The Flamenco Festival (La Bienal de Flamenco) takes place in Seville once every two years and lasts almost a month. The first took place in 1980. The opening of the festival every year falls on different dates.
Flamenco – is a traditional musical and dance style represented by dozens of varieties. Flamenco dances and songs are usually accompanied by guitar playing, percussion box playing, rhythmic hand beating, and sometimes – castanet sounds.
In 2010, UNESCO awarded flamenco the status of a World Heritage Site.
Seville is considered the cradle of flamenco, and experts call the festival, which takes place here once every two years, one of the most authoritative events of this kind. During the festival days, flamenco lovers from all over the world come here to see the best artists of this genre.
Seville is true to tradition, so those performers who want to bring any innovations to flamenco prefer to perform on other, more liberal stages. However, this feature of the Seville festival can hardly be called a disadvantage –, because where, if not here, can you hear good old flamenco?
Particularly active tourists will be pleased with the fact that you can not only hear and see flamenco in Seville, but also «try». It will not be difficult for a city guest to find an academy where they will quickly teach the basics of dance. There are a great many such academies open in the city.
Every year, the festival organizers organize all kinds of events aimed at preserving and enhancing this intangible part of the world’s cultural heritage. Thus, the festival includes various events and conferences, theatrical performances, exhibitions, street flash mobs and processions. The city is literally immersed in flamenco dance and music.