Mercedes Ruíz and Bulerías

En continuación... (of the bulerías series, the little goodbye to Jerez) A few words from Mercedes Ruíz on bulerías.

What does she like about it?

¿Qué es lo que te gusta de la bulería? A mí me gusta porque es un palo muy festero y que puedo improvisar mucho.

She likes that it is a festive party palo, and she can improvise a lot.

And, the big question...

¿Por qué crees que a nosotros extranjeros nos cuesta tanto bailar por bulerías? A los extranjeros creo que les cuesta porque la bulería es mucho de escuchar el cante, y hasta que no entienden eso no se puede bailar con naturalidad.

She thinks bulerías is hard for foreigners because listening to the singing is such a big part of it.  Until this is understood, one cannot dance in a natural-way.

To watch a video with some insights from Perico Navarro, her cajón player, about why it's hard for us...click here.

And, if you want to read longer and perhaps more fascinating interviews with Mercedes, click here, here, here, here, and then here.

And you?

What are your thoughts?  I myself used to hate bulerías.  But not anymore.  Do you like this palo?  Why?  Do you hate it? Why?  Stefani was just telling me the other day about how much she didn't like bulerías, because of the cante.  But I think she really likes it.  Anyway, tell me what you think by leaving a comment here.

Want to dance bulerías?

A new series begins in January.  Stay tuned for details.

..................................................

Intuition and How Flamenco Makes it Stronger

I've told you before about how much I learn from flamenco. And I don't mean how much I learn about flamenco. Naturally I learn a lot about flamenco. But I'm talking about other things. Flamenco has kind of become one of my mentors.

Sí, un mentor para mí.

Trust

I have some issues when it comes to following my intuition.

I want to hear it. I want to trust it. I want to act on it.

If only it were that easy.

Fortunately flamenco has a lot to tell me about that.

Bulerías especially. Because with bulerías there are certain things I need to do. And as it turns out, these things also assist me in going with my gut.

Be there completely

Focus and attune to what is happening with the palmas, guitar, cante, jaleos. Be there, truly be there.

Be Present

Listen a lot

To the compás. To the guitar. To the palmas. To the cante. When I'm dancing and when I'm not. Listen and really get to know it.

Listen

Allow what needs to happen to happen

I must let myself feel the music. And let myself feel whatever I'm feeling.

Allow

Respond to what I hear in a way that feels right to me

Follow what's happening with the music. Respond to the signals I pick up on. When the singer resolves, let my body reflect that.

Act

Flamenco requires trust. If I don't trust while dancing, well, then, I’m only kind of sort of doing it.  And, by the way, I still find myself there often. But, it's okay. Because each time I do and notice and reflect on it, I learn something about myself.

Your thoughts? I'd love to hear them. You can leave a comment.

The next bulerías series begins this Saturday.  All of the info is here.

Your Questions Answered ... Mercedes Ruíz | The Fourth Interview

This month I've been talking to Mercedes Ruíz.  And asking her about lots of stuff.  Today the questions came from you, the readers.  Thanks for these.  

Getting Personal

Mercedes had some beautiful things to say about how motherhood has affected her dancing.  You can read about it here.  This following series of questions came from another mother, one who is also a flamenco dancer.  And they're kind of personal...

¿Ha sido difícil encontrar la confianza de nuevo para bailar después de haber nacido tu hija?  La confianza nunca la he perdido.  La verdad es que desde que nació mi hija tengo mas motivación para bailar.

Was it hard to find confidence in your dancing again after your daughter was born? I never lost confidence.  Honestly I am more motivated to dance now that I have a daughter.

¿Vas a tener mas hijos?  Pues ahora mismo no sé.

Are you going to have more children?  At this moment I don't know.

¿Alguien te ayuda con Pastora para que puedas seguir bailando?  Sín la ayuda de mi familia no lo podría hacer nunca.  Pero la verdad es que nada me hace falta siempre el cariño de mi marido, de mis padres y hermana.

Does anyone help you with your daughter so that you're able to keep dancing?  Without the help of my family I could never do it.  But the truth is that I have all that I need with the love of my husband, my parents, and my sister.

On teaching

What you're about to read I witnessed being in her class.  The level of student varied, but her expectations for all were high.  And in everything she did, in everything she said I could feel her love of the art form.

¿Como profesora, cuál es mas difícil para ti, enseñar a alguien que tiene habilidades técnicas pero a quien le cuesta expresar las emociones y la pasion o enseñar a alguien sin mucho conocimiento técnico pero quien puede expresarse bien? Es difícil enseñar de una manera u otra porque cada cosa requiere lo suyo, pero lo que siempre enseño igual, tanto para uno con más nivel u otro con menos nivel, es el respeto por el flamenco.

What do you find to be more challenging, teaching someone who has the technical ability but struggles with expressing the passion from within or teaching someone without technical expertise but who possesses the inherent expressive component? It is hard to teach one way or another because each thing has its specific requirements, but what I always teach in the same way to someone of high level or someone at a lower level is a respect for flamenco.

Words of advice

Seemingly simple.  Yet so important.  And still so often we deny the importance of this.

¿Que consejo darás a un principiante al flamenco.  Para tener éxito, que aconsejas, aparte de practicar? Que sea muy aficionado al cante y a la guitarra, que eso lo ayudará muchísimo a entender mejor el flamenco.

What advice would you give to a beginner in flamenco?  What advice do you give in order to be successful, apart from practicing? To listen to a lot of singing and guitar as this will help immensely in better understanding flamenco.

What to wear?

Ok, now, this response surprised me.  It really, really did.   Because Mercedes is so incredibly detail oriented.  I assumed she had everything, including what to wear, decided upon waaaaaaay in advance.

¿Cómo decides que ropa que vas a llevar para cada actuación? Depende de lo que quiera transmitir en ese momento.  La verdad es que soy una persona que el vestuario lo dejo para el último momento.

For each dancing event, how do you decide your choice of dress and color? It depends upon what I want to get across in that moment.  The truth is that I am the type of person who leaves the wardrobe until the last minute.

More questions for Mercedes?  Let me know.  Thoughts about any of this?  Leave a comment here.

And...perhaps you want to com to Spain with me.  The Flamenco Tour happens this fall, and there is still time to get in on it!   Several people have asked me if I'm going to do a trip like this again, like if it is going to be an annual thing.  Hmm.  The very honest response is, I don't know.  I'm sorry.  I wish I did.  I hope so, but I just don't know the answer to that yet.  You can read more about it here.

..................................................................

Raining Paper | Little Books Part Two

If you missed Little Books Part One, you can read it here. Today I want to talk about how writing can sometimes be, well, detrimental in a class.

Yes, detrimental.

I'll begin with another excerpt from Jerez last year...

April 19

Mercedes scolded me once again in class this morning, calling me back out onto the dance floor.  Clearly I was to be dancing, not writing.

Yes, once again, Laura and her book has come up.  It comes up a lot.  No one else writes anything down in Jerez. They don't get me, I know, but I totally don't get them either!

"Es que ella siempre está escribiendo en esa libreta," Mercedes said to the class later as I was, but again, with pen in hand, frantically trying to write down which arm went where and with which foot.  "No sé que escribe pero siempre está allí escribiendo." 

She must think I'm the strangest student in the world.  To her I must be all about paper and notes.

Especially after the paper raining incident...

You see later in the day during clase de castañuelas, where the book rarely comes out  - as you can imagine writing with castanets on isn't the easiest thing in the world to do -  Anyhow, we were warming up, and my clothes literally began raining paper.  Sticky notes to be exact.

I noticed in the mirror that my chest looked funny so I pulled at my top to see what was going on when a sticky note fell from the bottom of my shirt and fluttered onto the floor in front of me.  Naturally it caught Mercedes's eye.  Nothing goes by unnoticed in her class.

"Y qué pasa con esto Laura?"  she asked.

Oh my goodness.

"¡Por Díos!  What is up with this chica and all of her papers and notes?"  she must wonder.

So I then had to explain how I had stuck the note to myself earlier so as not to forget that I wanted to ask Maite something before class began (the best way to get to Portugal) I knew that if I didn't stick it to myself I would forget, and, as you can see I would have... Needless to say, the note served its purpose.

So, the thing is this.  Writing helps me to learn.  I love it.  And it's a great tool.  But...I think I got a little carried away with the whole thing last year in Jerez.  Sometimes I became so obsessed with writing things down, with recording stuff, that I wasn't allowing myself to fully be there.  I was getting in my own way of really being in class.

I won't stop writing, oh no, and I won't stop using it to help me with flamenco.  But I'm thinking less of it when I'm in a class or workshop would be a good thing.  Allowing my body to be fully present without the distraction of  feeling a need to write everything down.  Trusting myself a bit more.  Trusting my body a bit more.  And reflecting more after.

That is what I'm thinking.

You can still get in on the October trip to Spain.  Let's go to Jerez and drive Mercedes crazy by taking lots of notes in class.  Just kidding.  Though I will be taking some little books for sure.  

Ok, your turn.  What do you think?