I can't stop thinking about doing bulerías in Jerez. And with that on my mind, here's a letra for today.
Bulerias
Como revienta un cañón
a fuerza de tantos golpes
así voy a reventar yo
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I wrote and posted this story about two years ago. I was so inspired by Akiko that I wanted to repost it today, with a few adjustments. Today when I am feeling overwhelmed and stressed out about all kinds of things.
Today when I am feeling shut down and scared to perform this weekend, as I so often get.
Today when I need grounding and inspiration.
Today I need to remember Akiko in the springtime in Sanlúcar...
Allow me to tell you a bit about Akiko, one of the many inspiring people I've met during my time here in Jerez.
Not too long ago Akiko began taking classes in Japan from Harumi, an incredibly graceful flamenco dancer from Osaka who básicamente seems to have mastered las bulerías de Jerez. She even co-teaches with Ana María López at la Peña los Cernícalos when she is in town.
But back to Akiko.
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A letra and a video of Miguel Poveda and Moraíto Chico and family.
¿No te acuerdas cuando entonces
venías en busca mía?
y ahora tú no me conoces
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A video interview with Ricardo López to calm your nerves...
Sometimes we joke around in class about Ricardo
Not behind his back, don't worry. We do it both when he's here and when he's not. We pretend we're him, and we walk around with intense looks on our faces, vigilando.
Other times we just pretend he's there in the room with us, looking like he looks.
It's fun. You should try it.
The thing is, he doesn't usually have an intense look on his face
In the video below, you can see for yourself.
I ask him about getting nervous before a workshop. Because the thought of studying with an out-of-this-world amazing dancer from Spain who is used to dancing with the best of the best can feel a little bit intimidating to some of us around here.
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You can’t do flamenco and not do jaleos. You just can’t. It can feel awkward at first, I know. No te preocupes. I have some ideas on how to become more comfortable with this whole jaleos thing.
First, a few and how to pronounce them:
como es eso [coh-moh eh eh-so]
vamos allá [vah-moh ah-yah]
que toma toma toma toma toma [kay toh-mah...]
Here is a list of some common (& simpler) ones, along with some embarrassing admissions of accidentally giving them in English. Oops.
I used to be afraid to give jaleos
I thought I would sound stupid. I thought people would laugh at me. But mostly, it just felt so unnatural.
But not anymore.
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It was Mercedes who introduced me to El Londro, (musically that is). Below find a mariana from El Londro's Luna de Enero album along with a video of Mercedes Ruíz dancing in the streets of Jerez.
Yo vengo de Hungria
con mi Mariana…
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Pay no attention to what people say
They are jealous, for I love freely
because my love is like a wild bird …
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Ven a borrrame los fracasos de mi mente ven a llenarme de caricias diferentes ven a sacarme de este pozo de amargura donde me encuentro yo...
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Today a video of Vicente Amigo and Diego el Cigala along with a letra and a discussion. Enjoy!
La Tarde es Caramelo
Vicente Amigo
Cerca del río hay un sendero
donde la tarde es caramelo
cerca del río yo me pierdo
me encontraré cuando me encuentre con tus besos.
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Here's a bulerías for you...
Yo tenía una prima hermana
que por irse con el novio
se tiró por la ventana.
I had a first cousin
who in following her boyfriend
jumped out of the window.
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Actually, that's not what I think at all, it's just today's letra...
More Tangos del Titi
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It was November 2012, and I was in Jerez. My exotic pets had all gone home, except for one that is. And I kept getting messages, important messages... November 7, 2012
I started getting them about a week ago, the messages. Or that's when I started hearing them.
They were sent on various occasions.
But always during class.
And they were all more or less the same.
Occasion #1 | Monday morning at the peña
Things changed in bulerías this week.
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There was a request for the words to the song in this post...
They're rather fuerte.
You can hear Camarón singing it here and again here.
Tientos
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Tienes que derramar más sangre
que un torito bravo en su muerte
no sé como tienes valor
pá hablar de mi malamente.
You have to shed more blood
than a fighting bull at his death
I don't know how you have the courage
to speak badly of me.
Read the rest here
Tell me I'm not alone
Dime que no estoy sola
When I have to stop what I'm doing and close my eyes. Cerrar mis ojos y pararme.
Because I hear something too beautiful not to. Not to stop. To listen, to take it in, to feel. And to let myself cry.
Close my eyes and stop
to
just
listen.
And then do it again.
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Today's letra has me dreaming. I wish it had occurred to me a couple of weeks ago while in San Diego when Margot asked to learn a new song. Because this one feels just right for my sobrinas.
I want what it speaks of.
Un puente. Yes, a bridge. And I would make it a magic bridge. A bridge that could take us over a thousand miles in mere minutes. Oh the visits we would have!
Anyway, we can sing it together next time.
For today, I share it with you.
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The other day I made a great discovery. (I'll tell you about it in a minute.) But first I want to talk about noticing, something I did a lot of last year. It helps me to focus. It teaches me all kinds of things. And I intend to keep it up.
At times I record the noticings in little books. At times I share them with others, like you. At times they just stay in my cabeza. Other times in my cuerpo.
Noticing is good.
It shows me stuff. Like tendencies to rush, to stop listening, to leave my body.
It tells me what I need to work on.
It points out when I’m enjoying myself and when I’m not, to what factors into that, and how certain things feel.
It teaches me about how I like to create, about environments I work best in, about how I like to dance, why I like to dance, and who I like to dance with.
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Today a tangos letra and a video of Jesús Méndez and Miguel Poveda.
You may recall last year when three little girls did fandangos.
A couple of weeks ago when I went to visit those girls Margot and Ada almost immediately started asking when we would get to do flamenco. My spring visit there was so short that we didn't do any. None at all. Apparently they weren't going to let that happen again.
Margot said she wanted to learn a new song and dance this time. And she said she wanted it to be short since we were without a lot of time.
We did tangos.
And while I'm not really into vengeance, this letra was on my mind. And it met Margot's requirement of being short.
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Here's a video of Jesús Mendez from that show we saw the final night of the Spain Tour. Go to 10:15 to hear today's letra and to see Jesús's mother-in-law sing it. Watch her.
Watch it all. You'll see lots of good stuff. Like Perico playing cajón and palmas.
Bulerías
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Que cosita más sensible
es pelear con la muerte
y alcanzarla es imposible
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Another story from Jerez...
Getting in
One day in bulerías class Ani asked me to tell the ladies that getting in is the hardest part.
And so I did.
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I told you I'd tell you about green bananas. And so, a short story from Jerez. A story including yet another tip.
Tú vas a comer un plátano verde?
This is what Ani asked Ana.
Ani is Ana María López, the bulerías teacher.
Ana is a student from Russia.
Un plátano verde is a green banana.
You don’t eat a green banana.
That's what Ani told her.