What do I need to create a flamenco choreography?

What do I need to create a flamenco choreography?

I remember that in my beginnings, everything seemed super complex to me, and I believed I would never be able to create my own flamenco choreography.

Since I had never come across anyone who explained the whole world of “steps, pauses, exits, and entrances” in a way that a beginner could understand. Instead, I had to piece together and sew together what I heard, not knowing if it was correct or not.

That’s why I know that if you’re starting to dance flamenco, you probably have this chaos of disorganized information, and you want to know how you can start putting together your own flamenco choreography, how to organize all the steps you know and create a dance with meaning and with your own character and personality.

I have organized this article to help you, hopefully at least a little, with this delicate matter of choreography, and I will also give you a magical ingredient to make it easier for you to create your choreography.

Flamenco vocabulary

In flamenco, there is a unique language that is essential to know and handle with ease when starting to create your own flamenco dance. This knowledge will later serve you to communicate effectively with musicians.

There is a language through which we communicate between singing, dancing, and guitar playing, which applies to all aspects of flamenco.

However, for now, we will focus on the basic flamenco vocabulary that you need to master to create a simple and traditional dance, to build a coherent structure with meaning.

Structure of a traditional flamenco

First of all, let me explain that not all flamenco “palos” (styles) are danced with the same structure, as some have their own particularities. For example, the Alegrías de Cádiz have something unique and exclusive to this dance in their traditional structure: the “Silencio” and the “Paseo de la Castellana.”

In this article, I will focus on the classic and traditional structure that can be applied to any flamenco choreography, not only in the twelve-beat family, such as the soleá por bulerías but also in the four-beat family, such as tientos or tarantos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3qjz-RVPU0

Elements of a traditional flamenco dance

The following elements must be present in a traditional flamenco dance, although, as the saying goes, “the order of the elements does not alter the product,” meaning you can play with the order to create your own flamenco dance. For example, you can place two letras (singing sections) consecutively, perhaps followed by two falsetas (guitar solos), or two small escobillas (footwork sections), etc.

. Salida (Entrada or Llamada):
The beginning of the dance when you come out to perform. It can also be called the Entrance or Call.

. Letra:
The letra refers to the singing section that accompanies the dance. Within the letra, the dancer must give meaning to the lyrics being sung. To do this, listening is crucial, followed by the use of marcajes (precise movements) and remates (strong final movements).

I’ll show you an example of me dancing a verse of Soleá por Bulerías, where you’ll be able to see clearly how my dance follows the impulse of the singing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3qjz-RVPU0

. Falseta:

The “falseta” is the part where the singing rests, and the guitar takes the spotlight. It is the musical composition of the guitar, always within the tonality of the specific “palo” (flamenco style) in question.

. Escobilla:

The most extensive part of the footwork (“zapateado”) with its own musicality and the distinct sense of rhythm in which we are dancing. Some flamenco styles have their own music specifically composed for the “escobilla” section.

. Subida/ Cambio:

If you want to change the rhythm and end with a closing “palo” like tangos or bulerías, for example, you have to introduce an “ascend” or a step that serves to change the rhythm.

. Cierre:

I recommend that you organize how you want to end the dance because from my own experience, I always leave the ending open. Since I am very much about feeling, I always think, “I will go with the last verse…” and I leave that space to improvise and feel whatever I want in that moment.

It’s a good approach. However, when you mention something specific, it can also be really nice and you can create something even more amazing.

Remember that with all these elements, you can play around and arrange them in your own way. You can include two or three verses, two verses after the “escobilla,” a guitar falseta, etc…. Whatever you like.

The magical ingredient to create a flamenco dance

There’s a little something, what could it be? :)… It’s the most important thing.
Of course, the elements I explained earlier are fundamental for creating a flamenco choreography, but like everything in life, we can’t just focus on the technique alone without infusing it with your own flavor.

You are the most important ingredient.

It may seem obvious, but sometimes we forget that the dance is ours. It’s not just a structure or someone else’s dance that we admire.
It’s our way of feeling, our essence.
You dance is you, and you are your dance.

Of course, it’s natural to be inspired by people we admire because that’s how we learn and grow.
But don’t try to dance like someone else, because that’s not who you are.

And this applies to everything in life.
Never stray away from yourself.

*If you would like someone to help you create a dance, supervise a choreography you already have, or add some details to a performance, feel free to contact me if you wish.
I would love to get to know you.

Thank you for reading this far. I hope I could have helped or inspired you a bit.

Have a great day.

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