Friday, February 18 was the last day for the teacher and well-known bailaora Gloria Febres-Cordero at the direction of Art and Culture of Espolafter completing four years of management.
“I am withdrawing because I believe that this type of management should have a reasonable time, so that the ideas of new people can enter. It is a pertinent position, especially because the institution is managed from the public, “explains the cultural manager with a master’s degree in Dance and Arts.
Febres-Cordero departs from this position as the first Director of Arts and Culturea direction that was created when Cecilia Paredes, current rector of the Guayaquil educational institution, took office.
“The tradition of culture in Espol is more than 40 years old”, illustrates the dancer. But “when Dr. Cecilia Paredes assumed the rector’s office, at the end of 2017, she noticed that the artistic groups of Espol, which at that time were 6, Cine Espol, the Espol International Festival and the Ballet Contest, among others, were scattered” .
He clarifies that this was not incompetence of the previous management, “but that traditionally they had been working like this.” Each activity on its own. “She proposed that I be in charge so that I could coordinate all the cultural efforts that Espol has been carrying out for so many decades and work as a unit, as a cultural center,” explains Gloria. With the formation of this department, in addition, she says, the rumors of the closure of cultural activities such as the choir, “which is an emblem of the institution,” were allayed.
Four years of art and culture
Some of the initiatives that Espol Cultural promotes were promoted before Gloria’s direction, others were their own programs. But all, he emphasizes, could be greatly enhanced.
“The main objective of these four years is to have formed an audience. Espol does not have artistic careers, but art subjects, and having a community of 10,000 students has been a very fertile space to create audiences in the arts and culture”, he points out. “Our premise is that our students participate in the cultural educational life of the university.”
The first thing she did when she arrived at this office, recalls the dance teacher, was to promote a campaign within Espol to offer weekly functions at lunchtime in bars and in Espol’s green spaces, which serve as a meeting point for arriving from an informal way.
New spaces were also managed to see art, such as a theater room, a lobby to exhibit, rehearsal rooms and a mini-cinema. “All to accommodate the cultural movement that was happening,” she says.
Other projects
Gloria Febres-Cordero also wants to highlight the program ESPOL in your community, which started with his administration. With it they were able to make art tours in spaces of vulnerability, where art does not normally arrive, or where people cannot go out to consume art outside these sectors.
Unfortunately, he acknowledges, the program had a short life, in 2018 and 2019. Because in 2020 it had to be suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“During the first year we reached 4,000 people within Guayas, in 2019 it was 8,000,” he points out. Sites such as Daule, El Limonal, La Troncal, La Unión, Zumar (Guayaquil), Santa Elena and Milagro benefited from scenic proposals with educational content. “Rescuing national artists who have made history in the country and that the public can learn from them,” she says.
and the festivals
The general public outside Espol has also enjoyed its artistic projects for decades through its iconic festivals, which are a tradition in the city. Two of them are Espol Sound and Movement, which by the way will be ten years old this October, and the Marius Petipa Ballet Contest. “When Espol Cultural We have been able to internationalize these events with special guests from different countries”, says the artist.
They are two of the emblematic programs of the institution, which had generally been focused on a larger audience, says Febres-Cordero. “Since our purpose was to reach a young audience, we opened two other festivals under my management, in the audiovisual and musical,” she defends.
The first is Previewan exchange space at the level of audiovisual producers and university students. The second is Repertoirefocused on the performance of band music.
In addition, implemented a university meeting of coastal folk dance. “Despite the fact that we already have a contest with a thirteen-year tradition that works on the investigation of the coastal culture and brings it to the stage, one was also implemented at the university level to open up to other students, because they, as future professionals, will carry out these relations”.
With Espol Theatermeeting that was convened last year and was directed by Johnny Shapiro, had 60 works selected from America and Europe to be broadcast.
Personal projects
Gloria will continue as a teacher at Espol, a career that began 16 years ago. “I am working full time as a teacher, I am very interested in social inclusion, so I will be involved in projects like this,” she says. She also works at the University of the Arts as a part-time teacher.
In the personal sphere, he anticipates two projects in development. The first of them is a traditional flamenco show, from the Eptea dance center, which she co-directs with her sister Aglae and where she is a flamenco teacher. “I am also going to start a table and research project to work on a stage project that shows and talks about gender violence.” (I)
Source: Eluniverso
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