Los Teatros del Canal

Located in a very well-known quarter in Chamberí, right in the downtown of Madrid, at the corner of Cea Bermúdez and Bravo Murillo streets, the “Teatros del Canal” (The theatre of the Canal) has up to 12 floors and 3 adjacent buildings.

The façades have a nice mixture of steel, glass and dark red walls, which stand out against the blue sky of Madrid. It took almost 7 years to finish this construction where many issues and unexpected problems were involved. This new 21st century cultural centre is the architect’s Juan Navarro Baldeweg work of art, and offers a solution to the different shapes of scenic creation.

Harlequin took up the challenge!

It was indeed challenging: to find a dance floor which is suitable for all types of dancing: classical, modern, flamenco, hip-hop, theatre and other artistic activities.

Invented by Harlequin to fulfil the increasing demand for a multipurpose floor in big dance schools, the Harlequin STANDFAST™ dance floor corresponded perfectly to this multipurpose need. Thus, the 1,250 m2 rehearsal studios of the new Spanish choreographic centre were covered with grey Harlequin STANDFAST™ dance floors, glued and welded, on Harlequin LIBERTY™ sprung floors.

Priority to dancing

The management and programming of the Theatres of the Canal have been entrusted to Albert Boadella, a controversial personality, yet eclectic; probably one of the best known actors on the Spanish stage. He has mainly created the famous “Els Joglars” theatre group. According to Albert Boadella, “Dancing will have a predominant place in the programming of these two theatres which are provided with a choreography centre that is perfectly equipped”. He will be assisted by Mrs. Ana Cabo, a dance expert in the Madrid Community.

Future headquarter of the national classical dance Company

The choreographic centre will be the headquarters of the future national company for classical dancing very soon, which will be led by Victor Ullate, the teacher of the most famous Spanish dance stars worldwide.

For its grand public opening on February 20th 2009, Albert Boadella programmed the show called “A night at the Canal”, one of his creations which combines music, dance and theatre.