A flamenco confession…
I have a confession to make. Improvising for bulerias for me is terrifying. I teach bulerias. I dance bulerias at the end of most of my bailes but getting up and dancing a pataita just makes my knees go weak and my throat clench.
Why? I think it is because the ability to dance a stellar pataita is something that is revered as the pinnacle of flamenco talent. The structure is easy…enter, mark time with a marcaje step, give a remate (decorate the break in the singing) give a llamada and leave. But—to do it well is an art.
Here are three things that I do (and that you can do too) to better equip myself to dance bulerias.
Study the cante. I am taking cante classes with the knowledgeable, patient, and kind Alfonso Cid. He is a wonderful teacher and is adept at explaining how and why the baile fits into the cante. The best flamenco dancers know the cante inside out and that is why in the Flamenco Immersion course that will start in January we will be studying with two flamenco singers.
Check out Experience Flamenco with Laura Onizuka. Her website and blog is a wealth of information about bulerias. She posts a weekly letra with video so that you can listen and watch a verse being sung and often danced. Remember flamenco practice entails dancing, watching, and listening in equal parts!
Have fun and release the emotional ties to the outcome. Sounds easy, right?! HA. Flamenco is a lot about hours dancing with live musicians, in the movement, feeling the music, being inspired, and working with the nerves and the emotions that come up. So much can ONLY be learned while dancing with a full group and very few of us have the privilege to do that regularly. That is why we need to take the opportunities that we can get and try to look at each one as a step along the path instead of a stand-alone experience. We need to be in the present and not care about the outcome.
Thanks for listening, and go dance!