Mercedes Ruíz, our teacher on the Flamenco Tour to Jerez, was awarded the 'Flamenco Hoy' prize for the Best Flamenco Dancer of 2015 (Mejor Bailaora). Scroll down to watch a new video of her and for a translation of the above letra. 

Today marks two weeks since my return from Jerez.

Of course it feels good to be home, but I do miss the daily dance classes, shared meals and community, the immersion into the Spanish language and flamenco culture, the southern Spanish sun, the pace of the day, and the escape ... the simply being away.

Thankfully I got to come home to my absolutely amazing friends and loved ones, our awesome flamenco community here, and the beautiful state of Oregon. And thankfully I had flamenco built into my schedule with our summer workshops and teaching at the Oregon Ballet Theatre. 

If only I could still have class with Mercedes every morning . . . 

But the next Flamenco Tour will be here before I know it, and I'll be back in that studio, dancing once again with her and another great group of women. (YOU can come too!)

If you're curious about what we do in Jerez,

Then check out these new posts from Julie:

Here she talks about our daily dance classes with Mercedes and Ani, the historic Barrio San Miguel where we reside during the Flamenco Tour, and our shopping tour. And here she explains some of her favorite things about Jerez and writes about a special experience we had at the Centro Andalúz de Flamenco, a tablao show, our tour of the other historic flamenco neighborhood, Santiago, and our visit to the Arabic bathhouse. Oh, and did I mention Julie's photographs are incredible?

And now, the letra

Today's letra comes from Las Letras del Cante Flamenco, a book given to my by the students on the last Flamenco Tour. (Thank you!!!) I am loving this comprehensive and challenging book. It discusses the history and style of flamenco verse, the different types of letras, not just forms, but the subjects addressed in them such as love, religion, social issues... It shares popular verses and letras by specific poets and authors who wrote flamenco verses into their works.

This one comes from the chapter, Los Sentimientos, Feelings.

Soleá
Popular

Que te quiero bien lo sabes,
pero no lo comunico
ni contigo ni con nadie.

I love you, you know it well,
but I neither tell this
to you nor to anyone.

Here's that video of Mercedes:

It's an interview from Canal Sur where she dances, talks about her life as flamenco dancer. (You get to see her in action in her studio and also see a snippet of class with her students in Jerez.)  If you don't speak Spanish, feel free to ask me any question you may have about it in the comments below. 

You Might Also Enjoy

It's Here: Mercedes Ruíz the Second Interview

An Interview with Bailaora Mercedes Ruíz (Video)

How I Went In: Class with Mercedes

Day 2: Dance as if You Were in Class with Mercedes Holiday Challenge