The dazzling Centro Cerámica Triana [Triana Ceramic Centre], headquarters of the Seville Biennial, held the introductory presentation of Nîmes Flamenco Festival 2022 on Friday the 26^th November. The event was attended by the festival’s Director, François Noël, its Artistic Advisor, Chema Blanco – newly made Director of the Seville Biennial – and a considerable group of artists, who can be seen in the image above, who will be present at the festival itself. The festival will be held in the southern French city from the 13^th-22^nd of January 2022.

François Noël, Director of the Nîmes Festival, commented that the event will look both to the future and tradition – Blanco added that “the future doesn’t exist without tradition” – and emphasised the difficult time a year ago. “After the 2021 edition’s unfortunate cancellation due to the health context, it is a joy to be able to vibrate to the frenzied rhythms of the Flamenco Festival again. As soon as those first guitar notes resound once again and warm our hearts in the wintertime, we’ll be proud and happy to have fought for flamenco to come alive again in the city again.”

As Chema Blanco, flamenco advisor at Nîmes, advised in detail, the upcoming festival will bring together ten shows, six of which are new to the city. He described it as “a very special edition, with very carefully selected artists”. The event reinforces its distinctive, unique and authentic hallmark, mixing genres and eras. Between singing from Inés Bacán, Pedro el Granaíno and Rocío Márquez, and dancing from María Moreno, Rocío Molina, Florencia O’Z and the Andalusian Flamenco Ballet, there will be exciting musical moments such as Carta Blanca by the talented guitarist Dani de Morón, as well as María Marín from Utrera. The budding young artist Yinka Esi Graves will be in residence, as will dancer Ana Morales to unveil a new creative phase from her next show. Also appearing on the programme is the electric and eclectic duo RomeroMartín. Colita will be exhibited at the Carré d’Art museum, and the Semaphore cinema will screen the film Nueve Sevillas by Gonzalo García-Pelayo and Pedro G. Romero. Furthermore José María Velázquez-Gaztelu, a loyal friend of the Festival, who was recently appointed member of the Academy of Fine Arts of Cádiz, will offer privileged meetings with the artists.

Thirty years of experience have made Nîmes more than just a place for artists to pass through, but rather a real showcase that gives visibility to the most daring trends in flamenco. A deeper knowledge of the art form, as well as its commitment to the artists, has made it a key player on the international flamenco scene. Over the years, it has managed to forge a fundamental, even emotional, relationship between the teams, public and artists.

Tickets for Nîmes Festival can be purchased online (theatredenimes.com), by telephone (00 33 (0) 4 66 36 65 10) or by e-mail (billetterie@theatredenimes.com)

Translation: Lauren Bleakley