edinburgh, but my Basque roots will be with me.

I don’t know what will happen with my work after the Fringe. I do have other things on my calendar, but a shot of energy from the festival will be great!

Aritz Salamanca

Tio Teronen Semeak

"The Fringe international arts festival is a stage any artist dreams about. The streets come alive with a life of their own. Renowned dancers, musicians, actors, and other artists from around the world join the thousands of festival-goers to create a wonderful culturally-rich environment. Thrill, fascination, joy and new artistic forms are the foundations of the festival. It was an absolute pleasure to be part of the audience, so it’ll be a real luxury and an honour for us to be an active part of the giant celebration.

This gift, which comes after a lot of work, is the best possible showcase for groups that promote Basque culture. We’ll take FreshCool to the streets of Edinburgh and perform our show in an atmosphere bursting with humour and Euskera. After all, our language deserves places like the Fringe. We’re thrilled because we’ve been given a fabulous present and we’re looking forward to taking off the wrapper.”