Evenings out in Paris: Flamenco à la Villette

For three days only, you will be able to experience the spirit of Andalucia in the heart of Paris, when the energetic rhythms and unmistakable melodies of flamenco take centre stage at the Grande Halle de la Villette. The French capital’s Parc de la Villette is dedicating an entire long weekend to this uniquely majestic genre of music and dance, which hails from southern Spain and intertwines passion and pain, joy and sorrow.

Some of flamenco’s top singers, dancers and musicians will be performing over the weekend: Gitanas Andaluzas, a dream-team trio of respected artists Concha Vargas, Juana la del Pipa and Tomasa Guerrero, plus the Belén Maya company on the event’s opening night, June 12. The cantaora (folk singer) Esperenza Fernandez and bailaora (flamenco dancer) Isabel Bayor are booked for June 13, while dancer Javier Baron and singer Miguel Poveda, who’s known for his mostly improvised sets, are scheduled for June 14. When attending, do take the opportunity to explore the event’s ‘Sevillan Village’, with its flamenco workshops, pop-up tapas bars and exhibitions, the latter including photographer Jean-Louis Duzert’s Balada Flamenca, which puts 20 years of flamenco around the world in the spotlight.

Flamenco à la Villette, Grande Halle de la Villette, 19th arrondissement. June 12-14, 8pm, Tel: +33 1 40 03 75 75. Tickets: €18-€32.

Originally published in the June-July 2014 issue of France Today