Here is a tientos letra followed by a video of Aurora Vargas singing it:
Tientos
Como la piedra tú eres…
Here is a tangos letra along with a video of José Mercé singing it accompanied by Moraíto Chico.
Tangos
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El faro de Chipiona
lo van a poner más alto
pa que alumbre a los vapores
y no se pierdan los barcos
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Why dance flamenco?
Flamenco offers all kinds of benefits: physical, emotional, intellectual, cognitive ... It is perfect for those who never considered themselves to be dancers and for those who have done other forms of dance. And the best part? You can start learning when you're seven or when you're seventy, (no joke)!
Here are twenty five reasons to do it,
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An interview with flamenco dancer Mercedes Ruíz where she talks about her beginnings, challenges she faced on the road to becoming a professional flamenco dancer, how she comes from a non-flamenco family (and how most of her family members don't even like flamenco), how motherhood has affected her dancing, what it's like working with her husband, what she loves about teaching, who some of her favorite dancers are, how she thinks it's never too late to start dancing flamenco, and the funny ritual that she must perform before going on stage.
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Today we flashback to 1996 with a video of Miguel Poveda singing tientos.
But first, here's one of the letras he sings:
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This was one of those difficult translations. It's a juguetillo (coletilla por cantiñas) and a video of Estrella Morente live:
Cantiñas/Alegrías
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Qué mandilón, mandilón
Que de cabeza a cabeza
Me meto yo en el pilón
A facebook follower from Cádiz told me that this basically means:
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Here's a tangos estribillo that we danced to with Mercedes Ruíz during the last Flamenco Tour to Jerez. You can see a tiny snippet from that dance below along with a video of Claudia La Debla.
Tangos
Y voy y voy
date la vuelta ligero
como se la da el reloj…
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Here's one more bulerías for you. Zorri sang this to us one Flamenco Tour to Jerez during a meal we shared at José Luís and Maribel's (see pictures here). This was the perfect letra for the occasion:
Bulerías
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Ahora sí que estoy a gusto
estoy comiendo y bebiendo
con personas de mi gusto
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Often after the Flamenco Tour I travel here and there. To explore, to scout things out for future tours, to visit friends, to see more flamenco... A couple of years ago after the trip ended I headed to Prado del Rey in the Sierra de Cádiz for a few days.
I did not rent a car and instead chose a home base with plenty of trails and places to explore on foot nearby. I spent a lot of time getting lost then finding myself in unintended places. While I look forward to hiking and discovering more of the sierra in the future, I'm very happy with my decision to travel sin coche this time around.
Some people considered the overall experience I had there (and my persistence in certain situations which you'll read about below) to be quite flamenca which makes me want to share this account of my adventures there with you:
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Usually about a week into the Flamenco Tour I start hearing bulerías in my head at random times. It lingers for awhile upon returning home which I guess is why I've been on such a bulerías kick ...
Bulerías
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¿A quién le cantaré yo?
yo le canto a mi niño*
que tengo la obligación
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I heard today's letra a few weeks ago in Jerez during the Flamenco Tour (at the same show where I heard last week's letra). Juan Peña sang it por bulerías. Upon researching the verse, I discovered the following version por tangos sung by Flora who you'll see in the video below.
Tangos Extremeños
Si tuvieras tú vergüenza
como la tiene la gente
no pasaría por mi puerta
ni por la acera de enfrente
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This past Flamenco Tour was the smallest on record with only three of us! We still had an amazing time. Below read highlights from week two of the Flamenco Tour to Jerez. (You can see highlights from week one here, and you can read day-by-day accounts here and here.)
Getting To Know One Another
One of my favorite aspects of the Flamenco Tour is how the group tends to turn into our own little flamenco family. People take care of each other; they even try to take care of me although I’m supposed to be taking care of them. It's so comforting to feel the support of the people you're with …
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When we were in Jerez we spent a lot of time at Tabanco El Pasaje watching flamenco. You can see shows there just about every afternoon and night. Below you can see a video of Juan Loreto dancing soleá por bulerías.
Soleá por Bulerías
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Qué pena tengo en el alma
se murió la madre mía
cuando se anunciaba el alba
What sorrow I feel in my soul
my mother died
when dawn came
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Last Friday in Jerez we went to see Tía Juana del Pipa. WOW. You can see a video I took from her performance below. Here is something she sang:
Bulerías*
Desde que te fuiste
de la vera mia
yo tengo el alma triste
muy triste noche y dia
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Today is June 1st, my santo. It falls on a Friday, so I'm publishing this letra for all of the other Lauras out there:
Tarantos
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De los laureles
dicen que te llamas Laura
Laura de nombre
por nombre Laura
si tú no eres de los laureles
que los laureles son firmes
y tú pa mi no lo eres
dicen que te llamas Laura
Laura de nombre
por nombre Laura
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I still remember that first evening
Sitting together in the courtyard, eating tapas, sharing stories.
It was the fall of 2012, and we were in Jerez. A group of foreigners together in Spain to learn and grow and have a good time. We danced and laughed, did flamenco, saw flamenco, heard flamenco, breathed flamenco. We walked about the town eating yummy food, drinking sherry and café con leche...
But, wait, let's back up for a moment.
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We are studying tangos (with abanico) with Mercedes Ruíz during the Flamenco Tour to Jerez. Naturally, we are LOVING it. The first part of our dance is to this:
Tangos
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Si alguna vez vas a Cádiz
ve por el barrio Santa María
verás los gitanitos
como te cantan con alegría
Tú eres la tonta inocente
tú eres la loquita perdida
cuando tú riñes con tu gente
¿por qué no te vienes a la verita mía?
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Today's letra is an excerpt from a letter (modified to fit the compás) that Simón Bolivar wrote to Manuela Sáenz, a revolutionary heroine from South America who collaborated with Simón Bolivar and is recognized as a feminist symbol of the 19th century wars of independence. I learned about her last night during the show, Mujeres Valientes produced by Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana when I went to see Emilio Ochando perform with the company here in New York ...
Legaste de improviso, como siempre
sonriente, notoria eras tú.
Legaste de improviso, como siempre
sonriente, notoria, te miré.
Mi sangre tu sangre calma
tu sangre la mía amansa.
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What should you do if if you have just 15-20 minutes a day to practice?
That’s what a student asked me to find out when I interviewed Jesús Carmona last month.
Here are the five recommendations he shared along with videos to help you get started on your own at home. (Some of what he advises might surprise you.)
1. Abdominal Exercises
The first thing Jesús mentioned was the need to strengthen our abs. Don't know where to start? Try this:
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I love creating dances with my nieces. It's always a collective effort. I teach them some moves. They make up some of their own. They put in things they've learned with others. We make up some stuff together. And we come up with a dance.
Here's an estribillo por tangos that Diana will be singing for them this weekend at the feria. (It's actually perfect for them considering they're obsessed with bread.)
Tangos
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Ay lere lere lere cachito de pan
Ay lere lere lere cachito de pan
Ay lere lere lere cachito de pan