Santander Prepares Third Edition of Plataforma Festival with Contemporary Performing Arts
The Plataforma Festival of performing arts returns to Santander for its third edition, running from Wednesday, October 28, to Saturday, October 31, according to announcements from city officials. Organized by the Santander City Council and curated by Cooperativa Performa (Mónica Maneiro Jurjo and Iñaki Martínez Antelo), the hybrid event showcases contemporary dance, theater, performance art, visual arts, and sound creation across multiple municipal venues.
Culture Councilor Noemí Méndez detailed the festival’s lineup, emphasizing its focus on innovative live arts that merge traditional disciplines and encourage direct interaction between creators and audiences. Most participating artists are presenting their work in Santander for the first time, excluding Itsaso Iribarren and Germán de la Riva alongside Cantabrian artist Silvia Antolín.
Performance Schedule Across City Venues
Events take place at the Ricardo Lorenzo Architecture Centre, Escena Miriñaque, CASYC, the Juan de Santander Civic Centre, the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Santander and Cantabria (MAS), and the Café de las Artes. The schedule begins Wednesday, October 28, at 6:00 p.m. at the Ricardo Lorenzo Architecture Centre with Microdesfase: desajuste para voz y espacio,
a performance by Blanca Tolsá and Albert Tarrats examining the relationship between voice, body, sound, technology, and architecture.
Later that evening at 8:00 p.m. at Escena Miriñaque, dancer and choreographer Elena Córdoba debuts Cuentos de piel y de huesos. Cuento 1. Las apariencias no engañan.
The piece forms part of her Ficciones Botánicas
research cycle connecting human bodies and plant life through microscopic observation, scientific knowledge, and dance. On Thursday, October 29, at 8:00 p.m. at CASYC, Argentine director, playwright and performer Martín Flores Cárdenas presents Al Oeste: capítulos I, II y III
alongside Pablo Ragoni, marking the work’s Spanish premiere.
Artists and a Therapist Lead Movement Workshops
Educational programming features the workshop Entrenar la escucha
, a conscious movement session for pairs led by artists Itsaso Iribarren and Germán de la Riva in collaboration with sexologist and sexual therapist Alex Segura. The sessions run Thursday, October 29, and Friday, October 30, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Juan de Santander Civic Centre. The three instructors host a public conference addressing body movement, communication, and sexuality on Friday, October 30, at 7:30 p.m.
Closing Performances at the MAS and Café de las Artes
Saturday, October 31, begins at 12:00 p.m. at MAS with the premiere of Las hilanderas,
a participatory performance by Cantabrian artist Silvia Antolín exploring personal and territorial memory. Marc Vives follows at 6:00 p.m. at the same museum with La Fiesta,
a performance piece drawing on a 1939 conference by Roger Caillois to investigate rhythm and ritual through movement.
The festival concludes at 8:30 p.m. at the Café de las Artes with Rosa Romero’s Debut,
a piece blending humor, dance, theater and performance to examine audience perception and vulnerability. Inquiries regarding the municipal festival are directed to info@performa.gal.