04Experiences

Seville

Flamenco in its city

Flamenco is song, dance and playing, and it was inscribed in 2010 on the list of intangible cultural heritage. Its living centre is Andalusia, and Seville is one of the cities where it is heard at night in small rooms rather than in a single hall. The photographs here show the city, not a performance: the Giralda above the square, and Plaza de España with its long bench. The Giralda was finished in 1198, and the plaza’s building was completed in 1928 for the exposition the following year. Between them you walk the old quarter, where the evening sessions are posted on the doors. If you want a seat, ask for the hour on the door the same day. The small rooms fill up, and the price is written at the entrance. The song, the cante, is accompanied by guitar and clapping, and the dance is built on the strike of the heel. One night in Seville is enough to hear the form. The other days belong to the tower, the palace and the river. If you prefer daylight, the gardens and the tiles are there, and the sound can wait until after the heat.

Flamenco was inscribed in 2010.

Intangible heritage