LAV-Canarias Concludes 2025 Program Emphasizing Culture Over Entertainment

LAV-Canarias is wrapping up its 2025 program with writer, performance artist, and activist Brigitte Vasallo, along with thinkers and artists Larisa Flores and Daniasa Curbelo. This program, which included residencies, community activities, and critical thinking, ran for the last four months of the year.

This final event, which highlights the need to distinguish between culture and simple entertainment, will be held on December 18th in the chamber hall of the Leal Theater. It serves as a grand finale to a program and a year dedicated to contemporary arts and supporting the local community.

Beatriz Bello, co-director of LAV Canarias, explains: "While culture presented as entertainment or at festivals is important, it shouldn't overshadow everything else. It's the creative work behind every performance, or a student's first experience with dance, that builds the audience for those festivals. These activities aren't separate; they feed into each other."

LAV Canarias is asking for more support for programs like this. Their initiatives have included workshops for both young people and adults, talks and podcasts with artists, creative residencies, and opportunities for Canarian artists to collaborate with others in Europe.

The event, "Esto no es un festiLAV" (This is not a festiLAV), targets a wide range of people from all generations. It sees them not just as an audience, but as an active network of cultural, social, and educational partners who get involved in the creative, engagement, and thinking processes that the project encourages.

Darío Damas, co-director of LAV-Canarias, adds: "These activities also make culture accessible to everyone. They help people develop their creative skills, support young artists in their careers, and provide modern tools for creating stage performances."

LAV-Canarias is a lively hub for creating contemporary performing arts on the island. It aims to strengthen the local art scene and actively contribute to cultural and social change, focusing on local identity, decolonization, and community involvement. The "Esto no es un FestiLAV" event has received support from the Government of the Canary Islands and the Santa Cruz City Council.