Flamenco owes a great deal to the work “for the love of art” (never better said) of the peñas flamencas. Among other reasons, because they preserve and promote flamenco culture, contribute to the training of talent… and so on and so forth. We want to talk about it in this post.
Flamenco peñas are associations which serve as meeting places for flamenco enthusiasts, artists and enthusiasts. These peñas provide a space for artists to perform, for lovers of this art to appreciate its secrets and for newcomers to learn about flamenco. Flamenco peñas can be found all over Spain and have also spread to various parts of the world. where flamenco has gained popularity. but they are mainly from Andalusia.
Possibly, many of them were born from a warm meeting in bars and restaurants; and more than possibly, great artists of this art have started their careers in them.
Respecting their popular roots, almost all the peñas are open to the public to share their shows, conferences and other activities.
Why they are necessary
With their activities and participation in the daily life of their town or city, they play a vital role in the preservation, promotion and encouragement of the flamenco tradition.
In practice, they have venues (owned or rented, exchanged…) for flamenco activities, acting as cultural and educational centres for both experienced professionals and artists (especially for those who are looking for a niche in this field) and all kinds of amateurs.
These associations offer a platform for performances, workshops, competitions and debates related to flamenco.
The origin of flamenco clubs
The roots of the peñas flamencas date back to the end of the 19th century, when small groups of aficionados began to meet to share their passion for this art form. Logically, they were born in the cradle of flamenco, in Andalusia. These initial meetings eventually developed into more structured peñas.
Almost all the first flamenco peñas began with informal gatherings in informal places, and many of these gatherings, flamenco peñas in their philosophy, were not formally organised as such. For example, in 1880, the Café de Silverio in Seville was attended, among others, by AntonioMachado. Later is the gathering sponsored by the great Manuel de Falla, which led to the creation of a Cante Jondo Competition in 1922. It was held in the tavern El Polinario and Federico García Lorca and Andrés Segovia also belonged to it.
Museo de la peña Juan Breva
Peña la Platería
What is the first flamenco club in Spain?
There is no single answer, because it depends very much on historical documentation and sometimes, because of its own personality, of those instantaneous, almost casual beginnings, there is not much more than memories from here and there. The Cervantes Institute emphasises this issue: “The two first two flamenco peñas founded in Spain in the middle of the 20th century, the Peña de Juan Breva in Málaga and La Platería in Granada, are competing for the prestige that comes with the greatest seniority. By going to the official registry, it would be immediate to grant recognition to the one that was first constituted, as we say, officially; but it is one thing to hold events of various kinds, and quite another to put them on record in public administrations”.
The work of Lourdes Gálvez del Postigo published in the UMA (University of Málaga). claims to be that of Juan Breva, in Malaga, officially formed in 1958. This is also confirmed by Lidia Atencia Doña, researcher and teacher at the Conservatorio Superior de Danza in the Junta de Andalucía, which led to 1948 the first “tertulia” that would give way to this peña.
La Platería, in Granada, from 1949, which began as a meeting of flamenco enthusiasts until it was installed in a silversmith’s workshop (hence its name) and became a “peña”,
These beginnings also need to be put into context, as at that time, it was basically forbidden to associate, something that changed around 1964.