We imagine all the Spaniards passionate about flamenco. But this ancestral art, a mixture of music and dance born at the end of the 18th century in Andalusia, is not unanimous in his country of origin. “I don’t care a bit. I find it funny but I don’t really like it”breath Alvaro, young man from Madrid, who does not listen to this type of music. Alba, she has Andalusian origins and is more receptive: “I find it beautiful to see but in small doses! Otherwise, I find it heavy. I think it depends on how we are brought up.”
Andalusia is the region where flamenco has the most followers. As for Madrid, it is also a city strongly linked to this art. Many artists live there and there are some of the best “tablaos”, these flamenco temples where you can enjoy live shows.
The Casa de la Memoria, flamenco cultural center of Seville, is sold out. Sofía recently discovered her passion for this art. “I studied abroad so I had time to reflect on my cultureshe says. Often, you need to step away to realize how much you have.”
Flamenco is an art where emotions are constantly on edge. For Sofía, it is a music and a dance that she “feels inside”. Alejandro Moreno, guitarist, tries to understand why many Spaniards are insensitive to this passion: “The problem is ignorance. Spaniards don’t know flamenco. Thousands of times I’ve been to the door of a tablao and thousands of times I’ve seen Spaniards pass, look and say : ‘This is for foreigners!'”
“Flamenco is universal. Anyone who does not know flamenco and sees it, hallucinates, whether from here or elsewhere.”
Alejandro Moreno, guitaristat franceinfo
At the flamenco cultural center in Seville, the public applauded the artists for a long time, in particular the dancer of Brazilian origin Lisis Sfair, who is also the co-owner of the place. “A lot of Spaniards come here. We try to make special prices for locals and students, because I think we need to promote Spanish culture in Spain”says the artist.
Many professionals in the sector denounce the lack of public aid for the sector. They hope the situation will change one day.