An interview with Mercedes Ruíz: From the time I became interested in flamenco I've been curious about the artists. Their lives. And flamenco's role. Hence the interviews on this site. Because I figure you're likely interested as well. So, today we have the first installment of interviews with Mercedes Ruíz. La primera entrevista con Mercedes Ruíz.
She talks about how being a mother has changed her dancing, and her life, what it's like to work with her husband. She talks about when she first knew that she wanted to dedicate her life to flamenco. She shares some thoughts on frustration. And, yes, even she encounters this feeling.
Having Mercedes Ruíz sing you a bulerías is not a bad way to start the weekend... That's what happened today. It was at the end of our interview, which I'll be posting in the coming days. I asked her to share a favorite letra with me.
She rested her chin on her hand and thought for a moment.
"Me gusta mucho la bulería de Camarón, la de... "
Then she stopped.
"Pero te la tengo que cantar?" And she smiled. No, no?"
Ha, no. Just tell me how it goes.
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We know that jaleos are words of encouragement to call out to the dancer, singer, guitarist, to anyone participating really.
And flamenco is not flamenco without them.
So, below you'll find a list of a few common ones.
Every now and then this weird thing happens and a jaleo in English sneaks out of my mouth.
What in the world?! I can't help it. English is my first language, and it happens.
Like the time in class when I suddenly heard someone say enthusiastically, "This is!" and quickly realized that someone was me.
Yep. We still laugh about that one.
I guess the question is, Is that still technically a jaleo?
I'm going to say yes because it was heart-felt and encouraging, and
Read on for a short glossary of castanet sounds, a video, and a story...
Las castañuelas. Each finger movement has its own sound. And this is good.
With this we have a language for communicating what our fingers are supposed to do. So we can say the combinations (even if we can't do them) something I have found quite helpful to the learning process. Plus, it's fun. Another layer!
So a key needs to exist on this site, a mini-glossary of the sounds we make with our fingers on the castanets. You'll find that below (along with an incredible video.)
I waited a long time to start learning to play castanets
Not because I didn't like the sound. Not because I wasn't interested. Mostly because it just seemed like too much. I wasn't ready for the challenge. What with so many other things to figure out. So many other things to work on.
Today a bulerías letra and a video of Carmen Amaya.
Bulerias
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No me llame usted bonita
que mi marido es celoso
y de noche me mortifica
Don't call me pretty
for my husband is jealous
and at night will beat me
Reminded of this clip last week, I have been watching it over and over. It never goes bad.... Click here to see it.
Bulerías
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La gitana del siglo
se emborracha de los aromas
de los caramelitos del niño.
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Again, tangos.
Tangos
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La virgen de Los Remedios
tiene su cara morena
y el niño que está en sus brazos
es más blanco que la azucena.
So, Danica arrived this week. And I asked her to give me some favorite letras. She gave me many.
Because there are so many.
How to choose?
For today, unos tangos.
Porque son maravillosos los tangos. They're wonderful, tangos, they just are.
Tangos
El corazón es el que manda
cuando la duda está en la mente,
cuando la duda está en la mente.
Today, Fandangos del Alosno, a letra and a video.
This week, let's look at some more Bulerías de Jerez. Because they're wonderful. And because tomorrow when I'll be releasing the details of the fall trip to Jerez...where we will hear lots and lots and lots of bulerías.
In the meantime, here's a letra for inspiration and a video of Mercedes Ruíz with El Londro singing it.
Bulerías
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Como crujía la leña
La leña de los leñeros
Porque así van a crujir mis huesos
De tanto como te quiero
Here I am at the 25th anniversary of the Festival Flamenco Internacional de Albuquerque. Seeing fabulous artists perform every night.
Taking classes from some of them, Pastora Galván and Olga Pericet.
And doing it with friends. The very best way to do it.
I've been wanting to tell you about it all week. I'll definitely tell you more later...
We've been working on jaleos in Pastora's class.
Here is one of the letras we're dancing to and a video of Pastora Galván dancing.
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Cantiñas. We danced por cantiñas with Emilio. We've seen the first letra.
And a second one too.
And now here is a coletilla, un estribillo.
Que me lo tienes que dar,
que me lo tienes que dar
El tacón de la bota,
que para taconear.
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Cantiñas from Miguel Poveda's Casa Pavón, which we danced to last weekend with Emilio. Here is the second letra...
Las cautivaba el mes de enero
A todas las flores del año
Las cautiva el mes de enero
Y llegando al mes de abril
Salían de su cautiverio.
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Cantiñas con abanico. That is what we're doing in one of the workshops with Emilio this weekend.
And I am inspired beyond belief.
We're dancing to Miguel Poveda's Casa Pavón. Here is the first letra...
Donde están los colegiales
Plazoletilla del Rey
donde están los colegiales
al punto de la oración
unos entran y otros salen.
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Fandangos from Pitingo:
Más quiero
hoy el fandango es mi alegría…
Ricardo was here this spring...in case you hadn't heard. He was constantly giving us tips during the workshops. Many great tips. I've shared some of them and I'll surely share more.
But perhaps just as helpful were the little phrases I heard him say over and over again.
He didn't really intend them as tips. They were not things that he carefully considered before sharing with us. They were more just reactions, spoken in the moment.
And, oh, these little comments had a lot to tell me.
So I want to keep hearing them.
It's tangos. Tangos that we danced tonight in class... We did this letra on Wednesday too.
And everybody looked so happy when they were suddenly dancing to cante.
Because there's just something about dancing to the cante. Marcandolo, rematandolo. Simply put, It's fun.
After class some started asking questions, "What was that song?" So, here it is. Oooo, and soon I get to sing it with the first graders. I love watching them accompany each other, dancing and singing...
Tangos
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Sentaito en mi escalera
esperando el porvenir
el porvenir que nunca llega.
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I asked Emilio, who is coming here very very very soon, to give me a favorite letra. He couldn't decide. "Fandangos," he said, any and all. (I LOVED the fandangos he taught us last year.) So, I want you to see this video. Arcángel, cantando por fandangos. I saw him perform them live, and oh my goodness, it was beyond incredible. Me ponían los pelos de punta... He is from Huelva, go figure.
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Last week I told you we would have more tientos today, so here's a letra and a video of Camarón ...
Tientos
Camarón de la Isla
Cuantas veces yo he pensado
que el mundo es una mentira
cuantos quisieran tener
pá comer lo que otros tiran
How often I have thought
that the world is a lie
How many would like to eat
what others throw out.
