Bulerías
Traditional
Anda que anda
parece que se cae
pero se levanta
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
A few weeks ago a flamenco loving Spanish student contacted me and asked if I could help her with the words from the following tangos sung by Luis Ortega.
As with any traditional flamenco song, this one is a collection of unrelated verses that Luis puts together to form a “song.”
This is a rather depressing letra,
but I promise you’ll be moved to the core watching and listening to el Pericón de Cádiz sing it in the video below.
A couple of weeks ago I participated in my first performance since quarantine.
I danced sevillanas and bulerías, and I did not wear flamenco shoes.
And, once again I let my silver strands show.
Siguiriyas
Traditional
Detrás del carrito
lloraba mi madre
la pobrecita no lloraba agüita,
que lloraba sangre.
I first heard this letra when Diana sang it for tangos, and it made me think of my best friend Felicia who absolutely loves radishes. In the video below you can watch and listen to La Paquera sing it as soleá por bulerías:
Here’s a letra and a video of Fernando de la Morena to make you feel like you’re in Jerez:
Do you have a hard time watching video of yourself dancing flamenco?
You’re not alone.
While we may not choose to publicly share video of ourselves dancing, it can be a great tool to use for personal growth.
I found this in the little book of letras that Melinda gave to me years ago. The book classifies this verse as Soleariyas, a specific type of soleá.
Bulerías
Traditional
No me mires malamente
que yo no tengo la culpa
que no me quiera tu gente
Here is a tangos along with interpretations by Camarón and Porrina de Badajoz:
Si el agua se va a los ríos
y los ríos se van a los mares
El pobre corazón mío
Detrás del tuyo se va
Bulerías
Traditional
Dinero
no te he pedido nada
quiero que vengas a verme
por tu propia voluntad
I think this is a bulerias letra, but I don’t know for sure.
Decir la pena cantando
sufre más el corazón
que si la digo llorando
Do you want to add some drama to your eyes but feel uncomfortable applying eye makeup?
A simple smokey eye doesn’t have to be complicated nor take a long time, and the results can be stunning.
It is a great look for flamenco.
Here's what I used & how I did it in ten steps: