How to dance flamenco, flamenco travel in Spain, flamenco dance students and their experiences, interviews with flamenco artists, translations of flamenco letras (songs) from Spanish to English
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Letras
I didn't know what to post today, so I decided to get out my beautiful, shiny book, La poesía del flamenco, the one that I bought on the first flamenco tour, and choose a letra from the first page I opened to, whatever it happened to be. So, I took the book in my hands, held it for a few moments, and opened carefully.
Why carefully?
Quite honestly, I'm not sure.
Today, a fandangos letra and translation and a video of Paco Toronjo singing it.
Cómo quieres que te quiera
como yo quiero a mi madre
si mi madre a mi me dio
lo que tú quieres quitarme
la vergüenza y la razón
Se Me Escapan Las Palabras
Concha Buika
Se me escapan las palabras,
se me van al aire,
cada vez que grito que no puedo más…
On the 4th of July I was hanging out with Diana. The kids were outside lighting fireworks and what not. We were inside playing. Flamenco playing. Sharing songs and stuff. Diana shared this one ...
Dime
Lole y Manuel
Dime ...
Si has mentio alguna vez
y dime si cuando lo hiciste sentiste vergüenza de ser embustero.
Dime, dime, dime ...
For tonight, más Fandangos del Alosno.
Fandangos
Popular
Un espejo muy brillante
en tu cuarto voy a poner
pa cuando vayas a mirarte
veas mi retrato en él
y no puedas ni peinarte
José Mendez sang this one at the Peña Torres Macarena in Sevilla. I rushed over there after class on Wednesday night. It was crowded, and people were into it, and the show was great. Plus Zorri was there. His bulerías along with his matching outfit alone were enough to make it all worth while...
Because there are so many more where last week's came from. And so, another one that Rafael Lorente wrote for us in my little book:
Fandangos
Popular
Un juez a mí me preguntó
que de que me mantenía
Yo le respondí
- robando igual que se mantiene usía
pero no robando tanto
I am in Sevilla where the bells of the catederál keep ringing and the birds keep singing. That was not meant to rhyme, it just did. In Jerez there were lots of birds but not so many bells. And speaking of Jerez, last Saturday we went to hear José Carpio, "El Mijita," sing at a new little bar called Zoniquete. I mean it when I say that the place was small.
Estamos bailando por tangos con Mercedes así que hoy unas letra por tangos para acompañar parte de nuestro baile... Sorry, that means, that we're dancing tangos with Mercedes here in Jerez so below are a couple of letras that we're using to accompany our dance.
Ponte guapa Mariquilla
te voy a llevar esta tarde
a la fería de Sevilla
Te roneas porque vales
Tú eres la piedra más chica
de la acera de mi calle
Last night Mercedes danced in a way that was basically unbelievable. To be expected, as it’s her usual way. We already know that she eats, sleeps, and drinks flamenco.
But last night was even more unbelievable than normal.
So today we begin with a new round of interviews with Mercedes Ruíz. In today's interview, Mercedes talks about the longest amount of time she's gone without dancing, how she interprets a letra, and shares who some of her favorite flamenco of today dancers are.
oday in bulerías at Los Cernícalos I heard Junquerita sing this letra, along with this one, and a bunch of others. Because he sings and sings and sings and sings as people dance and dance and dance and dance. It is great.
Then Ani wanted to teach everyone some new moves. She talked about how changing your bulerías moves is kind of like changing your clothes. You might put on a different shirt one day but wear the same skirt from the previous day. Or perhaps you'll change both. It just depends.
The point is you choose.
An estribillo por bulerías sung by Camarón with a video.
La vida la vida la vida es
es un pasatiempo la vida es
Life, life, life is
It's a pastime life is
As we often do, we danced fandangos with Ricardo when he was in town. And so, a fandangos verse for today. This comes from Argentina's Un Viaje por el Cante. You can hear her talking about it here.
Fandangos del Alosno
from Estación Jabugo-Galaroza Popular/Adapt. Argentina "Juan Rebollo"
En esta noche me paro
y espero que el alba venga
y a mi alma la preparo
porque tú eres mi condena
con esos ojillos claros
The estribillo to Agua Fresca by Luis de Córdoba. Lamiae sang it last Tuesday...
Si quieres agua fresca, Niña
ven a mi pozo, Niña, ven a mi pozo…
Today a folkloric song. Ricardo gave me this one.
Panaderas
Popular
Para empezar a cantar
tengo que pedir licencia
que si no me llamarán
cantaora sin vergüenza
A letra for today ~
La guitarra que no suena
es lo mismo que la mar
que nunca besa la arena
Today a whole song and a video of La Paquera singing it.
Maldigo Tus Ojos Verdes
Antonio Gallardo, Nicolás Sánchez Ortega
En la soledad de mis noches sin luna
busco los luceros de tus ojos verdes
y como una loca repito tu nombre
porque tengo miedo de tanto quererte
Tengo que buscar la vida
con la cruz de tu traición
soy esa rama caída
que a nadie da compasión.
This song has been running through my head since Wednesday. A couple of years had passed since I'd listened to it. I don't know why.
It's Potito's De Puntillas with Estrella Morente, Josemi Carmona & Juan Habichuela. Listen here.
Here's the estribillo
De Puntillas
(estribillo)
