From Friday, November 14th to Sunday, November 23rd, the French region of Montpellier will host a new edition of the Montpellier Metropole FestivalThis year's festival will feature artists such as Belén López, Juan Polvillo, Manuel Montes, Eva Luisa, and Zaida Prudencio, among others. Its organizer is the flamenco dancer and businessman. Alexis Laurens, breaks down for expoflamenco the key points of this meeting.
– For readers who don't know him, who would we say Alexis is?
– Well, first of all, I'm passionate about flamencoI started my career in the flamenco with dancing, which I've always loved, just like the cante And the guitar. I have a Spanish grandmother, but no, she's not flamenco at all. These things just come up, and you know, when the flamenco It grabs you, it doesn't let go. I went to live in Seville for almost two years to learn, and afterwards I've been, and still am, lucky enough to dance in flamenco venues, to meet a lot of people, and that facilitates exchanges. So, when I arrived in Montpellier, I felt the need to create a festival. Montpellier is right next to Spain, the border is an hour and a half away, Barcelona is three hours away, you know? And I thought that there's a fantastic festival in Nîmes, another in Mont-de-Marsan… Montpellier is a capital of modern dance, but it didn't have a festival of flamencoSo I said to myself, "Okay, let's give it a try," and look, we're already on the fifth edition, and since the first edition, the box office has been 100% sold out.
– He's been responsive to people since day one, hasn't he?
– That's right. Since I run several businesses in addition to dancing, I've put my own money into this festival. So it could get started, because the first year I had no one, not even a sponsor, and I was constantly thinking: what if this performance falls through, what if it sells out… And look, even in the first year I was blown away.
– Did institutional support arrive later?
– Yes, we were lucky that Montpellier supported us, not as a city council, but as the Andalusian Regional Government, the autonomous community, you know? The Montpellier community is made up of about twenty cities. They told me they were interested, not by giving money, but by helping with spaces. They lent me a theater, and they helped me a little with communication, but nothing more. And the second year they came back, yes, and they told me, “This year we’ll give you a grant.”
– Besides public support, do any companies collaborate?
– Yes, yes, apart from the cities that either give us a subsidy or lend us a theater, we have some private ones, well, this year, last year we had Renfe, and then yes, we have one or two companies from here, from France.
"In this part of southern France, dancing is very popular. I like the..." canteOf course. But there in France, since most people don't understand what the singer is saying, we have the festival focused on the dancing, because that's what works and what fills the box office."
– Although the festival's name is Montpellier Métropole, no performances take place in the city of Montpellier itself, right?
– We have been adding cities, and at the moment the festival takes place in Le Cres, Vendargues, Clapiers, Jacou, Montpellier, St Génies des Mourgues, Castelnau-le-Lez… And every year there is one more, another that says, look, I want to participate and so we do.
– In these five years, have you had time to learn more or less what the profile of the festival's audience is?
– Well, I think that in France, especially in this southern part, dancing is what works really well. I like it. canteOf course, I'm going to Utrera to listen to four hours of cante And I love it. But there in France, since people, or most people, don't understand what the flamenco singer is saying, we have the festival focused on the dancing, because that's what works and what fills the box office. But look, we have many people who weren't fans and who are becoming very interested in it. flamenco Or at least they're curious. In the third edition, we tried to put on a recital of cante I contacted someone well-known from this part of the south, from Marseille, to see if people would come, and there were only about fifteen people. That's not a good image. On the other hand, when you do dance events, it's packed. Montpellier, in France, is the dance capital; there's a festival called Montpellier Dance, which is known throughout France. And of course, there's more appreciation for that art form.
– And do you think that over time it is possible that a great figure will emerge from this fan base that is being created around Montpellier?
– I hope so! [laughs], but I don't know. Look at the case of that flamenco singer from Marseille, Emilio Corte, a young man I adore who has a great voice; Belén Maya requested him this year, and he recently sang in Torres Macarena…People like that can come along and surprise us, why not.
– Is there anything you know that never fails in Montpellier, that when you plan it, it's a guarantee of success?
– Well, the pure stuff never fails. We had Carpeta with something pure, but a bit contemporary, with the piano and all, and it was very good, but something was missing. Last year we hired my Lupi and the crazy people, you know? The flamenco Pure art is something that never fails here. And last year we featured Conchi Maya with her husband, Jesús, and it was incredible. You know that in Nîmes, for example, they have things that lean more towards the contemporary, and I've seen comments and complaints from some people who miss a good flamenco singer, a Rancapino, or a dance without artifice, without anything artificial. Those shows that seem to have nothing, and in the end, they have everything.
– And is there anything you think doesn't belong at the festival?
– Well, things that are too contemporary. Look, as a fan or as a flamenco dancer, I love them. I'm the first in line to see Rocío Molina, Patri [Guerrero], but right now, there at the festival in Montpellier, it seems complicated to me.
"Last year we hired my Lupi and the crazy people, you know? The flamenco "Pure is something that never fails here. And last year we had Conchi Maya with her husband, Jesús, and you wouldn't believe it."
– And in these five years, have you experienced any moments of glory?
– Last year, La Lupi's visit was incredibly exciting. I've known her for seven years, as a mentor, a teacher, a godmother, through many phases of my life. And, of course, when I called her one day and said, "Look, Lupi, this year I want to hire you and your company." And, of course, when the theater suddenly filled up in two weeks, and 48 places were filled for the workshops in just two days, I thought, "That's incredible, isn't it?" And when everyone in the theater was on their feet, everyone saying, "Thank you so much for bringing La Lupi, who hadn't been to France in so long," I said: "No, I'm the one who should be thanking you for having this company with us tonight."
– And have you had bad moments? Any times when you've had a hard time?
"Sure, you book someone and they tell you they can't come because… I won't name names, but, of course, it can happen all the time. You set the conditions and suddenly they change. And why? Because something more special has come up, or with a slightly higher fee, and people have no nerve. What always surprises me is that when I go to dance in the flamenco venues of Seville, I see my colleagues earning 50 or 60 euros and working themselves to the bone every day. They arrive in France and—not all of them, mind you, just some, a few—they ask for a fortune. I tell them, 'Okay, we can try,' and then they do things that make you think: 'Look, this guy doesn't know that half the theater speaks Spanish, and he understands perfectly what he's doing and saying, and you realize how professional that person is.'"
– Yes, deep down it's a clumsy thing to do, isn't it? Because it seems like you're trying to deceive whoever hires you or the public, and in the end you're disrespecting yourself, aren't you?
– Of course, let me tell you something: if he disrespects me, well, I don't care. I think: you can stay in Seville or in your town, it doesn't matter to me. But to disrespect the audience that pays to hear you or see you, that's unacceptable. You do half of what he's doing there at the Seville Biennial, and the people in the theater will kick you out.
– If I could resurrect any figure from flamenco If someone is no longer in this world, who would you bring to your festival?
– Well, two people: Paco de Lucía, and I think Carmen Amaya. Paco, because we'll never have another genius like him. And Carmen Amaya, because she's incredible. Then I'll tell you, seriously, many others. I'd love to meet Farruco, to have him at the festival. CamarónOf course. Or Lola. Well, so many people… But it's just not possible.
– And of those who are alive, whom you haven't yet invited, who would you be most excited to invite?
– To many. You see, I love the festival so much… Of course, I love Sara Baras, I love her a lot. She's so impressive, and I know she would do very well here in Montpellier. I'd love to bring Farruquito too. And Miguel Poveda. Miguel Poveda, he's the first one.
Let's see if anyone reads this and gets inspired...
- Clear!
How would you like the festival to develop over the next five years, for example? In what areas do you think it should grow? With larger budgets? With more extensions?
– Yes, yes, I've already thought about it. Well, with bigger budgets and bigger shows, as I was saying before, with a company like Sara Baras's, Farruquito's, Miguel Poveda's. But I also want to reserve time for lesser-known names, smaller shows… They deserve it too. I, for example, was the first to bring Claudia La Debla, who wasn't very well-known in Spain, and we brought her for the first edition. And another young woman who isn't as well-known, called Yessica Brea, she's from Jerez, you wouldn't believe how she dances, you know? Or Manuel Montes, a young man from Córdoba who lives in Seville. He's not as famous as Juan Tomás, Alberto Sellés, or others are now, but let's see, the guy dances wonderfully. Always discovering new people, and mixing people from Spain with professional people from France, because the mix is also fantastic and works very well. And growing with more new talent. ♦
