Viewing entries in
Stories & Interviews

Become a Better Flamenco Dancer: A Mini-Challenge For You

6 Comments

Become a Better Flamenco Dancer: A Mini-Challenge For You

It’s time to become a better flamenco dancer. And it’s time to use our imaginations to help us do that.

You may remember the Dance As If You Were in Class with Mercedes Holiday Challenge. Well, this week begins the Dancing With David Even Though We’re Not With David Mini-Challenge.

In other words, it’s time to pretend

You know how much I like to pretend.

You most likely saw last week’s video interview with David Romero. And you could probably tell by watching that he is a fabulous teacher with all kinds of wonderful information to share. So, for the next week I’ll be channeling David on a daily basis in order to learn from him from the comfort of my own home.

Care to join me?

(Check out the video at the end of this post if you'd like to see David dance.)

Why would I want to participate in this mini-challenge?  

  1. To learn and grow as a flamenco dancer.
  2. Because it will be fun.
  3. Because it will not require a lot of time.

How will it work? 

Read More

6 Comments

An Interview With Flamenco Dancer David Romero | Entrevista con Bailaor David Romero

4 Comments

An Interview With Flamenco Dancer David Romero | Entrevista con Bailaor David Romero

In November 2013 after the Flamenco Tour to Jerez was finished, I traveled to Barcelona to study with David Romero. (And to research holding a flamenco trip there with him, which is happening in November, woot!) My friend Stefani and I had daily classes with David (our own private flamenco workshop). Often times we would meet with him before or after class to have a coffee and chat.

And one day after class, I interviewed him

The interview took place in the little restaurant by the studio where we used to meet. We had lunch. We had café. And then we got to filming.

We did some shooting inside, some outside. I filmed some, Stefani filmed some. A couple of clips cut off in strange places because, well, I guess I stopped or started shooting too early or too late. Oops. I did my best to edit out the background noise, but you will definitely hear some potatoes being fried, sirens, a few outside voices, stuff like that. You'll also see some ladies on their way to the restroom, which happened to be our backdrop during part of the interview. I guess it all adds to the ambiente, the ambiance . . .

David has been dancing since he was three years old. He grew up going to peñas and hearing flamenco. He's from Barcelona, but his family is from Andalucía. In the video David talks about how his parents, originally from Huelva in Andalucía, ended up in Barcelona, the influences of hearing flamenco in his home, how he began dancing flamenco professionally (in a tablao when he was underage, having to run and hide when the authorities came by), his teaching philosophy, how he goes about creating a choreography and even just creating a step.

Watch the interview 

4 Comments

Singing Por Bulerías in Jerez | Viernes con una Letra

Comment

Singing Por Bulerías in Jerez | Viernes con una Letra

Last week you heard the letra that we studied with José 'El Mijita' on the Flamenco Tour to Jerez. This week I want to share with you the coletilla we worked on. (Along with another video snippet)

It is a mouthful.

Not. easy. to. sing.

Getting all of the words in the last line out of your mouth, number one, in compás, number two, while playing palmas, number three, and following the melody, number four.

Like I said, not easy to do. But we sure had fun trying.

See for yourself in the following video snippets

Keep Reading

Comment

3 Essential Elements for Learning to Dance Por Fiesta

2 Comments

3 Essential Elements for Learning to Dance Por Fiesta

This week I learned about daylilies. And as it turns out the process I went through in learning about this flower led me to a mini-formula that is perfect for learning to dance por fiesta palos like bulerías. (I'll share that with you in a moment.)

But first, my lesson on daylilies

On Monday morning Stefani and I were on a walk when we happened upon bunches and bunches of bright golden daylilies. I’ve been noticing them everywhere this summer, including in my garden. I did not know what these flowers were called, and I’d never bothered to find out. I didn’t even bother to notice that their petals and shape look very much like ‘regular’ lilies. I guess because their colors, golden, yellow, red, orange, peach . . . are so distinct.

“I have those flowers in my garden,” I said to Stefani, “I cut some and put them in a vase, and the next day they were dead.”

“Well yeah, those are daylilies,” she responded. “They only live for a day.”

And this is how I came to learn why the ones in my vase at home had lasted, well, one day.

She proceeded to tell me more about the flower, information I won’t bother sharing with you because learning about flowers is not the point of this story.

(I’m getting to the point.)

Before I became aware of their name and the whole one day of life thing, I had already decided that I was not going to go around cutting more of these flowers and putting them in vases inside my house. Before Stefani told me about their life span, I had discovered on my own through trial and error that these flowers would be better enjoyed in the garden.

For the time being at least . . .

Keep Reading

2 Comments

Part 2: How to Simplify Your Bulerías (And Your Life)

4 Comments

Part 2: How to Simplify Your Bulerías (And Your Life)

This is a story about how doing less in bulerías can serve us well. It's the follow up to the previous post on observation. Read on, and find out how to simplify your bulerías and perhaps even your life a bit too.November 2013, Jerez de la Frontera, Spain

She said she was going to show them how to dance on a losa.

Pequeña,

Y por fiesta.

Small,

And party style.

It was Ani who said that. Ana María López. She said it on a Monday morning in Jerez.

Keep Reading

4 Comments

I Don't Even Want to Look at You | Viernes con una Letra

Comment

I Don't Even Want to Look at You | Viernes con una Letra

On the past two Flamenco Tours to Jerez we've had a cante class with José 'El Mijita.' Exciting, Scaaaary, and FUN! You can see video of that at the end of the post.

Above is one of his favorite letras to sing por bulerías; it's one we worked on in the classes.

Why do we study the cante?

We do it to expand our understanding of flamenco as a whole. Because as we know, the dance does not exist on its own. We do it to broaden our understanding of the language of flamenco. To learn new things. And, of course, to have fun...

During the class last spring Lily, one of the students, held onto Héctor Raúl for the duration of the class. She wasn't quite sure why, but I'm pretty positive it was a subconscious act done for support.

Because this experience took people out of their comfort zones.

Keep Reading

 

Comment

Part 1: Four Dance Tips Learned from Monday Morning Observations

2 Comments

Part 1: Four Dance Tips Learned from Monday Morning Observations

A story on the value of observation from a past Flamenco Tour (followed by four bulerías take-aways):

Sunday night I was writing

About flamenco and Jerez and what I'm doing here and what I want to learn here.

And I set some intentions for the week.

I had a few.

One was to Observe

To observe people dancing bulerías. Especially people whose dancing I liked. In class and out. Anywhere and everywhere.

To watch them, really watch them. And to notice what was happening.

To notice how they responded to the cante.

To notice how they danced with the compás.

To notice when they did what they did.

To notice the things I liked.

To notice the things that worked.

Maybe even to notice the things I didn't like.

And to notice the things that didn't work.

On Monday morning I went to bulerías class

That was the day Ani taught the ladies about dancing on a floor tile. I'll tell you about that in the next post.

It was also the day she read my mind.

Keep Reading

2 Comments

Bulerías de Jerez | Viernes con una Letra

Comment

Bulerías de Jerez | Viernes con una Letra

I'll be honest. In the beginning, I wasn't a huge fan of flamenco singing.

It wasn't that I didn't like it.

It intrigued me that's for sure. But I didn't feel inclined to sit around and listen to it a whole bunch.

It didn't take long before that changed.

I guess it happened early on during my time in Sevilla, on that first flamenco trip.

And actually, while I was initially drawn to the baile, the cante played a huge roll in getting me hooked on flamenco ... and keeping me in it.

Just like the compás.

And now,

Well, you know how it is now.

Which brings me to the letra:

Keep Reading

Comment

Three Things to Remember When Dancing Bulerías

Comment

Three Things to Remember When Dancing Bulerías

I have some more bulerías advice from Ani for you about feeling good today. But first,

Let's talk briefly about steps

Because you learn a lot of steps in in bulerías class.

You could say they are just steps.

To play with.

To practice.

To try out.

To hold on to. (Or to let go of.)

They can even be thought of as tools for understanding how the conversation works.

But going back to the liking them thing...

One day in Jerez

Keep Reading

Comment

Sweaty Hard Work

Comment

Sweaty Hard Work

I wrote this back in the fall of 2013 when I was in Barcelona studying with David Romero. I thought you might enjoy reading it and finding out more about him...

November 22, 2013

I told you I'd be visiting Barcelona to study with David Romero.

I told you I'd been wanting to take classes from him for years.

And here I am in Barcelona

Finalment!  

(Catalán. We are in Barcelona after all.)

Studying with David.

Keep Reading

Comment

Bulerías de Jerez in Jerez

2 Comments

Bulerías de Jerez in Jerez

Bulerías doesn’t exist anywhere as it does in Jerez.

It’s just its own thing there

And that's that.

That's why they call it Bulerías de Jerez.

I'm not saying you have to be in Jerez to do bulerías or anything like that.

Not at all.

You can find and do bulerías all over the place.

Nor am I saying you have to be from Jerez to do awesome bulerías.

Not at all.

(Many of you know how Ricardo first got me with his bulerías back in 2006. )

But, anyway, bulerías de Jerez, in Jerez

In Jerez you hear bulerías all over the place.

Keep Reading

2 Comments

Comment

Three Things That Get Me Out of a Funk | Viernes con una Letra

I want to tell you about some things that help me to feel better when I'm in a funky place. I also want to show you a very cool video and share a flamenco verse with you. But first, some words I wrote last week

(my first week back home post Flamenco Tour)

Coming home I feel overwhelmed.

This is not new.

It is how I usually feel after a trip to Spain. Excited to be back but overwhelmed and sort of confused at the same time.

Keep Reading

Comment

How Understanding Green Bananas Will Help You Dance Bulerías

Comment

How Understanding Green Bananas Will Help You Dance Bulerías

I want to tell you about green bananas. Because knowing about green bananas will help you when it's time to dance bulerías. (In Jerez or anywhere really).

And so, a short story from Jerez

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

Keep Reading

Comment

La Luneta | Viernes con una Letra

Comment

La Luneta | Viernes con una Letra

On Friday I went to the Peña la Bulería. As you may recall, it is literally steps away from our apartments here in Jerez. I was feeling sleepy and my legs were not looking forward to standing on the hard marble floor after having spent a good deal of time in flamenco shoes and walking on hard streets that day, but once there I was glad I went. As usual.

A young singer named Enrique Remache was performing.

I heard many fantastic letras, like like this one, and jaleos, and took great pleasure in witnessing the reactions of the público.

The reactions

Always one of my favorite aspects of seeing flamenco in Jerez. Men looking at each other and laughing with pleasure upon hearing a particular thing sung a particular way. I won't try to explain this. Just please visit Jerez sometime in your life, and see.

I also love seeing the mix of generations at the peña shows. Teenagers to people in their 70's voluntarily going to hear flamenco.

Keep Reading

Comment