Cultural events of proven importance, those that are scheduled in the spring/summer season and that undoubtedly enrich our identity, must be designed to attract the public and with the objective of the creation, transmission and reinterpretation of flamenco culture, in our case, but without losing sight of the incentive of entertainment for the enjoyment of attendees.
These events take place in a social context involving individuals who generally share a series of cultural and/or historical characteristics, and are carried out in a public or private space, but with a symbolic character due to their capacity for representation.
Having established this definition, in the run-up to summer we have had the IV Festival Paths of the Cante, The Castle of the Guardians (Seville), which has kicked off the conventional festivals, and the more than consolidated ones Thursday Flamencos, Cajasol, in the capital of Seville, which will last until November, without forgetting the IX Málaga Biennial, which has been running since May 27 and is scheduled to close on August 2, is unique in that it will be held in 26 municipalities in the province, where they will be able to enjoy a program with a total of 38 shows, 23 of which will be free to attend.
The time that is approaching is, however, that of the summer festivals, events that are the protagonists of the Andalusian dog days and that, since the start on June 13th of the year, Festival Flamenco Juan Talega or the traditional Gypsy stew from Utrera, scheduled for the last Saturday of this month, as well as many others of undeniable renown, are an open window to the plurality and cultural wealth of an Andalusia that, preferably,peña the fundamental role of promoting culture and tourism, and therefore attracts a wide range of viewers, not artists who tend to be repetitive to the point of exhaustion.
It is, however, a unique experience. Some of them involve parallel or prior activities such as exhibitions, recitals, and workshops, and the vast majority have no economic impact, as they are not a significant source of income for the locality that organizes them, which contradicts the proven love and passion for him flamenco It is available in Spain and the rest of the world.
«Under the starry Andalusian sky, the perfect setting is provided to appreciate the musical and cultural enthusiasm of the flamenco, but there are outdated patterns of behavior that, acquired by the ignorant or passed down from previous generations, do not encourage plurality and, therefore, do not transform the efforts of the public treasury.
Something is wrong, then. Under the starry Andalusian sky, there is the perfect setting to appreciate, in the heatwave, the musical and cultural enthusiasm of the flamenco, but there are outdated patterns of behavior that, acquired by the ignorant or transmitted from previous generations, do not encourage plurality and, therefore, do not transform the effort of the public treasury –Estate we are all – for the benefit of society.
Festival culture has evolved and is much more than a mass-market product. Although the purpose of the classics is social and artistic, the goals to be achieved are paramount. Therefore, to organize a festival, it is essential that the public organization, which must not pursue an economic or lucrative end, establish the needs of the population and ensure that the efficiency of the director in charge of leading and supervising the work team, not the commissioner or false representative, is focused on the group of people who attend the event.
This assignment is of vital importance to the development of a festival, as it forms the vital core of the most decisive option, from the idea to be projected to its development and execution, a process that requires financing, publicity, etc.
A festival flamenco of summer presents, as no one escapes, live art, and while respecting the specific characteristics of each event, the goal is to be constantly expanding and not override the preservation of the cultural identity. But if a study were conducted on the decline of many of them due to the impact they have had on the local area, cultural leaders would demand a change of mentality in many organizers.
The poster It is, of course, the main reason for attendance, and must therefore have an impact on the region if the number of attendees is to increase. In them, the cante It is its differentiating factor. But location and temporality are equally essential, and places with architectural heritage –Ronda o Écija, among other cities – are today a claim, but also a cultural complement that adds to the community's interest.
«To favor a festival flamenco"This must adapt to the times we live in. Present a plan based on diversity and a repertoire sustained by variety. And design it with new formats that embrace gender quotas and incorporate details that support the quality and originality of the offering."
However, there is a lack of stability for the future and the idea that a festival is not a poorly planned leisure activity with a bar for bottled liquor, nor is it a nightclub. Pum catapum chin pum who sang Marian Conde, but it is an event that contributes to expanding the existing cultural offering in a city and, therefore, must project an improvement in its image.
To turn this goal into a feasible objective, it is necessary to know codes of conduct, ethical principles and the basic regulations of the shows, such as determining a coherent schedule with a rational and non-Pleistocene duration; resist musical fashions outside of one's own jondo, and know the sequential criteria of a staging.
My joy is short-lived. The years go by, and new times remain old-fashioned for most of those who will never, ever be a benchmark for anything because they don't even ensure the technical equipment for the venue's acoustics, nor do they promote advertising marketing, and even less do they encourage diversification of their offerings. And you know why? Because they persist in an organization that still lives in the caves.
Forty years ago, public institutions – first the town councils and then the provincial and provincial councils Junta de Andalucía– gave the festivals the status of an institution flamencos. Well, these eight decades have been insufficient for local, provincial and autonomous entities to assume that in order to favor a festival flamenco This must adapt to the times we live in; present a plan based on diversity and a repertoire sustained by variety, and design it with new formats that accommodate gender quotas and incorporate details that support the quality and originality of the offering.
These are the attractions that will ultimately capture the attention of new audiences, the young audiences who flock to theaters and seek not only entertainment but also projects that add artistic value to their needs.
the festivals flamencoWell-organized summer programs change the cultural mentality of our people, because they are a source of information on current events. And without culture, as he said Albert Camus, society is a jungle.
