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Welcome to the first edition of Soniquete, Dances of the World Society Online Magazine. You are encouraged to forward this Ezine to friends and to share it with all your social media networks. Use the buttons above to make sharing a breeze :-)
Looking for exciting content for you website? You are welcome to republish the content in our Ezine. Contact us and we will send you the html code for you or your webmaster to embed the content. All we ask is that you keep all the links active and show the "about the author" segment.
Feel free to quote any content from our articles in your own publications. The MLA style citation for our feature article is:
Lunaris, Puela. "Flamenco in a Nutshell."
Dances of the World Society. 11 August 2011. Web. Place here the date you accessed the page
<http://dancesoftheworld.org/ezine-jan-10>
1.What is New?
2.Feature Article: Flamenco in a Nutshell
3.Special Offer: Download The Legendary Gypsy Masters Anthology free of charge
4.Lyric of the month: Sevillanas Corraleras- La Liebre (Primera Copla)
5.Resources
What is New?
Many new exiciting things to share. As you can see we have a brand new web site. One of the new features here is our Video Archives. Along with the spirit of the times, we belief in using the power of emerging technologies to preserve the primordial intelligence of world dance and music.
Make use of our interactive Video Archives to upload your favorite video clips from youtube or any other site, all you need to do is select "add a video from an external weba site" and then submit the url of the clip you want ot upload. You can also rate and comment on other people's videos and you can create groups around specific dance/music interest and connect with like minded people around the world. Invite all your friend to share the fun!
Feature Article: Flamenco in a Nutshell
We give the name Flamenco to an expressive, spirited art form that includes dancing, singing, reciting poetry, and playing instruments. It began as a folk tradition in Southern Spain, however, as a performing art, it developed internationally. Cities that played a key role in the development of Flamenco as a performing art were New York and Paris along with Sevilla and Madrid.
There is not an exact starting date for us to say that Flamenco began on such a day, month or year.
The types of dancing that we know today under the generic name of Flamenco (foot stomping dancing as in the Farrucas, or sensual hip-moving dances to singing and clap accompaniment as in the Tangos) are documented in Spain since the time of the Roman Empire, and are suspected to be enacted much earlier, since prehistory, as rites of fertility for the earth.There are many theories as to what the word Flamenco means, and where it comes from. Presenting and discussing these theories is a subject for a whole other article. If we want to keep it simple we could say that it was during the 18th century that we find the first written sources using the name Flamenco to address these ancient Spanish dance traditions characterized by foot stomping, rotation of the wrists, swaying of the hips, proud postures, and fiery turns.
In this article, I would like to focus on fundamental aspects of Flamenco as a performing art. Webster's dictionary defines Flamenco both as a style of music as well as a style of dance. Rightly so, because Flamenco is not just one performing art form, but several of them, which are included under the umbrella name of Flamenco. They are: Baile, Cante, Toque and Recitado. Each one of these aspects of Flamenco is a distinct art form in their own right.
Baile is the Dance. Those who interpret it are called Bailor/Bailaora
Cante is the Song or Singing. A singer is called Cantaor/Cantaora. In Spain, Cante is just as important as Baile, sometimes, even more. When the singer sings for a dancer it is called Cantar pa'l Baile. When a singer sings Flamenco as a soloist it is called Cantar P'alante.
Toque is the guitar playing. When dancing or singing takes place without Toque, it is called "a palo seco." Guitarists in Flamenco are mostly men. The Flamenco guitar player is called el Tocaor, or sometimes el Guitarrista. In the case of a woman, she could be called la Tocaora or la Guitarrista. In recent years, it has become popular again to interpret Flamenco using a variety of instruments. Yet, the guitar is still the most traditional and characteristic instrument.
Recitado is the spoken word recited to the accompaniment of the passionate Flamenco guitar. This aspect of Flamenco is now in danger of extinction. It was almost wiped out during Franco's dictatorship. To rescue and revive Recitado Flamenco is one of the main objectives of Dances of the World Society's Chanelar Flamenco Project
When I was working as a consultant -for the New York City Center Education Department- to develop a curriculum to teach Flamenco in the schools, we also identified foundational elements that are often found in a Flamenco performance. Namely:
Palmas is short for "Tocar las palmas" which means clapping. It is traditional in Flamenco to create exciting grooves by clapping. Those who do it professionally are called Palmeros or Palmeras. In a Flamenco performance it is customary that the singer or the other dancers accompany each other with their claps. Nevertheless, in Spain there are people who make their living as professional Palmeros.Jaleo (Hah lay o) short for "Hacer Jaleo" refers to the shoutings of encouragement (e.g. vamos ayá) or delight (e.g. ¡Ole!) for the performers. It needs to be tastefully done on the beat and with the groove of the rhythmical measure, not randomly. There are also purely syllabic jaleos that have not meaning, they are more like production of rhythm with the voice. In either case, this jaleo element is not to be confused with the style (palo) called Jaleos. Often times, the jaleo element might come from the audience, who can show their appreciation by saying ¡Ole!
Percusión -percussion- is the new comer. First it was the cajón, which was brought over from Perú and in the last 20 years has taken Flamenco by storm. Nowadays, is common to see a percussionist on the stage with all sorts of different instruments to accompany Toque, Cante and Baile.
Flamenco, as an art form, expresses the whole spectrum of human emotions: from the deepest sorrow of the jondo styles like the Siguiriyas, Soleares and Peteneras, to the most joyful and playful expressions of the soul as in the Tangos, Bulerías and Alegrías. Your spirit soars, while your body follows the beat.
About the Author:
A native Spaniard, dancer, spoken-word artist, filmmaker, and teacher, Puela Lunaris, is the founder of Dances of the World Society (DancesoftheWorld.org), an international network for individuals and organizations to Save Dances in Danger of Extinction. Passionate about making her culture accessible to international audiences by producing quality educational materials, Puela has created the Duende Flamenco Practice Music Series, companion albums to her instructional series of Flamenco Dance DVDs. In addition, she is the curator, artistic director and producer of the Legendary Gypsy Masters Anthology, which includes singing by some of the greatest Flamenco gypsy masters of all time. Puela has also written, produced and directed the educational video Zambra Flamenca, in which she teaches how to dance a rendition of Zambra, one of Flamenco’s most ancient documented styles. She has also written, produced and directed the documentary “The Rap & The Cross”, a vibrant film that explores from different historical and anthropological perspectives the Flamenco oral tradition known as Sevillanas Corraleras. Ms Lunaris holds a B.A. in Dance in Education and Spanish Language and Culture from the State University of New York. She is a Teaching Artist at the New York City Center, and she is a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.Special Offer: Click here for info about downloading The Legendary Gypsy Masters Anthology free of charge when you become a Benefactor of Dances of the World Society.
Lyric of the month:
Sevillanas Corraleras- La Liebre
Primera Copla:
Dijo la liebre
Dijo la liebre
Dijo la liebre al saltar
El arroyo riapita mira
Dijo la liebre al saltar
El arroyo ballibé, ué
Dijo la liebre: ayudar
me patitas riapita mira
que el galgo viene, ayudar
me patitas ballibé, ué
Y dijo el galgo: ayudar
me patitas riapita mira
que me la cargo, ayudar
me patitas ballibé, ué
Resources:
- Want to find Flamenco Practice music?... Check out the Flamenco Caliente Practice Music Trilogy. This trilogy includes practice music for the above lyrics.
- Want to study in Spain? Check out our friends at Taller Flamenco in Sevilla. If you like it, we can get you a 10% off the tuition. Just contact us with the request and we will take care of it for you.
- Want to study Flamenco at your own pace in the comfort of your home? Check out these instructional DVDs by Puela Lunaris. They are now downloadable, saving you money and time:
Sevillanas DVD
Campanilleros DVD
Tangos and Farruca DVD