In Sevilla, there is an organization called the Unión Peñas Flamencas Sevilla. They represent the collective members of all the peñas and therefore organize many things that have to do with the flamenco culture. In the coming weeks, all 13 peñas will come together to honor Manuel Herrera Rondas. But who was Manuel Herrera Rondas, and why was he important to flamenco?

Described by many as one of the most important personalities on the Spanish cultural scene in recent decades, Manuel Herrera Rondas was a writer, teacher, director, and great aficionado. His tireless struggle to defend flamenco led him to develop different projects throughout his life, thus becoming an essential figure in the history, modernization, and preservation of flamenco as a Heritage of Humanity.

We are talking about the 70s, for example, when Manuel founded the Institución Social para la Tercera Edad de los Artistas Flamencos (ITEAF). An organization created to support the retirement of the great masters of flamenco, who had never been able to contribute to Social Security. He was also the founder and director of the magazine “Sevilla Flamenca” that documented many forgotten flamenco figures such as Piriñaca. And it was precisely in 1979, when he decided to take a step forward and appear together with Francisco Cabrera and other peñistas before the Seville City Council to propose the creation of what we know today as the Bienal de Flamenco. Occurring biannually, the Bienal is perhaps the most important flamenco event in the entire world. Not only is Manuel one of the founders of the Bienal, he also created the Giradillo awards, served as the Director for several editions, and remained an essential collaborator until his passing in 2020.

I explain all of this to also talk about the importance of flamenco peñas. As we now know, there are many commercial venues in Seville for flamenco, but the peñas are something else. It goes without saying that in Sevilla almost everyone has a flamenco band somewhere in the family, and those peñas are the place to go! Often it’s free or you pay a fraction of what you would pay at the commercial places. Foreigners rarely come, and that is quite a pity, but I advise everyone to visit these places. In every village you can find a flamenco peña, where you can see great performances and the fin de fiesta is highly recommended. Here at the peñas, you can taste the original atmosphere. The whole place is always full of famous artists, who may or may not have performed there. The food is simple, definitely tapas and more. If you want to go deep into flamenco culture, you should visit a peña. Maybe I’ll see you there one day because I visit one or two peñas every week.

A hearty flamenco greeting from Freddy Flamenco Lover!