The show must go on - How to see the 2020 Bienal Flamenco Festival

It may be impossible to get to Spain right now, but attending the XXI Bienal de Flamenco Sevilla is on the cards thanks to the inclusion of online streaming in this year’s program.

Seville’s Bienal is arguably the number one flamenco event in the world. It draws the big names and the big opportunities, officially presenting a huge range of flamenco performances from renowned artists, and unofficially drawing crowds of flamenco lovers together in classes, workshops and fringe events across the city.

This year will be different. It has to be. The global response to COVID-19 is dictating a range of travel and social distancing restrictions that inevitably impact this great festival. This is obvious to any Australian, where there is currently a ban on international travel likely to be in place until 2021. (You can keep up-to-date on developments on the Australian Government’s smartraveller website.)

The organisers of Seville’s Bienal are not ignorant of these facts. Back at the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis in Europe, the festival's official website reported that they were working on reprogramming and adapting the festival.

Last week the program was officially announced with a number of changes designed to accommodate social distancing regulations. Most notably for us who won’t be able to be there in person, selected performances will be streamed online.

Online streaming is a first for this festival, acknowledging that a large part of its audience is comprised of international aficionados. A selection of shows will be made available online, but to date that list of shows has not been announced.

The complete program includes over 50 shows staged across Seville, more than 80% of which are premieres. It boasts an incredible lineup including José Valencia, Farruquito, El Pele, Antonio Canales, Inés Bacán, Dorantes, Tomás de Perrate, Rocío Molina, Israel Galván, Andrés Marín, María Terremoto, la Tremendita and Patricia Guerrero.

While the XXI Bienal de Flamenco will be unlike any other before, it retains its proud host, Seville. The city was the first to be awarded the World Travel & Tourism Council ‘Safe Travel’ Stamp following the COVID-19 crisis. As part of the modified approach to accommodate social distancing, the Bienal will be extended from its original schedule (4 September to 4 October) to offer open-air shows on Fridays and Saturdays throughout August as well.

While it may not be possible to physically be in Seville, it is still a very hopeful sign to see this festival forging ahead, and wonderful that we will be able to enjoy part of it online.

Have you attended a past Bienal? Which shows would you most like to see this year? Tell us in the comments below, and make sure you like the Flamenco Australia Magazine Facebook page, where we will share details of the shows streaming online as information becomes available.