"Saturday was amazing ... felt like a whirlpool at one point but with occasional glimpse into the total brilliance of this art form I found it so ... inspiring!  THANK YOU, and you all are sounderstanding of the beginner's situation.  Very good."  - Sheila Augustine

Un, dos, tres, vamonos!

New moves, new types of cante, lots of space to practice it all ...  Un, dos, tres, vamonos!

"If you know Flamenco, even a litle bit, then you know that Bulerias CAN BE scary, and/or can be SUPER FUN! I was brave enough to take Laura's monthly Bulerias workshop for 5 weeks, and I am so glad that I did!!! At the first class, I was almost going to feel left behind because in the class, everyone already seems to know what's going on both structure-wise and choreography-wise. BUT, Laura carefully watches every one of her students and gives advice and encouragement! By the end of each class, I left the studio with more and more confidence and just couldn't wait for the next class! Class is a very friendly atmosphere, and oh I'm so thankful to Laura, for how she teaches, and how she actually makes students be able to BULERIAS! Laura's class is TOTAL FUN!"   - Harue Hirai

A sentirlo If you've taken the Understanding Bulerías Series or any bulerías at all, you know this dance is about doing it and doing it.  And that's just what will be happening on Saturdays this spring.

Taking it to the next level This is a multi-level class.  Wherever you are, we'll meet you there.  Some people will be focusing on learning the structure of bulerias and where to come in with the cante, others on responding to the cante within the letra, some on dancing our choreography as-is and memorizing it, others mixing and matching the components to "improvise."  We'll ALL work a lot this on our palmas and jaleos because this is everybody's job in bulerías.  And it is so much fun to do.  

We'll stand and dance.  We'll sit and accompany with palmas.  We'll do bulerías in Portland, olé.

"Wow, I am so impressed with how far we have alll come in the bulerías series! Seriously, everyone seemed so much more comfortable on Saturday and I love all of the support and smiles. ¡Gracias! That is all because of you and your effective, encouraging and challenging teaching!!" - Erica

When & Cost

TBA

In these sessions we will:

  • Practice hearing what we need to hear in the cante – in cante that varies – and responding as we need to respond upon entering, while dancing, and upon leaving.  (We know this practice is never-ending)
  • Practice adapting a choreography to different situations with the cante.
  • Strengthen our compás
  • Better understand the jaleos as they relate to the baile and the compás
  • Strengthen our execution of the moves
  • Play around with our choreographies, mixing & matching within the structure
  • Strengthen our palmas
  • Clarify questions

The study of bulerías is an ongoing process.  Here we work at becoming VERY comfortable responding to the cante and the compás and as a time to allow both the dance moves and the jaleos to happen more naturally.

“I love how you’re always thinking of different ways to cram it in our brains.” – Amy

Will we learn new material? Yes!  And you'll also be able to apply past bulerias moves that you've learned from me or elsewhere.  This is a place both to try things out and to be able to access moves without struggle, to understand why we do things where we do them in the dance.  It is also to deepen our understanding of the compás and to be able to execute our jaleos with animo and confidence.

“Laura is a great dancer, and you can learn a lot just by watching her. But she is truly a teacher as well, and she has been willing to share her experiences of learning this complicated art form. As she absorbs and distills the vast ocean of flamenco stuff that we Americanos aren’t born into and don’t grow up with, she is dedicated to passing what she has learned on to us. Ok, that sounds like an obvious thing that a teacher would do, but actually, it might be a rare combo. There are inspiring teachers who can show you great moves, but they’ve grown up doing those moves, so it’s just hard for them to explain how they do it. Laura has gotten there the hard way, which is how most of us are going to have to get there, and she is determined to give us the benefit of all her hard-earned knowledge as a gift. This is what great teachers do: they open the door for us, and tip us off to shortcuts when they find them, and encourage us by their presence ahead of us on the road. Laura is a very generous teacher.” – Mia

Are there any prerequisites? Yes, you must have studied bulerías previously (for example: any of the Understanding Bulerías classes or bulerías classes elsewhere).