The mischievous Nîmes designer Eddie Pons joined forces with Living in Nîmes for this article. The artist had fun drawing the four portraits proposed by your municipal magazine and dedicated to personalities who bring Andalusian art to life in our city on the occasion of the Nîmes Flamenco Festival which takes place from 9 to 18 January. Nothing could be more normal for Eddie Pons, a flamenco enthusiast who participated in the creation of the festival more than 30 years ago!
Pepe Linares, the origins
An accent to cut with a knife, at 83 years old, Pepe is certainly the most Spanish of all Nîmes. The Andalusian arrived in Nîmes in 1968 with flamenco culture in his suitcase. With the Nîmes native Eddie Pons and the musical programmer of the Théâtre de Nîmes Bernard Souroque (1948-2015), he initiated the first Nîmes Flamenco Festival.
“In 1989, during the Jazz Festival, we worked to organize a concert by flamenco guitarist Vicente Amigo. It was his first concert outside of Spain. Then came the idea of creating a flamenco competition in January 1991. Little by little, the idea of an annual event in Nîmes was born”remembers Pepe Linares. Born in Baeza in Andalusia, Pepe grew up in the mining town of Linares, the town which gives him his stage name.
Horse dealer, apprentice bullfighter, agricultural worker… After multiple jobs, Pepe fled Spain to settle in Nîmes. Since then, he has become a key figure in flamenco. For the 30th anniversary of the festival in 2020, he spoke about his life during a major meeting with the public at the theater.
Roé, the party
Singer, guitarist, photographer… Roé was born in Barcelona, to an Andalusian mother from Cádiz and a Catalan father from Perpignan. This year he is in charge of the “afters”, the festive evenings after the shows at the bodega Diego-Puerta (10-12 rue de l’Horloge) from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. A meeting as part of the festival off in partnership with the Tourist Office. “The idea is to rediscover the festive spirit of flamenco. It’s time to let go, time for mischief”smiles Roé.
The latter has an incredible destiny. He became a star in the 90s with his hit Soledad. A sunny hit between pop, rock and flamenco which reached the Top 50. His homonymous disc is also considered one of the first world music discs on which he invites the singer Mory Kanté, the guitarist of Pink Floyd, David Gilmour, or the pianist Ray Lema. After his success, he fled the bustle of Paris by settling in Nîmes. It was here that he launched the association “O Flamenco!” which is also at the origin of the festival dedicated to Sevillian, in November.
Chely La Torito, the transmission
The little Nîmes people know it well. With her character Mamzelle Flamenka, created for the festival in 2012, Chely introduced flamenco to many schools in the city. The one who started classical dance with Michelle Lucibello in Nîmes fell in love with Spanish art at the age of 10 during a feria.
Since then, the dancer has tried to pass on her passion for flamenco wherever she can: in hospitals (she danced at the Cancer Institute), in nursing homes, at the remand center and, of course, with the Nîmes pitchoons.
His last show floReciKarepeated in particular at the Simone-Veil social center, is intended for children in municipal crèches. “A show for the end of the festival aimed at toddlers. Flamenco has helped me develop so much that I want to pass it on to the younger generations. It can be a bubble of oxygen, a remedy for ills”explains Chely who will also present this new creation at the Serre-Cavalier gerontology center. Chely, or all-terrain flamenco.
Christine Serrano, the passion
For more than 25 years, Christine Serrano has been bringing flamenco to life in Nîmes with her company Las Inas de la Cuenca, which is also a dance school based in the City of the Spanish. “My parents are from La Cuenca in Spain and, of course, they listened to flamenco. But I really fell in love with this art at 18 years old while listening to Pepe Linares in concert on the arena square.”remembers the 55-year-old from Nîmes. His company participates in many city events such as the Andalusian village during the Ferias.
She is also at the origin of the show flamenco work which has bullfighter students dance with flamenco dancers, in collaboration with the French Bullfighting Center. A show which was notably presented in front of the Musée de la Romanité at the end of the novillada of the Feria de Pentecost.
