Sevilla: Local Scenes and Ex-Pat Communities

Abstract

Prior to my conversation with Alicia on that rainy night in Wirksworth (described in Chap. 1) I had never contemplated that there might be an ex-pat flamenco subculture in traditional flamenco locales, such as Sevilla, much less that these foreign practitioners might have significant impact on how flamenco manifests in their home countries. In January and February 2014, I accepted Alicia’s offer to visit Sevilla (Fig. 3.1). Arriving on Día de los Reyes Magos (6 January), I weaved my way through the streets of central Sevilla crowded with processions of hermanidades dressed like the three wise men, with their faces blacked and hurling sweets at the onlookers. After unloading my heavy pack at her flat, we headed out to a cosy bar on La Alameda. That evening, we met several of her ex-pat friends including aspiring Argentinian dancer, Jazmin, and Anglo-Franco guitarist, Louis, both of whom I would later interview. They all came to Sevilla with the specific purpose of learning flamenco, having developed an interest in their home countries. The only exception amongst our party was Maria, Louis’ girlfriend—a native Sevillana singer who hated flamenco. We spoke in Spanish and the three ex-pats told me a little about some of the difficulties they encountered in the Sevilla flamenco scene (Fig. 3.2).