Roots and the Radical: Understanding Flamenco Today

Contemporary flamenco artists are always looking to (re)connect with the deep roots of this music, but also to find radical ways to move beyond established patterns and expectations. In this performative talk, flamenco scholars and guitarists Pedro Ordóñez and Carlos van Tongeren will explore the innovative flamenco language of artists such as Israel Galván, Luz Arcas, Niño de Elche, Rocío Márquez, Raúl Cantizano en Dani de Morón. How do these artists draw on the complex roots of flamenco? What is so radical about their art, and how do they push us to question the meanings of flamenco today? Through musical examples and materials from the audiovisual archive of the Flamenco Biënnale Nederland, which celebrates its tenth edition this year, this talk invites us to rethink what flamenco is now and could be in the future.