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
You're going to love listening to the tangos in the video below (Trrrrrust me). And the way it's filmed makes you feel like you're right there at the fiesta, so go ahead, play along with palmas. Here's one of the letras you'll hear:
Tangos
Tú te colocas y en frente de mí,
que por si acaso yo me caigo pa' trás
empújale el columpio más
Here's a tangos letra and a video (that you'll love) of La Lupi dancing to it. Enjoy!
Tangos de la Repompa
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En el cristal de mi copa
tu cara se reflejó,
y aquel poco de licor
que yo me llevé a la boca
de veneno me sirvió.
Mientes como hay Dios
The moon is almost full, so I've included a lunar themed letra for you. (Though this one would make more sense on a new moon...) And since yesterday's video analysis was a hit, I decided to do another. Below you'll find a video of Beatríz Morales dancing to today's letra and giving many clear examples of what it looks like to dance to the cante along with my description of where each component of the structure occurs within her dance. Check it out, and find out what the ultimate bulerías goal is.
Bulerías
Esta noche la luna a mí no me acompaña
Me voy solo pa' casa
No espero al alba
La luna se ha enfadado por no llevarla
anoche a la verbena de Santa Ana
No me enfades luna, tú no me enfades.
Here is a siguiriyas letra and a couple of videos for you:
Siguiriyas
Dolores mía
en un laito de mi corazón
te tengo metido
Thinking about that first trip to Spain in 1998 has reminded me that I need to step it up in the doing things that scare the *#%~&> out of me category. Read on for a lesson around that idea and more of my story from that first trip. Also, find out why it's essential to listen to flamenco music, read a letra about Sevilla, then see a video of Juana la del Revuelo, Aurora Vargas, and Remedios Amaya ...
During my time in Sevilla I saw these women perform. During my time in Sevilla I saw these women perform live. As you'll see from the video below, it was wonderful. Their CDs were among some of the first I purchased once I accepted the fact that I needed to start listening to flamenco music. You see, in the beginning I wasn't very interested in listening to the music, especially cante, unless I was dancing, but Chris convinced me to start listening. He said I needed to do this to understand and internalize the compás.
Today you'll find two videos of the same letra, one version as tangos, the other as bulerías...
Dancing flamenco is never just about the dancing. It is a conversation between the dancer and the musicians. As dancers we need to hear where the changes and resolutions are in the music (especially the cante) so that we can respond with our dancing. Below find an activity that you can do from home to train your ear to dance with the cante.
And speaking of cante, we worked with the following letra during the Flamenco Retreat at the Oregon Coast last weekend. (See some pictures below). We looked at where the cante resolved then put in remates with palmas and later baile to reflect that. Watch María Toledo sing it por tangos and Marina García sing it por bulerías below:
Tangos (& Bulerías)
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No me pegues bocaítos
Que tú me haces cardenales
Cuando yo voy a mi casa
A mí me los nota mi madre
A couple of weeks ago you saw Rocío Carrasco dancing bulerías. See another video of her today, this time singing the letra below:
Bulerías
Yo me acuerdo noche y día
De mi barrio San Miguel
Y yo canto por bulerías
Por bulerías de mi Jerez
Here's another one I got from Alfonso.
It is a bulerías coletilla to go at the end of a guajiras.
(After the letra you'll find a video of Rocío Molina. Just because.)
Traditional festivals (ferias) take place in towns big and small across southern Spain during the springtime. Locals dress up, dance, sing, eat, and have A LOT of fun. There are the bigger ferias (those of Sevilla, Jerez...) and there are the smaller ferias (those of Sanlúcar, El Puerto...). These exclusive springtime ferias are unique to Andalucía, and each one has its very own encanto (charm). One of the great things about the feria is that there you get to see both professionals and everyday people dancing flamenco; some may not dance very well technically, but they dance from the heart.
Below you'll see a video of Samara and Rocío Carrrasco at this year's Feria del Caballo in Jerez along with pictures from a variety of ferias in Andalucía.
This one is dedicated to all the beautiful mothers, Happy Mother's Day! (Thank you, Mom!)
Madre Hermosa (Copla)
Juanito Valderrama
Ay, mi mare!,
como un rayito de luna
regüerto con azahares.
Mare hermosa,
vieja de pena por dentro,
por fuera como una rosa.
Mare buena,
con los ojitos de novia
y la cara de azucena.
¡Qué alegría cuando
le digo a la gente:
qué guapa la mare mía!
Last week we watched Paloma Fantova get into it, so this week I want to show you a video of Belén López (who always goes all out) along with an alegrías letra.
From Sin Ti Yo No Sé Vivir (Alegrías)
La Nitra
Yo sé que ya no volverás
No quiero recordar
Que te fuiste pa siempre
Sin ti yo ya no sé vivir
Me he acostumbrado a ti
Y no quiero perderte
Y no te tengo primo
Y no te tengo
Today in honor of International Dance Day, I have a couple of videos to share with you that will surely make you want to move. You'll love how into it Paloma Fantova gets in the first video. After that watch Parrita sing today's letra.
¡Feliz Día Internacional de la Danza!
El Agua Más Cristalina (Chorus)
El Parrita
El agua más cristalina
El vaso más reluciente
El mejor mantel que tenga voy a ponerle
No viene a cenar cualquiera
Viene el señor de señores
Y el rey de reyes
Today a letra,
a video of Rocío Molina dancing guajiras,
and four things I do to prepare for a show.
Today's post is not a flamenco letra; it is an acrostic that was written for Mercedes Ruíz when she was about eleven years old. It is written on this photo that hangs on a wall at the Peña Los Cernícalos.
Mercedes
Es, Jerez de la Frontera,
Rica sal de Andalucía,
Conquistando a España entera,
Ella se llama altanera,
Dichosa, como su abuela,
Este nombre de solera
Soy niña de la Plazuela.
Today a bulerías letra and a video of Camarón singing it with Paco de Lucía on guitar.
Bulerías
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Abuelos, padres y tíos
de los buenos manantiales
se forman los buenos ríos
From Consejos, coplas, apuntes
Antonio Machado
Me despertarán
campanas del alba
que sonando están.
(My kitty cat, Frances, helped me write out this one. You can see the pictures below.)
I love this tangos from Tomás de Perrate. (It's fusion well done.)
Watch and enjoy, and find the first letra below:
Tangos
Yo me quisiera inventar
Una máquina del tiempo
Tangos
Excerpt from "Que Desgraciaitos Son" Paco de Lucía/Camarón
La virtud es la alegría
Que te alivia el corazón
Y la desgracia es la pena,
La tristeza y el dolor.
Enjoy this video of Marco Flores dancing por bulerías at Las Carboneras in Madrid and this letra por bulerías.
Bulerías
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Yo no sé por qué motivo
esta gitana lo hace
tan malamente conmigo
