Part 5: Palmas

Let’s talk palmas.  

Oh lovely, fun, brain confusing flamenco claps.  

Playing palmas was one of those unexpected loves for me.  

I had NO IDEA how much fun clapping could be until I began studying flamenco. 

Sure, I've always liked to clap.

Who doesn't?

Applause, yay!  

But it wasn't until I went to Spain for the first time and started taking palmas classes from Miguel that I realized how crazy-fun this clapping business was.  

My guitarist friend Chris and I took the class together. 

Miguel would give us these wacky patterns. Which we would try to do. Which, in turn, would cause us to laugh. 

And laugh. 

And to top things off we often had class on Miguel's bed. Limited available space.

Anyway, 

This became the class I most looked forward to.  

Was it the laughter? There are people who go to laughing clubs, and palmas class has a tendency to turn into that.

I don’t know, but I fell in love with rhythm, 

And I fell in love with palmas.

We study palmas in Jerez because, well, 

Palmas are essential

And fun.  

Especially fun in Jerez.

On the Flamenco Tour we study palmas in different places…

At the apartments (with me), 

In bulerías class (with Ani), 

Sometimes even with Zorri.

We may even find ourselves spontaneously practicing palmas with Maribel or Luís.

We study palmas on the rooftop,

In the courtyard

In our rooms,

No matter the approach, we have a good time studying palmas in Jerez.

See you in the next post for a shopping tour!

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