Photo: bailaora Ana Morales, by Óscar Romero (Bienal’s Facebook fan page)

While we still savour the memories of the 20^th,Bienal de Flamenco, its 21^st edition, which will take place between September 4^th and October 4^th, 2020, is already being planned. Besides, it will have as its focus the poet Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, who was born in Seville in 1836. This was announced in the award ceremony of the Giraldillo prizes from the 20^th Bienal de Flamenco.

«In the year 2020, we’ll celebrate important anniversaries for flamenco and for Seville. It will be 150 years since the death of the father of Spanish contemporary poetry, Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, to whom the next Bienal will be dedicated. And our Bienal itself will celebrate its 40^th anniversary, as we continue to promote flamenco and the talent of our artists, working to open up our festival as much as possible and to make it reach all corners of the city so the whole of Seville can experience the Bienal», explained Antonio Muñoz, the City Council,’s delegate for Human Habitat, Culture and Tourism.

Bécquer, present at Seville’s 21^st Flamenco Bienal

Besides the pleasant surprise of the tribute to Bécquer in this renowned event, we also learn about the opening event of the 21^st Bienal de Flamenco. As usual, it will be a spectacular flashmob, but this time it will be to the tune of some sevillanas by the great Rafael Riqueni. “We choose sevillanas to highlight the role that Seville and its people played in the revaluation of a social event that in the middle of the 19^th century wasn’t considered to have any cultural value at all.  In our days, Riqueni represents the mastery in the six-string instrument as the Seville style among the various schools of flamenco”, stated the director of the Bienal, Antonio Zoido.

de la agradable sorpresa del homenaje a Bécquer en este evento tan sonado, también se ha conocido la apertura de la XXI Bienal de Flamenco. Como viene siendo habitual, será un espectacular flashmob, pero en esta ocasión con unas sevillanas del gran Rafael Riqueni. “Hemos elegido las sevillanas para resaltar el papel que Sevilla y los sevillanos jugaron en la revalorización de un hecho social que a mediados del siglo XIX era considerado sin interés cultural alguno. Riqueni representa, en estos momentos, la maestría en el instrumento de las seis cuerdas como el estilo sevillano dentro de las múltiples escuelas flamencas”, argumenta el director de la Bienal, Antonio Zoido.

Thus, Riqueni continues the path started by other artists in previous bienales, which featured shows by Rafaela Carrasco, Pastora Galván, Farruquito and José Galán, among others, although having the distinctive element of sevillanas, as the previous editions had an integrating flashmob and a choreography por bulerías.

Giraldillos of the 20^th Bienal de Sevilla

The award ceremony of the Giraldillos of the 20^th Bienal took place on May 23^rd at the Palacio de Congresos y Exposiciones de Sevilla (Fibes). The award-winning artists were Lole Montoya (cante), Ana Morales (baile), Santiago Lara (toque), Una oda al tiempo, of the Compañía María Pagés (best show), bailaora María Moren (revelation), Tomatito (Giraldillo “City of Seville” for his lifetime career achievements),  Isabel Bayón’s Yo Soy (special Giraldillo by the jury), de José Quevedo ‘Bolita’ Caótico  (Giraldillo prizing dialogue with other musical genres) and Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía (special Giraldillo for their 25^th anniversary).