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'm in Jerez.
One by one the Flamenco Tour students are arriving. It's so exciting.
Tonight we get to know each other at the opening night tapas reception. Then we'll go to the Peña los Cernícalos to watch Ana María López's Fin de Curso. Tomorrow we begin our workshop with Mercedes Ruíz. The next day we start our bulerías class . . .
Below find another tangos from La Niña de los Peines followed by a recording and a palmas activity for you.
A mi madre abandoné
por tu querer solamente
Ahora me veo solita
sin madre y sin tu querer
Soleá apolá
Todo el mundo le pide a Dios
la salud y la libertad
y yo le pido la muerte
no me la quiere mandar
The whole world asks God
for health and freedom
And I ask for death
He doesn't want to send it to me
With just about every bulerías letra Zorri dictates to me, he smiles and laughs while explaining the meaning. (I really wish you could see him do this.)
So, below find another one from Zorri.
Once you've read it, scroll down to the bottom of the post to see three awesome videos of people (Joaquin Grilo, Rocío Molina, and Midori) dancing por bulerías.
Bulerías
Popular
Me acuesto y no cojo cama
Me acuesto con el sentío
a ver quién a la puerta llama
Another take on love.
This letra begins like last week's but takes on a meaning of its own.
Tangos
Si quieres que te quiera
me pones fianza…
I've been getting in the mood for the upcoming Flamenco Retreat at the Oregon Coast this weekend by listening to lots and lots of tangos and dancing all around the house. (More on that below.)
Here's a letra for you to enjoy:
A letra por soleá.
See how Israel Galván interprets it in the video that follows.
Soleá
Popular
Los pajaritos y yo
nos levantamos a un tiempo,
ellos le cantan al alba,
y yo alegro mis sentimientos
The birds and I
we wake together
They sing to the dawn,
and I feel good
Here is another colombianas letra that I got from Mercedes from her show Perspectivas.
Cansados de tanto llorar
mis ojos se van durmiendo…
You already know about the two main settings for flamenco.
Today I want to discuss the five main elements of flamenco,
I’ve chosen to share one video and discuss the five main elements of flamenco within it.
Let’s take a closer look:
I originally published this here within the letra, Moraito Como un Lirio by Antonio Sánchez Pecino.
Today I wanted to highlight this estribillo:
Libre quiero ser
Como el pájaro que canta,
Primita, al amanecer
I want to be free
like the bird that sings,
at dawn
You can see it in the video that follows...
Today I want to share a bulerías dancing tip with you along with a letra.
When I'm in Jerez on the Flamenco Tours, Ani offers all kinds of quick and dirty tips.
Here's one
Today a letra por tangos (or soleá, or bulerías, or soleá por bulerías...) followed by but another must-watch video,
Tangos
Popular
Cuando me eches de menos
tú tienes que venir a buscarme
como un caballo sin freno
When you miss me
you'll have to come looking for me
like a horse with no brakes
Watch and listen to David Palomar sing it below along with Rafael Rodríguez on guitar. (I promise you'll be glad you did.)
Today I'm going to talk about how the same letra can (and definitely will be) interpreted in different ways by different singers. I'll also talk about why, as dancers, we need to pay attention to this. And finally, I'll share a tangos letra with you. (Oh, and at the end of the post I give you an activity to do from the comfort of your own home.)
Depending upon who is singing, how they like to sing a given letra, and even how they are feeling at a given moment, one letra can be interpreted in many different ways.
Let's look at some examples:
Most likely there is at least one person in your life you feel this way about. (I can think of many, my nieces, my sister, my sweetheart, just about all of my friends...)
Why not share today's letra with one of your beloveds?
Yesterday I received an email from a reader, Max Herzog, a guitarist based in San Diego, who came across today's letra on my blog. (I originally posted it about four years ago. I struggled with the translation then, and I'm still struggling with it today.) Max had some great insights along with a smoother translation which I wanted to share with you. You'll find his translation below (with just a couple of small changes from me).
Fandangos
Popular
Los ojos como las moras
y los dientes de marfil
y tu boca es una fuente
donde una noche bebí
agua con ansias de muerte
Saturday evening the moon shone so brightly against a miraculously clear sky.
Last night the moon showed off again, full and bright in the February sky…
I have a guajiras verse to share with you today along with a video of Belén Maya and Mayte Martín.
I'm in Seattle winding down after workshops Belén Maya this week.
On Wednesday I went to a lecture where Belén spoke about herself as an artist.
Another one that Zorri shared.
Bulerías
No sé por qué motivo
esta gitana lo hace
tan malamente conmigo
I don't know the reason
this gypsy woman
treats me so badly
You can hear it here, Los Zambos Por Fiesta, on Al Compás de Los Zambos. It's the first letra.
