Do you know how to dance bulerías with the cante?
Watch how it’s done in the clip below as Carmen Herrera dances while José Mijita sings at the Feria del Caballo in Jerez.
Then find the words, and translation, of the letra you hear.
Notice how Carmen watches José as she dances.
She listens to him sing, and her moves are not arbitrary.
She keeps the rhythm with different marking steps, marcajes.
And when José comes to the end of the phrase, the caída, Carmen transitions into an enganche or remate.
She doesn’t know exactly when José will sing the caída, so she pays attention in order to respond accordingly.
The video demonstrates why, if we want to improvise, we absolutely must understand how the cante works and know what to listen for.
Basically, if we want to dance with the cante,
(which we really need to be able to do if we dance flamenco, especially bulerías),
Then we need to become familiar with flamenco letras and their cues
And learn how to react.
If you want to learn more about how to do this, join the upcoming virtual workshop with Carmen & José!
Now, here is the bulerías letra you hear José singing in the clip above:
Remedio no tengas
Que te corte un cirujano
La campanilla y la lengua
There’s no cure for you
May a surgeon cut out
Your uvula and your tongue
*Thank you Emily Saffron for helping me with this translation. She summed this one up with the phrase, “To keep you quiet, they’ll have to cut out your tongue.”
Ready to get to the bottom of this dancing with the cante thing?
Join us, from wherever you are in the world, on November 12th for a virtual workshop, How to Dance to Bulerías Cante, with Carmen & José.
Carmen will teach some bulerías moves and explain how and where to put them with José’s cante.
You’ll learn how to apply the moves in different situations and how (and why) to make modifications if the cante calls for it.
Can’t make it live?
No problem.
The workshop will be recorded, so you can take it on your own time.
And if you don’t speak Spanish, don’t worry, I’ll be there interpreting.
BTW in this clip Carmen was pregnant with her son. Isn’t that just the best?!?!