I've been getting in the mood for the upcoming Flamenco Retreat at the Oregon Coast this weekend by listening to lots and lots of tangos and dancing all around the house. (More on that below.)
Here's a letra for you to enjoy:
Today I'm going to share with you one mom's strategy for improving her dancing from home. It's something you can employ as well. (And trust me, if this busy mom can do it, so can you.) I lay out a simple 4-step process for you at the end of this post, but first, I want to introduce you to Katerina ...
I have a new student.
Her name is Katerina. Katerina had been wanting to learn flamenco for a long time. A few weeks ago she decided it was finally time and signed up for private lessons.
During Katerina's second class I was impressed with how much she'd improved from her first session. The moves she'd been so unsure about before she now danced in sequence with no help from me.
That's when she told me about her routine...
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A letra por soleá.
See how Israel Galván interprets it in the video that follows.
Soleá
Popular
Los pajaritos y yo
nos levantamos a un tiempo,
ellos le cantan al alba,
y yo alegro mis sentimientos
The birds and I
we wake together
They sing to the dawn,
and I feel good
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Here is another colombianas letra that I got from Mercedes from her show Perspectivas.
Cansados de tanto llorar
mis ojos se van durmiendo…
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You already know about the two main settings for flamenco.
Today I want to discuss the five main elements of flamenco,
- cante
- baile
- guitarra
- palmas
- jaleos
I’ve chosen to share one video and discuss the five main elements of flamenco within it.
Let’s take a closer look:
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I originally published this here within the letra, Moraito Como un Lirio by Antonio Sánchez Pecino.
Today I wanted to highlight this estribillo:
Libre quiero ser
Como el pájaro que canta,
Primita, al amanecer
I want to be free
like the bird that sings,
at dawn
You can see it in the video that follows...
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Today I want to share a bulerías dancing tip with you along with a letra.
When I'm in Jerez on the Flamenco Tours, Ani offers all kinds of quick and dirty tips.
Here's one
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A couple of weeks ago, Virigina, a Flamenco Tour alum, sent me the following account of her time on the Flamenco Tour to Jerez. If you're curious about what happens on the Flamenco Tour, read on...
My Trip to Jerez
by: Virginia O'Hanlon
I have danced and taught Afro Cuban, Haitian and Brazilian dance for many years. I'm the sort of explorer who likes to "go to the source" so I have gone to these countries many times on dance/study trips. There were a few great trips, some ok, and two really miserable experiences.
I'm fairly new to flamenco -had 2 years in at the time of this trip- but became intrigued by the "por fiesta" dances so I started looking around for ways to study in Spain, particularly Jerez. I discovered Laura's trips, and it seemed like a structure that would work well for me, so I went last October. It was without a doubt one of the best, richest experiences that I've had, and here are some reasons why.
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Today a letra por tangos (or soleá, or bulerías, or soleá por bulerías...) followed by but another must-watch video,
Tangos
Popular
Cuando me eches de menos
tú tienes que venir a buscarme
como un caballo sin freno
When you miss me
you'll have to come looking for me
like a horse with no brakes
Watch and listen to David Palomar sing it below along with Rafael Rodríguez on guitar. (I promise you'll be glad you did.)
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Online flamenco learning opportunities seem to be popping up all over the place.
I find this very exciting.
As you know, there are all kinds of flamenco instructional articles around here, but I'm talking about online video teaching.
While I do not believe one can learn flamenco dance only by online studies from home (flamenco is after all a communal art form), these resources can be wonderful for:
- Supplemental instruction
- An introduction to flamenco
- Practicing from home
- Deepening one's understanding of particular aspects of flamenco
- Those who have difficulty making it to physical classes (many of the students who join me for workshops and trips come from what they often call, flamenco deserts, and online sources can be especially great in these instances.)
- Encouragement & inspiration
Here are a couple of my favorites . . .
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Today I'm going to talk about how the same letra can (and definitely will be) interpreted in different ways by different singers. I'll also talk about why, as dancers, we need to pay attention to this. And finally, I'll share a tangos letra with you. (Oh, and at the end of the post I give you an activity to do from the comfort of your own home.)
How the same letra can vary
Depending upon who is singing, how they like to sing a given letra, and even how they are feeling at a given moment, one letra can be interpreted in many different ways.
Let's look at some examples:
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Most likely there is at least one person in your life you feel this way about. (I can think of many, my nieces, my sister, my sweetheart, just about all of my friends...)
Why not share today's letra with one of your beloveds?
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Yesterday I received an email from a reader, Max Herzog, a guitarist based in San Diego, who came across today's letra on my blog. (I originally posted it about four years ago. I struggled with the translation then, and I'm still struggling with it today.) Max had some great insights along with a smoother translation which I wanted to share with you. You'll find his translation below (with just a couple of small changes from me).
Fandangos
Popular
Los ojos como las moras
y los dientes de marfil
y tu boca es una fuente
donde una noche bebí
agua con ansias de muerte
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Saturday evening the moon shone so brightly against a miraculously clear sky.
Last night the moon showed off again, full and bright in the February sky…
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I have a guajiras verse to share with you today along with a video of Belén Maya and Mayte Martín.
I'm in Seattle winding down after workshops Belén Maya this week.
On Wednesday I went to a lecture where Belén spoke about herself as an artist.
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Another one that Zorri shared.
Bulerías
No sé por qué motivo
esta gitana lo hace
tan malamente conmigo
I don't know the reason
this gypsy woman
treats me so badly
You can hear it here, Los Zambos Por Fiesta, on Al Compás de Los Zambos. It's the first letra.
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A letra to awaken to . . .
Soleá
Levanta y no duermas más,
que vienen los pajaritos
cantando la marugá
Get up, and stop sleeping,
the birds are coming out
singing to the dawn
This letra is from from Los cantes de Antonio Mairena Luís y Ramón Soler
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Last night we saw the full moon.
We were at the beach for the Flamenco Retreat at the Oregon Coast.
So today, this letra…