[#Encarar
The Catalan dictionary definition of encarar is to aim a weapon or a beam of light at someone. It also means to bring two people face to face, or to face towards someone or somewhere. It is therefore an action of confrontation and presence. Like seeking the other’s gaze in order to understand them It can also mean to confront, to stand up to, to resist, to orient, to direct, to focus or to look someone directly in the eye.
Speaking of encara as an adverb (“still” or “yet”) opens up another dimension: something that persists and endures.]
THE MERCAT FACES UP TO
This season 2025/2026, the Mercat is confronting a future of transformations: a change of direction, a new chapter, and major renovation.
As is often the case with renovation processes, the work, in various phases, will inevitably bring some disruption. However, it will ensure the building is well prepared to celebrate its centenary in 2029, and will allow it to continue serving as a landmark for dance and contemporary performing arts. A space from which to continue to foster culture and community.
This season, the Mercat de les Flors faces its twenty year anniversary as a structure fully dedicated to dance, a milestone that we want to mark with a special focus on large-scale productions. This includes the Cèl·lula project itself, which launches the season with a new piece by Roser López Espinosa. And in December, after a successful tour and several awards, La Quijá by Paloma Muñoz, last season’s Cèl·lula production, makes a welcome return.
We will also welcome back artists who have received ongoing support from the Mercat in recent years. Aina Alegre returns with Fugaces, her second work as head of the National Choreographic Centre in Grenoble, and Marina Mascarell, now at the helm of the Danish Dance Theatre, brings Bloody Moon alongside a restaging of Mongrel. Pere Faura returns with Mètode Rosa, a solo piece that is at once brilliant and playful; Humanhood are back with their latest creation Vórtex; Miquel Barcelona with Orgia, a work born from his research into countercultural movements; Leonor Leal, with Of voice, one body; Joâo Lima, with Conspiració, and Olga Mesa // Cía. Hors Champ, with Una mesa propia.
And, still, many more artists and companies to discover. We will be welcoming major productions from leading European public institutions that are in constant artistic evolution: Ballet de Lorraine, now directed by Maud Le Pladec, with a double bill including a work by Marco da Silva Ferreira; and DFDC (formerly the Frankfurt Ballet and The Forsythe Company), now under Ioannis Mandafounis, with a Forsythe/Hauert double programme. We will also be hosting the Korean National Contemporary Dance Company and the Hessian State Ballet, known for showcasing a repertoire of emerging choreographers. With the latter, and in collaboration with the Palau de la Música Chamber Choir, the Mercat will present I am afraid to forget your smile, alongside other works from their programme.
There will also be unique performances, such as Vagabundus by Mozambican choreographer Idio Chichava, winner of the 2024 SEDA Award from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation; Unearth, a durational voice-and-movement piece by Jefta van Dinther, in collaboration with MACBA and set in the Capella dels Àngels; and Darkmatter, by Cherish Menzo.
In terms of national performers, we welcome prominent creators such as Daniel Abreu, Antonio Ruz, and, for the first time at the Mercat, Luz Arcas / La Phármaco. Poliana Lima will present an expanded programme of three thematically connected pieces: Oro Negro, The Common Ground and A Place to Dance, co-created with Yinka Essi Graves.
There will also be new creative collaborations with artists such as Patricia Caballero, Manuel Rodríguez, Pau Aran, Andrés Waskman, WAN and Natalia Fernandes, as well as pieces aimed at younger audiences by AzkonaToloza and Laura Alcalá as part of the Talla Única and Zeroacinc programmes, complemented by gems such as Mirkids, Heka, Cometa and InBalanceIn, among others.
Confronting by directing the beam of light: through the cycle El Mercat no m’ha coproduït encara (El Mercat has not co-produced me yet), we showcase emerging artists we have closely followed, who deserve visibility as we close this chapter, although they have not yet been co-produced by the Mercat, but whom we wish to redirect through already established partnerships, such as collaborations with curators sharing a common path: Hacer Historia(s), elPetit and HOP Festival, and in spring a new edition of the biennial festival Circ d’Ara Mateix.
In all of these, the aim is to shine a light on the details, sharpen the gaze, and find the truth in the strength and vulnerability of dancing bodies, and in the rich diversity of artistic voices. A season that continues to nurture creation from its roots, embracing a wide range of aesthetics and narratives, and presenting works still in progress that reflect and respond to our current social reality.
Pointing and aiming the weapon, confronting and standing up to the situation: in a world fraught with conflict, where words are distorted, emptied of meaning, and images of violence and war dull our senses, we assert the symbolic power of dance and the performing arts as tools and spaces for symbolic confrontation and reflection, in order to preserve our humanity.
Confronting by directing the beam of light: let dance remind us that art can be resistance, made possible through the vision and commitment of artists and audiences alike. There is a shared desire, to move and be moved; a yearning for beauty, a need to dream and imagine, to share a present and a presence, the presence of bodies on both sides of the stage or mingled together, an ephemeral experience, unique and unrepeatable each day.
And so, this season is an invitation to open ourselves to others, their worlds, hopes, voices, sensitivities, and aesthetics, to share different forms of wisdom and realities.
And, finally, as I present my final season’s programme at Mercat de les Flors, I want to offer my heartfelt thanks to the artists I have had the privilege to work with, the audiences who have placed their trust in us, and the teams that make this incredible project possible every day.
Àngels Margarit
Directora del Mercat de les Flors
