The Estrellas de Iberia International Festival returned last Sunday 1st to the La Cala Branch Office with the second show of this edition, organised by the Bulgarian-Spanish Centre Estreya in collaboration with the Culture Department and the Art Talentus association. This initiative has been running for 30 years in various European cities and, since last year, in Mijas. “People of different ages, arts and traditions, can take part here, through dance, singing… We are like an international jury and a bridge between cultures uniting us with the whole world”, explained the manager of the Bulgarian centre, Petya Evtimova.  

The festival was divided into two sessions, on 27th October and 1st November, with around 450 artists taking part across both dates, and the most outstanding performers receiving awards from Art Talentus. There were many participants, including locals from Mijas such as Pilar Cantos, a student at the UP, who came on this occasion alongside Karina Parra from Marbella to perform two dances from Málaga. For her, cultural exchange is the most important thing. “When we were there (in Bulgaria), we ate with them; they showed us their history, their food and their dances too. We learnt some of their dances. We taught them one of ours. It’s enriching, a way of exchanging cultures”, pointed out Cantos. 

Cultural showcase

The gathering aims to bring the cultural richness of countries such as Spain, with the participation of the UP, Peru, Bolivia and Bulgaria closer to the public, the latter being the home country of Dayana Yaneva, who danced to songs from her homeland. “This festival is special because we make friends from all over the world. What we’ve seen so far is beautiful and I want to come back”, stated Yaneva.

The organisers expressed their gratitude for the support of the Town Hall and the warm welcome shown by the people of Mijas to the participants. “Mijas Town Hall always gives us tremendous support because it brings this festival to the public of Mijas. People visiting the town are also welcome”, emphasised Evtimova.

Just as in the first session, the associations Sembrando Sonrisas and Diksha España took part in this one, highlighting the charitable side of the initiative as they were able to set up stalls to raise funds.

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