Baile Flamenco's rules

In Flamenco (baile) exists a communication code that determines the sequence of the dance. It' s very important to know however that even in the most choreographed baile is still room for improvisation, since the interaction between the flamenco cante (sing), guitar and baile is constant and it may happen that we should "coordinate" during execution.

Normally, the guitar has to follow the song, if you are only accompanying a cantaor (singer) and there's the baile, and if there is someone who dances all the musicians will have to follow the signals. It's therefore crucial that those who dance can "send" command, or send the right "signals" to the musicians.

Given that, especially nowadays, the variety of styles and shapes in the baile is infinite, and you can really say that every Bailaor has his own style, it is imperative that anyone who knows the dance aesthetic of dance in forms and define compás to close, to stop, to produce the sounds, mark the rhythm of walking.

Another extremely important aspect for a flamenco Bailaor is let go the her body expression, without hiding behind the forms interpreted with sensitivity to music and singing. Must be present and get involved, regardless of its level of technical skills: there is flamenco in the form without content. There are aesthetic images to play. We exaggerate by saying that any action can be flamenco, though in itself has the intention and if whoever does this is totally within the body.

The adaptability and adherence to codes is essential to Bailaor to recover in situations where the musicians do not come as expected, or cantaor songs by accident or by following the inspiration dle time, a letra a period other than agreed.

The rules of flamenco are very variable and therefore great way to improve their way of flamenco dance and listen to great music and see many shows. From each Bailaor / Bailaor you can grasp nuances and different interpretation techniques.

taken from "il baile flamenco"

Happy go lucky, video flamenco scene

Happy Go Lucky (2008) - Uk - comedy - 118 min - Directed by Mike Leigh. With Sally Hawkins, Elliot Cowan, Alexis Zegerman.

Today we want to introduce a movie with a funny video flamenco scene: Happy go lucky.

The scenes at the school of flamenco are exhilarating ,when Poppy (the protagonist) decides to follow the lessons. Everyone is extremely serious when has to follow the teacher but not Poppy who watches with irony all the tableau rather than putting herself in the whole scene, as it happens to those who can not take herself or humanity in general too seriously.

His attitude, a little irreverent, is in contrast to the emotional participation of the teacher who so solemnly pronounced these words, "remember that this dance comes from pain, from suffering. It's a dance that comes from the gypsies, people who were trampled by society for centuries and centuries and they say: we have pride, dignity and heart, we have the flamenco and every one of them says, this is my space, my space ... "and meanwhile beat with strength and determination his foot on the floor.

Then complains the students that do not feel the passion, blood, ...she tells about the suffering of women, their dramatic stories up to burst into tears. And it is there that Poppy can not escape that by asking: "do you feel good?". Poppy is aware that not everything is solved with a smile or a joke. The film with whis video flamenco scene has won the international acclaim, winning several awards, including the Silver Bear for Best Actress for Sally Hawkins, here on his third collaboration with the director, and the 2009 Golden Globe best actress for the comedy category at the protagonist.

Pinturas, a new show and video flamenco, about life of Picasso.

Today we want to speak about a new flamenco show that you don't have to miss if you are lucky to stay in Italy or Switzerland. It's called "Pinturas" and it narrates life of Picasso with the helping of flamenco dancing and music. At the end of the article you can find the video flamenco of the show.

The flamenco power, passion, joy and sadness on one side, the Picasso daring, visionary, and madness of his painting on another. They Belong to two different worlds, at first distant, but everyone finds the way in this show to narrate the art of each other.

The emotions that leave the paintings of Picasso are impressed, strong, unforgettable, clear and incisive as the suggestions that flamenco cause with its fast-paced rhythms.

All of this goes directly to the hearts of the audience because they are feelings that come from the bond with life itself. "Pinturas" video flamenco wants to be an eulogy to the crazy passion of the great Andalusian painter using the original key of the flamenco dancing.


first part:

MALAGA LA VIEJA:The journey begins in Malaga in the heart of Andalucia, birthplace of the painter. It's a sepia portrait of the late XIX century.

THE BLUE AND PINK PERIOD:Flamenco narrates the saddest and introspective period of the artist through one of its deepest palos: the "soleà" (loneliness).
The dancers through the flamenco language and with the help of some video flamenco showed on special screens narrate the Picasso sadness that he brings in his paintings absorbed in a bath of blue. Then there is a period of rebirth , the sadness disappears, and everything is painted with pink colour, the Picasso's world now is idyllic and serene,dancers are now arranged in connection with grace and femininity.

LINES, SHAPES AND COLOURS:Pablo Picasso is now shown through the simple elements of painting, substances with which the painter plays, which twists together and to combine them into a new shape that give life to cubism. A beautiful documentary video flamenco is showed on the screen. The dancers play with the white and black, with the lines.The "las senoritas de avignon" represents a good vigorous and impetuous painting, a real break with the painting rules.

second part:

PICASSO AND THE WOMEN: The relationship between Picasso with women was always tormented, violent, even wild. From women he absorbed the essence for moulding 'em later, making they victim and protagonist of a dangerous journey into the passion.
Women as subject and object of his artistic power. Flamenco dancers act now the most important women in the Picasso's life such as Kokhlova Olga, the Russian dancer, and Marie Therese Walter, the young gentle and sweet partner and specially Dora Maar "devilishly seductive in its camouflage of tears" the crying muse that bewitch Picasso.


GUERNICA:"painting is not made to decorate apartments. It's an instrument of offensive and defensive war against the enemy "
The Picasso masterpiece, a beautiful video flamenco dancing.

PARIS:It's a tribute to the French city where he stayed for almost his entire life, from 1904 until his death. Those are years of great artistic ferment. Joy, light, vitality and exuberance typical of those atmospheres conclude the journey of Pinturas."Alegrias" palos is a festival which enlightens the end of the show.

More info about Pinturas show acted by Flamenquevive italian company.

Camaron de la isla, the video flamenco movie

About the life of Camarón de la Isla (real name Jose Monge Cruz), the great legend of flamenco, the biggest (and most loved) flamenco cantaor of all time, we recommend this video flamenco movie: "Camaron, la pelicula" (2005). Jaime Chávarri is the director of the film, Oscar Jaenada acts Camaron and Verónica Sánchez La chispa is the widow of the singer.Paco de Lucía is also Raúl Rocamora.

The video flamenco movie recounts the life of Camarón, from his childhood until the return from the United States, with the certainty of death.
He died when he was only 42 in 1992 and from that point he became a myth of flamenco, admired from an entire generation.
The movie It's not only limited to the musical aspect but also deals with personal Camaron issues, including some dark and mysterious side. At the script has cooperated also Paco de Lucía, Tomatito, and others artists who have worked with him and knew him well.

Even the family of the singer, especially Dolores Montoya "La chispa" and Luis, one of his sons, have been involved in the video flamenco drawing and it's the first time that the widow has supported this project, take the life of Camarón de la Isla on the big screen .

Music is obviously a significant presence,this is the soundtrack of the movie:
1) Soy gitano
2) Bulerías del chozas
3) Seguirillas de los grillos
4) El de la calzá
5) Barrio de Santamaría
6) Una estrella chiquitita
7) Volando voy
8) Vámonos pa casa
9) La leyenda del tiempo
10) Macael
11) Como el agua
12) Tirititando de frío
13) La nana del caballo grande

myths of video flamenco part one: Antonio Gades

He was born in 1936 in a village near Alicante from a humble family.
The encounter with the dance occurred by chance, "starvation", at the age of fifteen years.
Left without work, a neighbor of Gades suggest him to go to a flamenco school, in Madrid someone was looking for flamenco dancers.
Three months later, in a "tablao", where he was dancing was noted by Pilar Lopez who took him in his company.

He stayed with this company for nine years, studying all the popular spanish dances and classic dance also.
These are the years of his great "love" for the poetry of García Lorca reading by an clandestine edition (in the Franco Spain he didn't joke at all) of Romancero gitano.
Gades started to search the relationship between flamenco-old Garcia Lorca contents and that spanish culture that was being eroded.
He had, Antonio Gades, grit, charisma, a great charm. The choreographer Luciana Novaro, after having seen him dancing, called him to set up at La Scala in Milan El amor brujo. It was 1962.
In Spain and all over the world, thanks to the tour of his company, Gades became a myth. Especially in 1978 when the post-Franco Spain gave to Gades the direction of a national company.
Then, in 1981,he begins the happy marriage with film and video director Carlos Saura, 1981 is also the year of the masterpiece "Bodas de sangre", a real cult for those who love video flamenco and ballet.



In the wake of that movie success, in August 1982 the Gades company went to the old Teatro Romano in Verona with the ballet version of the movie Bodas de sangre and Suite flamenca.
These are the hot days of August: the women go into ecstasy for him and men literally lost them heads for Cristina Hoyos (the bride).
Hoyos and Gades are also the interpreters of the film and both express a sensuality probably never seen on the stage of the Teatro Romano.
The bouquets of red roses that arrived on the floor was hundreds.

Antonio Gades went back another time in Verona in 1996. He was Sixty this time, he appeared very tired almost his body predicted something.
He died eight years later in Madrid in 2004, when cancer took him away, but we always remember him next to Carmen Amaya in the video flamenco movie
"Los Tarantos" of 1963, the Gades full of charm that will never fade.