| Alegrías |
It is loud and happy, festive
style song that is suitable for dancing. It
is characterised by its dynamism, grace and fluency. The dancing is characterised by its very marked escobillas
(the section of the dance that includes the zapateado, a rhytmic combination
of sounds made by stepping with the toe, sole and heel of the foot) and
a peaceful part that is known as silencio (silence). Both sexes can
dance it, although it is better suited to women. meter: 123 456 78 910 11 12 |
| Bulerías |
It is a boisterous, festive
and happy form. It can be distinguished for its fast rhythm, spontaneous
and roguish movements. Absolute control of the offbeat is required, alongside
a wealth of dance steps, speed, as well as strength in the feet in order
to zapatear (making a rhythmic combination of sounds by stepping with the
toe, sole and heel of the foot), and absolute expressiveness of the arms,
the body, and even the face. This style allows the most space for improvising and is the only flamenco style that allows jumping in the male performance. meter: 123456789101112 or 123456789101112 |
| Fandango |
It is a very old style
of dancing ,characteristic of Spanish folklore, which has been progressively
acquiring the traits of flamenco as it settled in a concrete area
in the province of Huelva. Essentially, it is a dance for couples that has
the rotations that are typical of courtship dancing. meter: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 |
| Malagueña |
It is a core branch of
the cantes del Levante (songs from the south-east of Spain, the Levant; originating in the mines and expressing deep suffering ) whose origins lie in the old Málaga fandangos. Their urban variations tend to refer to love, life and
death. It became a flamenco style in the first half of the nineteenth century.
It is not suitable for dancing, and it is very rich from a melodic point
of view. There are different types of malagueñas, accompanied
by a guitar played at the top and it is a cante “ad libitum” (style of singing
that does not follow a specific meter, also known as “free style”). On some
occasions the guitarist will slow down the meter, while on others he will
speed it up. It is very often finished off with an abandolao fandango (guitar
playing executed to the rhythmic pattern of the fandango). It is a very measured,
melodic and solemn cante which acquired the category of cante grande (a subjective
expression used to indicate the oldest and most solemn, authentic and primitive
styles). |
| Sevillanas |
Traditional folk song proceeding from the seguidilla manchega (from La Mancha), which has taken on some features of flamenco. It is a dance performed in pairs by either a man and a woman or two women, in series of four sevillanas. It is the Andalusian dance that has become most popular. It is characterised by its gracefulness, liveliness, nimble dynamism and its flexibility, although the sevillanas have been getting slower over the last few years. At a popular level they are executed in series of four coplas (poetic compositions, in verse, used as lyrics), each of which has a different choreography, with a brief interval between them. In earlier times, they were comprised of seven coplas, as they had a further three bolero sevillanas which are currently only performed by professionals, as they are considerably more difficult to dance to. The most significant movements are the paseíllos (ceremonial entrance or a series of steps, somewhat like a stroll), pasadas (cross-over with the partners side by side), careos (cross-over with the partners facing each other) and remate (the emphatic final part of a movement). On the last beat of the singing, the music and dancing cease simultaneously and the performers finish off with an elegant and provocative desplante (a series of hard stepping movements that end, or climax, a series of steps, or section, of a dance), characteristic of courtship dances. meter: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 |
| Soleá |
It is one of the basic
pillars of flamenco and its majesty, melodic richness and depth of execution
result in it being performed often by artists. It is a solemn dance that
is very appropriate for bailaoras (female flamenco dancers), because its
main elements are movements of a feminine nature such as arm movements, undulating
hips and swerving waistlines. It is the dance that is most suited for marcajes
(steps marking the lyrics), figuras (set positions) and paseíllos
(ceremonial entrance or a series of steps, somewhat like a stroll). meter: 123 456 78 910 11 12 or 123 456 78 9 10 1112 |
