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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poetry
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Awhile ago I posted the first letra of this alegrías by David Lagos along with an unbelievably wonderful video of him singing it live accompanied by his brother Alfredo Lagos. Today find a couple more not to be missed videos of David performing it, along with the first letra. One is him live in Cádiz, and the other is him singing for Mercedes Ruíz dancing in a bata de cola during a rehearsal.
Que es chiquita y salerosa
no le pongáis tanta falta…
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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.
Well, you know how it is now.
Which brings me to the letra:
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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.
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Dime que no estoy sola
When I have to stop what I'm doing and close my eyes. Cerrar mis ojos y pararme.
Because I hear something too beautiful not to. Not to stop. To listen, to take it in, to feel. And to let myself cry.
Close my eyes and stop
to
just
listen.
And then do it again.
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David Lagos sang the following letra at our private show here in Jerez the other night.
Naturally, I cried, and I wasn't alone…
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These words ...
Qué novia más guapa tengo
que me da miedo el mirarla…
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Quite awhile ago I published this letra. It was fall not spring when I posted it, and at that time I was preparing to embark on the VERY FIRST FlamencoTour to Jerez. Now as I get ready for the sixth (yes sixth!) tour, I'm re-posting it…
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Last week we were remembering Paco de Lucía.
Today let's remember Camarón with this video and this song
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Here’s a letra Sol, our visiting artist right now, loves
Soleá is said to be the backbone of flamenco,
"It touches my soul," she says.
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Cat lovers and cat haters (dislikers?), come one, come all. It's a coletilla por bulerías that we sang with Oscar last month, and it has to do with kitty cats:
Me araña
me araña el gatito
échalo pá trás
He scratches me
The cat scratches me
Get him away
(By the way, I myself am a cat lover.)
This is a version of this one.
A note about dancing bulerías and coletillas:
In class, Oscar talked about how when a singer runs out of coletilla while singing for you, he might start doing jaleo instead. (And Ani always says once you hear just jaleos, it is definitely time to get out!)
Feliz finde ~ Happy weekend!
Sol 'La Argentinita' is in town with the Portland Opera's production of Carmen. Lucky us! And the luckiest bit of all is that she's sticking around after the shows to give us workshops. They're happening February 18-22, and she'll be giving a free preview class next Wednesday, February 11 at 5:30pm. Come meet her and even dance and sing a bit too...
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The second letra in this month's Ida y Vuelta series. A guajiras letra and a video of Rocío Márquez.
Aquella noche, caía
la lluvia muy lentamente,
cantaba triste la fuente…
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It is Halloween, and I just returned home from the peña. I am in Jerez.
On the way I saw a family dressed up in zombie-style Halloween costumes. Their two dogs were dressed as jack-o-lanters.
We saw Manuel Agujetas Hijo sing with Domingo Rubichi accompanying on guitar.
Below is a letra por fandangos that he sang.
(You can hear El Chocolate singing it here.)
Fandangos
No me quites la botella
que yo me quiero emborrachar
no me quites la botella
voy a beber de verdad
y a ver si no pienso en ella
y yo la consigo olvidar
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Soleá
Dicen que no siento nada
y las carnes de mis huesos
a pedazos se me van
They say that I don't feel anything
and the skin from my bones
falls off in pieces
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The MGA (Mystery Guest Artist) supplied me with today's letra.
It’s tangos:
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I'm in the mood for tangos.
Tangos
Popular
Amparo
El enfermo busca el alivio
yo lo busco y no lo hallo
Protection
The sick one looks for relief
I look for it and I don't find it
You can hear La Paquera sing this letra in the video below at 1 minute 59 seconds:
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This will make your day.
TRUST me.
It's a video of David Lagos live por alegrías accompanied by his brother, Alfredo Lagos.
You should know, if you don't already, that David is nice.
You should also know, if you don't already, that he writes beautiful letras.
And you might as well know that one of my favorite things ever is listening to David Lagos sing por alegrías and that when I hear him sing alegrías live I cry every time ...
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A letra por bulerías
Yo quisiera ser Sanson
para quererte
y que tú fuera Dalila
para aborrecerte
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From Potito: El Último Cantaor,
A verse from Bulerías ClavásQue guapa eres
la torre del oro te la compro
prima si quieres
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I actually did fall in love in Triana ...
... a long time ago.
But that's not what I'm talking to you about today.
I'm jut sharing this letra that Lamiae sang tonight.
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