Bulerías is a fiesta-style dance typical of Jerez, Spain. It is the most improvisational form of flamenco and probably the silliest as well. The following video from a produce shop in Jerez gives you a picture of what bulerías is all about …
,Earlier this week Juanilloro, a young flamenco singer from La Plazuela in Jerez passed away. He was only 38 years old. Here’s a video of him singing and dancing along with a letra.
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Video interview with flamenco dancer and choreographer Manuel Liñan, winner of Spain's prestigious National Dance Award (Premio Nacional de Danza 2017), where he talks about life as a professional flamenco dancer and choreographer.
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Here a letra and a video of Zorri dancing bulerías that will make your day.
Tengo un canasto …
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Here is a bulerías letra with a video of El Terremoto singing it.
Quiera tu madre o no quiera …
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Here is a tientos letra followed by a video of Aurora Vargas singing it:
Tientos
Como la piedra tú eres…
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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