Fin de Fiesta, London’s new flamenco hub
- Posted by Amy Bell
- On March 8, 2024
By Laura Obiols
It is cold in London, almost hitting the end of February, and Irene Giménez gives us some time to speak over a coffee, about a project we are very curious about. Her smile and great vibes are as big as her soul; and as flamencos would say, also is her ‘arte’.
She is one of the founders of Fin de Fiesta, a London based collective, that brings communities together to share flamenco events, ‘juergas’ (historically, Spanish word for flamenco parties/jam sessions), workshops, and more. The collective started when two friends (Irene Giménez and Matthew Butler) and some flamenco lovers felt the need to have a proper space in London where their knowledge and deep passion for flamenco could be shared.
“We were part of this mixed group of flamenco amateurs and professionals in London who kept meeting at classes, shows and gigs. All of us, with the same feelings towards this art form”, Irene explains. “Sometimes, we’d go to a pub after a show, sit in a corner and start playing, but we were mostly asked to be quiet”, she laughs. “So we thought that it would be so beneficial to have a space for the flamenco community to meet, the same way that it happens in Spain. That’s how Matt and I ended up creating Fin de Fiesta”, Irene shares.
“We managed to organise our first event in a hidden gem in Shoreditch (Bistrot Walluc), back in 2022, and we could have never imagined the turnout!
We decided to keep the ball rolling and since then, shows happened, ’juergas’, classes… even Flamenco Cinema! I feel honoured to say that we have created a community that truly supports each other”, she explains.
Their ethos is making flamenco more accessible by bringing it to the community, sharing its culture and history in social spaces, breaking down the wall between performer and audience, and honouring the aliveness of flamenco in London by celebrating its multiculturalism. “For us, it is important to share the real flamenco roots with the London community.
Flamenco was born from a mix of cultures (Roma/ Gitano, Spanish, Moorish, West African, Indian, South American, etc.), and we want to honour these roots by organising events that give visibility, as well as exploring the mix of cultures existing in London through flamenco”, Irene says.
“When I first arrived in London, eight years ago, I was amazed by how many non-Spanish people had the same passion for flamenco as I do; even my first flamenco teacher in London was not Spanish. Flamenco breaks language barriers, no matter where you come from, once you start dancing, singing and playing, you create something very powerful”, she explains.
They started a WhatsApp group of 10 people and in no time, they were over 200. “And believe me, the group is really active, because flamenco encourages self-expression!”.
They quickly created a social media account @fin.de.fiesta, a website findefiestalondon.com, shows after shows, events, classes and support at admin@findefiestalondon.com, where you can join, donate, meet the artists, get on the mailing list for future shows or just attend an informal ‘juerga’ and have an amazing cultural experience. “We flow with the community eagerness to celebrate this mix of cultures. That is why the flamenco language so interesting, it allows this cultural exchange very organically, creating a form of art which is truly passionate and enjoyable”
Back in December, they filmed a documentary of the first flamenco multicultural jam session that happened in London. Irene also shares their plans for this season: “I am in conversations with two flamenco artists to organise an event around the Flamenco Festival at Sadler’s Wells, honouring that way the memory of Ron Hitchins (a British artist (1926-2019), rooted in Hackney, who felt in love with flamenco and organised ‘juergas’ around the festival).
“We had the pleasure to have ‘juergas’ in London with artists such as Pablo Egea (‘bailaor’ from Murcia, part of the Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía), Borja Cortes (‘bailaor’ from Málaga, part of the cast of House of Flamenka), Lourdes Fernández (‘bailaora’ from Madrid, based in London), El Chuli (‘bailaor’ from Antequera, part of the Barcelona Flamenco Ballet), amongst many other local and international artists”, Irene explains. “The flamenco community in London is now very powerful, open and supportive. I feel I should thank so many people for helping us to get us where we are today but I would need a whole page only for that”, she says.
There is an expression in the Flamenco world to describe something that is magic and has guts; that’s ‘tiene duende’ (‘duende’ is the Spanish word for elf). Irene and their team, ¡‘tienen duende’!.
0 Comments