How to dance flamenco, flamenco travel in Spain, flamenco dance students and their experiences, interviews with flamenco artists, translations of flamenco letras (songs) from Spanish to English
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From Jerez last fall ...
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.
To observe people dancing bulerías. In class and out. Anywhere. Especially people whose dancing I liked.
To watch them, really watch them. And to notice what was happening.
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Tengo un secreto.
I’m
afraid
to go
to Spain.
But not for the usual reasons.
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We spent just two days in Córdoba on the last trip.
Two days to see the city and one night to see Estrella Morente perform. I'll tell you about that on Friday.
The first visit was in 1998, the first time I went to Spain.
I went there after my sister left.
I went there by myself.
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That I'm posting a letra por bulerías.
(Hang on the translation is coming, but if you can't wait, just scroll down.)
Niño de la Fragua sang it down the street from us at Peña la Bulería.
We were so tired that night.
From all of the dancing and walking around and doing of things.
We were tired and unmotivated. We were thinking we might just stay in.
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Those are some madroños from the Mercat Central here in Valencia.
I remember going there in 1998, the first time I came to Spain. It was February, and there were no madroños.
Anyway, the fruit lady told us to eat them as-is. No washing. No doing anything to them.
We followed her instructions.
Yum.
Tangos
Popular
La que quiera madroños vaya a la sierra
olé Morena vaya a la sierra
porque se están secando sus madroñeras
olé morena sus madroñeras
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Last night we were doing palmas with Pedro.
It's something we do when we come to Jerez.
Naturally people had many questions
and requests.
Someone asked to do some palmas por alegrías
... since we'd been dancing alegrías with Mercedes.
Pedro talked about las alegrías de Córdoba. He mentioned the letra about the platero.
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Ricardo asked me how things were going here in Jerez.
Everyone was happy. We were hearing tons of flamenco. Doing tons of flamenco. Learning a lot. The weather was nice...
"Todo bien," I told him, except that I felt like my body looked weird when I danced.
"Andaaaaa. Tu cabeza si que es rara."
"Come on! Your head is what is messed up," he told me.
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I am in Sevilla where the bells of the catederál keep ringing and the birds keep singing. That was not meant to rhyme, it just did. In Jerez there were lots of birds but not so many bells. And speaking of Jerez, last Saturday we went to hear José Carpio, "El Mijita," sing at a new little bar called Zoniquete. I mean it when I say that the place was small.
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oday in bulerías at Los Cernícalos I heard Junquerita sing this letra, along with this one, and a bunch of others. Because he sings and sings and sings and sings as people dance and dance and dance and dance. It is great.
Then Ani wanted to teach everyone some new moves. She talked about how changing your bulerías moves is kind of like changing your clothes. You might put on a different shirt one day but wear the same skirt from the previous day. Or perhaps you'll change both. It just depends.
The point is you choose.
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Another story from Jerez...
I told them how it terrified me. I told them I was terrorized by it. But they still wanted to go.
I took them there even before our first class with Mercedes.
I needed for them to see it. I was hoping they would want to take it too. I was worried they might think it was too much on top everything else.
Physically it is not demanding. So, that would be no issue.
But mentally, well...
They were ready for certain things.
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I wrote and posted this story about two years ago. I was so inspired by Akiko that I wanted to repost it today, with a few adjustments. Today when I am feeling overwhelmed and stressed out about all kinds of things.
Today when I am feeling shut down and scared to perform this weekend, as I so often get.
Today when I need grounding and inspiration.
Allow me to tell you a bit about Akiko, one of the many inspiring people I've met during my time here in Jerez.
Not too long ago Akiko began taking classes in Japan from Harumi, an incredibly graceful flamenco dancer from Osaka who básicamente seems to have mastered las bulerías de Jerez. She even co-teaches with Ana María López at la Peña los Cernícalos when she is in town.
But back to Akiko.
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It was November 2012, and I was in Jerez. My exotic pets had all gone home, except for one that is. And I kept getting messages, important messages... November 7, 2012
I started getting them about a week ago, the messages. Or that's when I started hearing them.
They were sent on various occasions.
But always during class.
And they were all more or less the same.
Things changed in bulerías this week.
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Another story from Jerez...
One day in bulerías class Ani asked me to tell the ladies that getting in is the hardest part.
And so I did.
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I've been in Jerez for about a month now. Kind of immersed in bulerías. They're everywhere. And I love them more and more each day. Really.
So here begins a little series. A nod to Jerez as I get ready to go. I'm leaving for Madrid in a few hours...
Because bulerías doesn’t exist anywhere as it does here. And if it did, it wouldn’t be what it is.
And that's that.
I'm not saying you have to be in Jerez to do bulerías or anything like that. No, no. I’ll keep dancing them in Portland, of course, because there's no way I can stop. And we have a lot of fun doing bulerías in Portland, even though it's not the same.
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For Katie to leave today.
But she has already gone...Last Sunday when everybody else left, I felt like a mother whose babies were leaving. Even though I don't really know how that feels.
For myself to leave...
Read on for a video of Miguel Poveda, Jesús Méndez, and Perico Navarro and a beautiful letra by Antonio Gallardo.
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Ok, so I told you that I might share some bulerías tesoros directly from the mouth of Ana María López with you today or tomorrow. Well, it's not happening today because I just got this great email from Becky. Becky is a student. She came on the Spain Tour.
She passed it along to me. and I asked her if I could post it. She was sending it to me for me, but she very graciously agreed.
I read it as a series of snapshots showing how life has been going here in Jerez, which is why I wanted to share it with all of you. So, here you go, from Becky...
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Today was the last bulerias class for everyone on the Spain Tour, my exotic pets.
And tomorrow is the final class with Mercedes.
Then on Sunday everyone leaves. I am feeling pretty sad about that. Thank goodness Katie is staying...
But back to bulerías class.
Today was a celebratory day. Just about everyone got cerveza. Yes, beer. When Ani is in a good mood and really likes what you do she gives you beer. I didn't get any beer.
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Today everyone came to bulerías class.
My dad, Kuma, and, of course, my exotic pets. (That is what they've started calling themselves, the Spain Tour students. I much prefer it to Spain Tour students, and I can't tell you what fun it is to bring exotic pets along on a trip...)
Anyway, below is a letra that Junquerita sang today. Ani did as well.
Bulerías
Popular
Me entró sueño y me dormí
me despertaron los gallos
cantando quiriquíquí
I got tired,
and I went to sleep
I was awaken by the roosters singing cock-a-doodle-doo
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Ok, so there is this one thing I've noticed that really, really, really has a BIG effect on my dancing. Is it the biggest effect? I don't know.
I know how important it is, yet I still refuse to consistently give it the credit it deserves.
I want to remember to do it. Or no, not remember, I want to do it even if I don't want to.
You know how much I like stories, so let us begin with a story.
Un cuento
It was a Wednesday much like today, sunny and hot that is. I was in Jerez. It was the spring of 2011...
The rest of the story comes in the form of but another excerpt from my journal.
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I want to talk about sinking in. I want to talk about breaks.
I want to talk about stuff that relates to the wisdom of the body.
I want to talk about productivity.
And how they're all connected.
Connected and overlapping...
Last Wednesday I went to the studio early before class to practice. I felt tired. So tired. I walked in the door and suddenly felt even more tired. I opened the curtains, opened the windows, turned on the fan. Still so sleepy. Sleepy all over. Quite obviously my body was trying to tell me something very important.
Take a break.
So, I did. I had to. There was actually no other choice.
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