{"id":19040,"date":"2020-04-09T03:01:53","date_gmt":"2020-04-09T01:01:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.expoflamenco.com\/archivo\/?p=19040"},"modified":"2020-04-09T03:13:05","modified_gmt":"2020-04-09T01:13:05","slug":"frances-flamenco-soul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/expoflamenco.com\/archivo\/en\/international\/frances-flamenco-soul\/","title":{"rendered":"France\u2019s flamenco soul"},"content":{"rendered":"

The rhythm of palmas por buler\u00edas<\/em> in a pe\u00f1a<\/em> in Jerez de la Frontera. The soul-piercing cante<\/em> in a tablao<\/em> on a street in Triana. Flamenco casts a boundless, irresistible spell on all those who explore it, and that\u2019s something that cannot be contained by any border. That\u2019s why flamenco has been declared Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO, being much more than a Spanish art form. In this article, we\u2019ll focus on France, a country that has embraced this noble artistic genre for centuries.<\/p>\n

Interest in flamenco has existed in France since the 18th<\/sup> century. Famous personalities such as Debussy, Ravel, M\u00e9rim\u00e9e, Gustave Dor\u00e9, Th\u00e9ophile Gautier<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Chateaubriand<\/strong> had a higher regard for this cultural expression than for any other. We must also remember that many Spanish intellectuals settled in France after fleeing their country during the Spanish Civil War. From those years we have, for example, the iconic flamenco anthology published in France by Hispavox in 1954, edited by Ducretet-Thomson<\/strong>\u00a0and directed by Jerez\u2019s Perico el del Lunar<\/strong>. Ram\u00f3n Montoya<\/strong> also recorded in France.<\/p>\n

Yet, it was in the 20th<\/sup> century when flamenco spread like wildfire in France. Festivals like Mont-de-Marsan and N\u00eemes spearheaded this boom, having over 30 editions each. However, flamenco history in France started much earlier. Perhaps we have to go back to the 1970s, when Manolo Moreno<\/strong>, cantaor<\/em> from M\u00e1laga, lived in Marseille. Moreno toured twice a year \u2014 in fall and in spring \u2014 and he would invite renowned artist such as Pepe Marchena, Valderrama, Rafael Farina<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Gabriel Moreno<\/strong>, among others, to join him. He even featured an exceptional duo in 1970: Camar\u00f3n de la Isla<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Paco de Luc\u00eda<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u00abFrance is much more than cafes, croissants and baguettes. There\u2019s also toque and comp\u00e1s. Although N\u00eemes and Mont-de-Marsan draw most of the attention, other cities such as Toulouse, Paris and Marseille also leave their flamenco mark\u00bb<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A substantial core of Spanish immigrants were the main attendees of those events, which helped them to feel closer to their roots. Besides, Paco de Luc\u00eda and his iconic Entre dos aguas<\/em>\u00a0also aroused the interest of young French people who were starting to get acquainted with flamenco guitar.<\/p>\n

It was at the end of the 20th<\/sup> century and beginning of the 21st<\/sup> when many other flamenco festivals started to be organized all over France: Bienal de Par\u00eds<\/a>,\u00a0Festival de Toulouse<\/a>,\u00a0Marseille\u2019s Flamenco Azul<\/a>\u2026 Yet, the list of relevant flamenco festivals is led by the two events mentioned above. Both take place every year. Mont-de-Marsan is held in July and lasts for a week. N\u00eemes takes place in January for two weeks, although that city experiences flamenco year-round.<\/p>\n

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Mont-de-Marsan Festival <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Mont-de-Marsan is a small city in the Landes department in southwestern France with a population of over thirty thousand. It\u2019s about one hundred kilometers (eighty miles) south of Bordeaux and a bit further west of Toulouse and Montpellier. Many of its inhabitants are descendants of Spanish immigrants, so it\u2019s a veritable sanctuary for flamenco aficionados in southern France<\/p>\n

The Landes Department had the foresight to undertake the initiative of Henri Emmanuelli<\/strong>\u00a0and in 1989 created Arte Flamenco<\/a>, the biggest flamenco festival outside Spain, held every July in Mont-de-Marsan. It\u2019s a world-renowned event featuring top artists.<\/p>\n

The idea of having a flamenco festival in this city was the brainchild of Antonia Gonz\u00e1lez<\/strong>, from Madrid, who took refuge in France after the Civil War and married the socialist president of the Landes General Council, Henri Emmanuelli. He asked her about ideas for cultural projects to revitalize the city.<\/p>\n

\u00abI suggested flamenco, because I was a flamenco aficionada, and he half-heartedly agreed\u00bb, said Antonia in an interview published in the El Pa\u00eds<\/em> newspaper. \u00abThe second year we hired Camar\u00f3n and I thought that was the end of it. Tomatito<\/strong> arrived and started playing to buy time, but Jos\u00e9 [Camar\u00f3n] was nowhere to be seen. Poor Tomatito was very young and had exhausted his repertoire, so he started to repeat his pieces. We were about to cancel the whole thing. My husband went out for a smoke and said \u201cNever again\u201d. At that moment, a very thin man with a little suitcase showed up and Henri asked him \u201cWho are you?\u201d. \u201cI\u2019m Camar\u00f3n and I came to sing for you\u201d<\/p>\n

The stages of Mont-de-Marsan have featured artists such as Gades, Paco de Luc\u00eda, Morente, Chano Lobato, Chocolate, Agujetas, Manolo Sanl\u00facar, Carmen Linares, La Paquera, Mora\u00edto Chico<\/strong>\u00a0and so many others. \u00abI\u2019ve performed here in every possible way: young and old, thin and fat\u00bb, joked\u00a0Diego del Morao<\/strong>. \u00abI came here when I was five years old with my grandfather Farruco<\/strong>, I premiered Alma Vieja<\/em> here and now I come with my son\u00bb, recalls Farruquito<\/strong>, holding his son, Juan El Moreno<\/strong> in his arms, according to that same article.<\/p>\n

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N\u00eemes<\/strong> Flamenco Festival<\/strong><\/h3>\n

N\u00eemes is the capital of the Gard department in the Occitanie region. It\u2019s a city in southeastern France with a little over one hundred and fifty thousand inhabitants. In 2020 its festival celebrated its 30th<\/sup> anniversary and its stages have featured all kinds of flamenco artists and stars.<\/p>\n

Artists such as Mora\u00edto Chico, Tomatito,\u00a0Rafael Riqueni, Jos\u00e9 de la Tomasa, Capullo de Jerez, Carmen Linares, Andr\u00e9s Mar\u00edn, Israel Galv\u00e1n, Joaqu\u00edn<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Luis El Zambo, Agujetas, In\u00e9s Bac\u00e1n, Yerbabuena, Mar\u00eda Pag\u00e9s, Roc\u00edo Molina, Diego Carrasco, David Coria, Vicente Amigo, El Cabrero, \u00c1ngel Mu\u00f1oz, Mari Pe\u00f1a, Luis Moneo, Antonio Reyes, David Carpio, Arc\u00e1ngel<\/strong>, Tom\u00e1s de Perrate, Ballet Flamenco de Andaluc\u00eda and a long etcetera are already part of the history of this prestigious festival.<\/p>\n

The program always features an outstanding selection of traditional and contemporary flamenco \u2013 it would be hard to name any major flamenco artist who has not performed at this festival \u2013 in addition to a wide variety of parallel activities.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tablaos<\/em><\/strong> and other flamenco events in France<\/strong><\/h3>\n

France is much more than cafes, croissants and baguettes. There\u2019s also toque <\/em>and comp\u00e1s<\/em>. Although N\u00eemes and Mont-de-Marsan draw most of the attention, other cities such as Toulouse, Paris and Marseille also leave their flamenco mark with various flamenco events and festivals for the delight of all aficionados.<\/p>\n

Besides, France has a good selection of tablaos<\/em> for the enjoyment of live flamenco, such as the famous Casa Pepe<\/a>,\u00a0La Maroquinerie<\/a>\u00a0and Le Bistrot<\/strong> in Paris;\u00a0Movida Flamenca<\/strong> in Bordeaux;\u00a0La Buler\u00eda<\/strong> in Lyon;\u00a0La Meson<\/strong>,\u00a0La Machine \u00e0 Coudre<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Sole\u00e1 Flamenco<\/strong> in Marseille;\u00a0El Patio<\/strong> in Arles;\u00a0Le Th\u00e9\u00e2tre du Minotaure<\/strong> in B\u00e9ziers;\u00a0Los Flamencos<\/strong> in Lille;\u00a0Bodega Losada Don Miguel<\/strong> in N\u00eemes;\u00a0Plan\u00e8te Andaluc\u00eda<\/strong> in Montreuil-Sous-Bois; and\u00a0ADACE<\/strong> in Saint-Martin-d\u2019H\u00e8res.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a1Long live flamenco in France!<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Image above: 2020 Toulouse Flamenco Festival poster<\/h6>\n

 <\/p>\n

As it was rightly pointed out by Estela Zatania<\/strong>\u00a0in one of her contributions<\/a>\u00a0for\u00a0Expoflamenco<\/em>, this long infatuation with Spain, combined with France\u2019s cultural awareness and appreciation of avant-garde manifestations, leads naturally to the unquestionable relevance of the N\u00eemes Flamenco Festival <\/a>. Flamenco seems like a natural part of the landscape in N\u00eemes. Thanks to the many artists from Jerez who have performed at the event, the city is affectionately called \u201cthe Jerez of the north\u201d, and in fact, Diego Carrasco and Tomasito, both from Jerez, were presented with the keys to the city some years back.<\/p>\n