Blog - experience flamenco

Bulerías Salida [Flamenco Dance Steps]

Laura — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 22:21:06 +0000

Today, a step from the archives.

It’s a salida por bulerías,

An entrance.

It’s a way to announce yourself, ⁣

“Hello, I’m coming out to dance.” ⁣

There are many ways to do this.

The salida I teach below is accessible and hopefully fun!

Watch the tutorial below to learn it step by step.

First I show you the movements of the feet,

Then we look at the arm and skirt movements.

Next we put them together.

You do not need flamenco shoes or a skirt to do this, but you are welcome to wear them if you have them.

(This lesson is longer than most of the video tutorials on this site. It is an edited excerpt from one of the first live classes I taught on Instagram a few years back. I was a bit nervous learning to navigate between teaching and interacting with the comments coming in on the little phone screen in front of me! I apologize as my feet can be difficult to see. Below the video, I wrote out the steps with the counts to help clarify things.)

Enjoy!

In the tutorial I do not count it out, I just say the sounds. Below see how you would count it in twelve.

Steps & Counts:

12 step forward on the ball of the right foot ⁣

1 hold

2 step forward on the ball left foot

3 step on the ball of the right foot in place

4 step on the ball of the left foot in place

5 hold

6 (Repeat that sequence) step forward on the ball of the right foot ⁣

7 hold

8 step forward on the ball left foot

9 step on the ball of the right foot in place

10 step on the ball of the left foot in place ⁣

12 step out to the right ⁣

1 shake the hips a little…

2 hips

3 “

4 “

5 “

6 right golpe (stomp)

7 step back with the ball of the left foot

8 right golpe

9 left golpe

10 right golpe as you lift the left foot

11 step forward with the left foot (these are transition steps into your next move)

12 step forward with the right foot (these are transition steps into your next move)

¡Olé!

Let me know below if you’ll try adding this step to your pataíta por bulerías!

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Flamenco Marcaje With a Turn [Flamenco Dance Steps]

Laura — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:58 +0000

Here’s a flamenco marking step paired with a turn for you to try.

Once you have the step down, play one of your favorite flamenco songs in the 12-count compás, and dance it with the music!

Watch the video tutorial below to learn the step:

👣 Steps & Counts:

12 right planta (ball)⁣⁣⁣⁣ forward⁣⁣

1 🚫

2 🚫

3 right planta back⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

4 🚫⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

5 🚫

6 right planta ⁣⁣

7 right planta crosses over ⁣⁣

8 right planta

9 🚫⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

10 turn left on the ball of your left foot⁣⁣

A Note About the Turn at the End of the Step:

Don’t forget to spot during the turn.

Find a spot in front of you to focus on before you turn.

Move your head around quickly to find that same spot in front of you as soon as you begin turning.

Do not focus your vision on anything else as you go around,

And turn with the intention of finding that spot in front of you.

👀Let your eyes guide you back to the front.

Ready to give it a go?

What song or palo will you try this with?

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Como La Mujer Que Es Loca | A Flamenco Letra

Laura — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 22:44:53 +0000

Here’s a video of Juan Tomás de la Molía that you will love followed by a letra from the clip:

You can hear this bulerías letra and watch Juan Tomás dance to it around 1:30:

Como la mujer que es loca,
no hay hombre que la sujete,
desgraciao al que le toca.

This verse is basically saying that no man can restrain a crazy woman, and unlucky is the one tasked with doing so.

Yikes.

This is the letra in full:

Caballo que se desboca
no lo monta un buen jinete,
como la mujer que es loca,
no hay hombre que la sujete,
desgraciao del que le toca.

A horse that runs amok lacks a skilled horseman, like a crazy woman… (see above).

The additonal context definitely enhances the machismo voice.

I found the full verse in this article from ABC Sevilla, El flamenco, gran notario del machismo andaluz, about Andalusian machismo culture documented in many traditonal flamenco verses. The piece also mentions that some letras are mistakenly interpreted as sexist when arguably they are not. (The article is in Spanish, but you can translate it to English.)

Listen to El Torta sing his version in full here.

In his interpretation, he sings that a good horseman can ride a horse who runs amok, but unlucky is the man who’s tasked with restraining a crazy woman because he can’t.

But back to Juan Tomás,

I love this bulerías clip even more than the one above. (It’s filmed from farther away but you can still feel his buena energía.)

Some of us got to see him perform at Peña Terremoto during the last Flamenco Tour to Jerez.

Seeing him up close in such an intimate setting with the enthusiasm of the Jerez crowd was incredible.

Ani, Ana María López, one of his first teachers, and one of our bulerías teachers on the Flamenco Tour to Jerez was there in the front row. He gave her a personal shout out.

¡Olé!

Some Other Letras You Hear in the Clip

Tengo una grande pena

Te quiero yo

Yo me voy con mi mare

A Young Esther Aranda Dancing Bulerías | A Flamenco Letra

Laura — Sat, 07 Feb 2026 03:31:34 +0000

You’ll love the following clip of Estefania “Esther” Aranda, one of our teachers on the Flamenco Tour to Jerez dancing when she was just a little girl.

Wow!

Here is a coletilla Antonio Malena sings her:

Bulerías
Traditional

Lerelele, lerelelo
Zapatitos negros me pongo yo

He’s singing that he’s going to wear black shoes…

I’ve also heard a version where the shoes are white:

Ay lerelele, ay lerelelo
Zapatos blancos me pongo yo

(You can hear El Londro sing that version here.)

You see two of our other teachers from the Flamenco Tour to Jerez in the clip, Mercedes Ruíz and Ana María López.

(You can watch Mercedes dance during that same performance here.)

And you can watch a more recent video of Esther dancing bulerías here.

A Note About Letras Here:

I used to post a letra with an English translation each week, The Weekly Letra.

I stopped publishing those a couple of years ago for a variety of reasons, but I would like to start sharing letras with you again. I don’t plan to do it every week, but perhaps I’ll post one every month.

Other Letras You Hear in the Clip:

This one first

Followed by this one

I took the cover picture during bulerías class with Esther on the last Flamenco Tour to Jerez.

How to Tie the Castanet Knot

Laura — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 23:46:33 +0000

Before we can begin to play castanets, we must make sure the strings are knotted correctly.

A proper castanet knot allows you to tighten your castanets by pulling on one side of the string and to loosen them by pulling on the other.

Here’s how you do it, step by step.

Follow the video tutorial below, and get your castanets ready to play!

You’ll find each step of the process listed below the video.

Video tutorial of how to tie the knot on your castanets

How to Tie the Castanet Knot Step by Step:

1. Feed the string through your castanets.

2. Pull one side of the string so that it is a couple of inches longer than the other side.

3 Loop the long side of the string around the short side two times.

4. Feed that string under and through the two loops you just made.

5. Support the looped part, which is about to become your knot, with one hand while pulling the string you just fed through with your other hand to finish forming your knot.

This is much easier to do with a visual guide, so please follow the tutorial above!

How did it go?

Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below.

Are you ready to start playing castanets?

Join me for Absolute Beginning Castanets in person, online, or on demand!

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A Year In Flamenco: My Top Nine Flamenco Memories of 2025

Laura — Fri, 02 Jan 2026 07:56:45 +0000

💫Welcome to a brand new year.💫

Let’s start things off by celebrating some happy flamenco memories from the past year.

Below I share some of my favorite flamenco experiences from 2025. I would love to hear about some of your favorites too!

Each event listed offered an opportunity to gather with flamenco enthusiasts from near and far to enjoy this amazing art form together.

I’ll be honest, I struggled during this past year, and these flamenco moments and the people who formed part of them helped make things better.

In a big way.

So here are my top nine flamenco memories (in chronological order) of the year.

1. In Person & Hybrid Flamenco Classes

We laughed, and learned, and danced together in person and virtually online.

It felt great dancing together in person here in town, and having students from across the globe join us from their homes for hybrid classes made class even more special!

I could not have made it through without the help of Julie, Mindy, and Liliana who helped me when I injured my foot at the beginning of the year.

2. Online Bulerías Workshop with Carmen Herrera & José Mijita

José and Carmen came to us live - for the sixth time - from La Plazuela in Jerez to help uncover the mysteries of how cante and baile work together in bulerías. We loved listening to José sing bulerías while Carmen showed us how to respond to the singing as a dancer. (Later in the year some of us got to study with these two in person in Jerez!)

3. Summer Flamenco Tour to Granada

From private classes with Ivan Vargas at his family’s cave in El Sacromonte to a flamenco intention class wtih Irene “La Serranilla” to baile and compás classes at Carmen de las Cuevas, we filled our brains and bodies with flamenco knowledge. We saw performances at the Generalife in the Alhambra and the Carlos V Palace, a show at t historic Peña la Platería along with many other captivating tablao shows around town. We took a guided to tour of the Alhambra, relaxed at the hammam, toured around town soaking in the sites of this magical city.

4. Cristina Hall Workshops

Cristina worked us hard during for a three day intensive in August. Locals and out of towners joined us in Portland and those who couldn’t make it to town joined online.

5. Manuel Gutierrez Por Fiesta Master Classes

We were so grateful Manuel made time to teach us tangos and bulerías when he was in town performing with Seffarine during their fall tour. If only he could have stayed longer!

6. Emilio Ochando Workshops

Mantón, castañuelas, técnica… Our beloved Emilio managed to squeeze it all in for us and kept us laughing and learning for three days straight! After watching him perform with Flamenco Vivo in the spring, it was a huge treat that he could come back to town to give us workhops. And the fact that we got to celebrate his birthday with him made it all the more special. Local Portlanders, out of town guests, and online amigos joined in the fun.

7. Vancouver Visit for a Tribute to Oscar Nieto

I was grateful for the chance to travel to Vancouver, Canada to see the very moving flamenco tribute to the one and only, Oscar Nieto, "Oscar: Homage to the Rebel Maestro of Flamenco,” put together by his Canadian flamenco community. Wow! They did an incredible job, and it was so wonderful to see Oscar, one of my first flamenco mentors, who I hadn’t seen in person since before Covid. Oscar has taught me so many important lessons about life and flamenco: the importance of a strong work ethic and how the show must go on, the value in listening to early flamenco cante, and how our relationship to flamenco evolves as we age, to name a few. (You can make a donation here to the campaign to help Oscar cover his medical expenses related to his Parkinson’s.)

8. Fall Flamenco Tour to Jerez

After four years, it felt so good to return to Jerez! We danced it up in our classes with Mercedes Ruíz where we studied techique, tangos, and castanets. We dove deep into bulerías with Ana María López, Carmen Herrera and José Mijita, and Esther Aranda. We learned about the sound of flamenco with David Lagos. We enjoyed meals around town, shopped, and relaxed at the spa. We were treated to a private show hosted by Mercedes and even got to see her perform in Sevilla! Of course we also visited a sherry bodega and some beautiful Andalusian horses.

(Side note: It felt sad to be in Jerez with Zorri no longer there, but his spirit lives on in the streets, in class with Ani, in the peñas, and in the air of the Plazuela. God rest his soul 🕊️.)

9. Special Events

Sprinkled throughout the year were a variety of special events. One favorite this year was teaching a class with Marco at the Doc Martens headquarters. The employees were in it. We laughed, learned, danced, and gave lots of jaleos, but unfortunately I didn’t get any pictures. Other fun events were summer intensives for the kids at Steps PDX and Bodyvox, our community flamenco sale, and student shows at Bodyvox. ¡Olé!

You may have noticed the absence of the Flamenco Retreat at the Oregon Coast in the list above.

The main reason for that was a foot injury I have been dealing with this year which made it hard to imagine teaching a weekend intensive. But I think I can make it happen in 2026!

It feels good to celebrate these good times from the past year, and I invite you to do the same.

Thank you for being here.

I wish you a Happy New Year filled with lots of flamenco.

Feliz Año Nuevo

What about You?

What was one of your favorite flamenco moments of the year? It could be something very small or very big. Please share in the comments below.

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Ten Flamenco Dance Clips of the 20th Century

Laura — Sat, 27 Dec 2025 02:26:24 +0000

Below enjoy ten classic flamenco dance clips,

One for (almost) every decade of the 20th century.

(I was unable to find a clip from the second decade, so I included two from the 1950s.)

You'll see Rosario y Antonio, La Argentinita, José Greco, Vicente Escudero, Sarita Heredia, Lola Flores, Antonio Gades, Laura del Sol, José Antonio, Manuela Vargas, and some very old footage of gitanas from El Sacromote including La Chata la Jampona.

Enjoy!

1. Gitanas of El Sacromonte in Granada from Danses Gitanes. The second woman dancing is “La Chata la Jampona.” (1905):

2. Rosario y Antonio with the Cuadro de Baile del "Maestro Realito" (1929):

3. La Argentinita dancing “Bulerías” from a French program (1935):

4. Rosario and Antonio in Hollywood Canteen performing “El Vito” (1944):

5. José Greco in Sombrero (1953):

6. Vicente Escudero in Bailes Primitivos Flamencos (1955): (This seemed like a fitting clip to add to make up for the earlier missing decade as it’s filmed in the aesthetic of the early part of the century.)

3. Sarita Heredia from You Bet Your Life with Groucho Marx (1960):

Lola Flores from A Su Aire (1974):

9. Antonio Gades and Laura del Sol performing “La Habanera” from Saura’s Carmen (1983):

10. José Antonio & Manuela Vargas in rehearsals for Carmen for the Ballet Nacional de España (1992):

More Information:

Here is some additional information related to clips one and six:

More information about La Chata de la Jampona can be found here, here, and here. I recognized her from this picture and discovered a comment under the YouTube video from one of her family members stating that it was indeed her.

The little girl sitting and watching is the flamenco singer, ‘La Gazpacha,’ María Amaya Fajardo, according to a comment on the YouTube video.

Find information about Bailes Primitivos Flamencos here and here.

Sometimes videos are removed by YouTube. Following are alternative links for some of them in case any of the above do not work:

Danses Gitanes and more from the early 20th century

Rosario y Antonio '“El Vito”

José Greco in El Sombrero

“La Habanera” from Carmen

Which Do You Like Best?

Let me know in the comments below which one(s) you most enjoyed.

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Cover Black and white photo of female flamenco dancer using castanets by Edgar Serrano on Unsplash

Casual Q & A with Flamenco Dancer Emilio Ochando in Portland

Laura — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 08:25:40 +0000

Get to know Emilio Ochando!

Emilio and I jumped onto Instagram and did a quick live upon his arrival to Portland this evening.

I wanted to make sure you got a chance to see it here too.

In the video below you’ll learn:

Emilio’s favorite palo to dance,

how he got so good at castanets,

why he loves dancing with the mantón and what it feels like to him,

and why he believes it’s important to study flamenco technique.

Check it out now:

Have a question for Emilio?

Leave it in the comments below.

Want to Learn from this Amazing Guy?

Join us THIS WEEKEND in Portland or Online (or On Demand)

Get all of the details here.

Technique Tips from Emilio Ochando

Laura — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 05:03:50 +0000

Do you ever feel like you can execute a certain step, but no matter how many times you try, it just doesn't look right?

I've been there!

One of the people who's helped me the most with technique is Emilio Ochando.

Below find eight technique tips I’ve taken away from past classes with Emilio.

But first, here are three clips of him from past Portland workshops 💞:

1. Accent

Create accents with the body, the hands, the feet.

This gives your dance dynamics and personality.

2. Stay in time

Mainly, don't rush!

"Time is time," Emilio says over and over again.

One of the reasons people tend to rush footwork is because they let their tacones fall.

By accenting your footwork, you are more likely to control your heels and more likely to stay in time.

3. Spot

"Front is front." Emilio reminds us as we do turn combinations.

It's amazing the impact that one little reminder can have on the outcome of your turn.

Whether your spot is in front, to the side, to the diagonal, know where it is, and focus there and only there when you turn.

4. Feel your center

Concentrate on your core.

While doing footwork, while turning, while marking, while doing anything!

And along those lines...

5. Consider the energy of the upper body

"Up is up," Emilio will say.

If we lose connection with the core, our body drops, and so does our energy.

6. Be aware of your body positioning

Especially the elbows. Lead with your elbows. Keep the shoulders down. Move along the diagonal.

7. Engage

"Thinking, thinking, thinking," Emilio likes to say.

He wants dancers to be one hundred percent present, focused, and concentrated on the execution of each movement.

Which leads me to,

8. Feel the sensations

This concept is more advanced than the others, and is important to grasp in order to take your dancing to the next level.

Emilio challenges us to find the 'sensations' in our bodies, to really dance, rather than just move through a series of steps.

Want to study with Emilio?

He’ll be here giving workshops October 24-26 and getting down to the nitty gritty of how to dance flamenco well! Join us in person or online.

Get the details here.

If you want to know how people felt after studying with Emilio and other guest artists, you can find out here.

This post was originally posted here.

A Beginning Abanico Dance Step in the 12-Count Compás | Flamenco Dance Steps

Laura — Sat, 27 Sep 2025 08:32:56 +0000

Here’s a basic flamenco marking step with abanico that you may incorporate into any dance in the rhythm of twelve.

This step is for beginning students who are new to abanico and the the 12-count rhythm.

In the video tutorial I show it at a slow speed,

Once you learn it increase the speed to the tempo you want.⁣

The step goes like this…⁣

Feet

𝟭𝟮 right step full foot ⁣
⁣𝟭 ⁣left tap⁣ (with ball of foot)⁣
⁣𝟮 left step (full foot)⁣
⁣𝟯 right step full foot ⁣
⁣𝟰 ⁣left tap⁣ ⁣
⁣𝟱 left full foot⁣
⁣𝟲 right step full foot ⁣
⁣𝟳 ⁣left tap⁣ ⁣
⁣𝟴 left full foot⁣
⁣𝟵 right full foot ⁣
⁣𝟭𝟬 ⁣left tap⁣ ⁣
⁣𝟭𝟭 left full foot ⁣
⁣𝟭𝟮 right step full foot ⁣
⁣𝟭 ⁣left tap⁣ ⁣
⁣𝟮 left step full foot)⁣
⁣𝟯 right step full foot ⁣
⁣𝟰 ⁣left tap⁣ ⁣
⁣𝟱 left full foot⁣
⁣𝟲 right 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘱𝘦⁣ (stomp)⁣
⁣𝟳 ⁣ ⁣
⁣𝟴 ⁣
⁣𝟵 ⁣
⁣𝟭𝟬 ⁣bring right foot together with left⁣ ⁣
⁣
If you want this step to be stronger and louder, you can make every step with the full foot a golpe.⁣

Fan Movements

Begin with the abanico closed and your arm down.⁣

Use a light touch when tapping the fan against your shouulder to prevent it from breaking and to get a nice sound.⁣

𝟭𝟮 swing arm up⁣
𝟭 tap left shoulder ⁣
𝟮 ⁣tap left shoulder ⁣
𝟯 swing arm back⁣
𝟰 “⁣
𝟱 “⁣
𝟲 ⁣swing arm forward⁣
𝟳 tap left shoulder⁣
𝟴 tap left shoulder⁣
𝟵⁣ swing arm back⁣
𝟭𝟬 “⁣
𝟭𝟭 “⁣
𝟭𝟮 ⁣swing arm forward ⁣
𝟭 tap left shoulder ⁣
𝟮 ⁣tap left shoulder ⁣
𝟯 swing arm back⁣
𝟰 “⁣
𝟱 “⁣
𝟲 ⁣swing arm forward and tap left shoulder⁣
𝟳 hold⁣
𝟴 tap right shoulder⁣
𝟵⁣ hold
𝟭𝟬 raise arm and snap fan open above head.⁣

Check out

This post for a breakdown of how to snap open the fan.⁣

And this one for a little more challenge

Join me for Intro to Abanico on Saturdays this fall.

Cover image: I took the photo of the abanicos during the Flamenco Tour to Granada at Cándio Puerto.

Emilio Ochando Rehearsing with Flamenco Vivo

Laura — Mon, 22 Sep 2025 04:21:06 +0000

Check out Emilio Ochando rehearsing with Yoel Vargas for Flamenco Vivo’s Quinto Elemento:

Choreography: Patricia Guerrero
Composition and Guitarist: Francis Gomez
Dancers: Emilio Ochando and Yoel Vargas

Would you like to study mantón (and more) with Emilio?

He’ll be here giving workshops this fall.

Get the details here.

Flamenco Class Should be FUN!

Laura — Sat, 06 Sep 2025 19:11:24 +0000

Flamenco class should be fun.

If we don’t enjoy the learning process we get blocked and struggle.

Find teachers who inspire you,

Who make class fun,

Who make you want to be there,

And want to get better.

Manuel Gutierrez, one of those teachers, is coming to town this month!

Join us in person in Portland or virtually online for tangos and bulerias classes with him.

Did you know that Manuel is not only an incredbile dancer and cajón player but a singer as well?

These classes will help to familiarize you with cante por tangos and bulerías and offer you the opportunity to dance to live (and authentic) cante.

Manuel will teach us the moves and show how they work with the singing.

“An outstanding teacher who provides super clear instructions and encourages his students to dance from the heart…Manuel is humble, kind, and approachable. If the opportunity ever arises to study with him, you don’t want to miss it!”

— Fusako Nozaka

Manuel will be in town from Córdoba, Spain for his tour with Seffarine, and he’s so excited to get to teach us again.

Want to Learn with Manuel?

Get all the details about his workshops and sign up here.

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Cristina Hall on her Creative Process

Laura — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 19:05:51 +0000

I asked Cristina Hall to tell me about her creative process:⁣

“It’s always very different…⁣

Life kind of throws things out at me and my intuition’s like, “Okay, this is what I need to express right now,”⁣

So sometimes an image can be the inspiration, and on that image I begin to investigate music that I think would inspire me for that piece, ⁣

Or sometimes people will contact me… ⁣

⁣“I want you to choreograph something to this specific music,” so then I begin hearing the music over and over again, and just kind of letting my body tell me what I need to do or where it needs to go.⁣

When you’re kind of on a completely clear blank slate, “Okay here’s my canvas, how am I going to pain this picture?,” it can be a bit more difficult because you’re coming out of nowhere, so you have to imagine music or something you want to create in silence, so you think of breath or movement as music in itself.⁣

So it depends…⁣

It’s usually an internal process first, and I try not to create just solely on, “Oh this movement looks pretty,” ⁣

It’s gotta come from an emotion somehow, for me anyways.”

Watch her dance below:

Check out the full interview with Cristina here.

Study with Cristina

💃🏽Join us for flamenco dance workshops happen August 15-17, 2025 in Portland!

💻 If you can’t make it in person, join us online.⁣

Get the details here.

Advice to the Flamenco Student from Cristina Hall

Laura — Sat, 02 Aug 2025 22:34:52 +0000

When I asked Cristina Hall what piece of advice she could offer flamenco dance students she told me she didn’t like giving advice “because I think it’s all relative; who am I to say anything?”

Still, she was willing to recommend the following:

First she encouraged listening to a lot of music,

Cante,

Guitar,

A lot of music.

“It’s good to take classes and learn the steps and technique and all that stuff, but I think it’s very important also to be very aficionado in flamenco…

Opening your ears to the music is going to help you understand how to use those steps that you’re learning in classes, where to place them, why they are that way,

So understanding that music is a huge part of the communication that happens within the dancing.

It’s not just about learning a choreography and performing and putting on a nice dress and all that stuff.

It goes way beyond that.

So I recommend listening to a lot of music,

And going and seeing performances,

And practicing all that you learn in the classes on your own.”

Cristina says it’s not just about the number of classes one takes,

“You really have to get into the studio by yourself and understand how your own body works because your body is different from the person next to you or from your teacher.”

Watch her dance, and be blown away, below:

“It’s not just about learning a choreography and performing and putting on a nice dress”

— Cristina Hall

In this clip Cristina is accompanied by:

Sebastian Sánchez⁣ (cante)
Juani de la Isla⁣ (guitarra)
Peter Basil Bogdanos⁣ (percussion)

Check out the full interview with Cristina here.

Study with Cristina

💃🏽Join us for flamenco dance workshops happen August 15-17, 2025 in Portland!

💻 If you can’t make it in person, join us online.⁣

Get the details here.

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This is My Life, Cristina Hall

Laura — Sun, 27 Jul 2025 01:11:08 +0000

There aren’t many people from outside of Spain who would tell you they knew they wanted to dedicate themselves to flamenco before even having taken their first class.

But that is what happened with Cristina Hall.

Cristina grew up around the arts.

Her mother took her to see all different types of performances.

Following in the steps of her big sister, she began studying violin. She played for eight years and even went to an arts high school.

But she felt unsettled.

One day she lay on her bed and asked for something she could call her own, some way to express herself.

The next day, seemingly out of nowhere, something inside of Cristina told her she needed to dance flamenco.

Not knowing where the idea had come from, she grabbed the Yellow Pages, found a teacher, and went to take a class in downtown San Francisco.

“I remember, the first class that I ever took, as I was paying for the class, I had a flash, that I was gonna be doing this for the rest of my life…

I knew, from that moment, before even taking the class, this is my life.”

Wow.

After studying for awhile in San Francisco and saving her money, Cristina bought a one way ticket and moved to Spain.

That was over twenty years ago, and she’s never looked back.

You can listen to Cristina tell her story here.

“I knew, from that moment, before even taking the class, this is my life.”

— Cristina Hall

While Cristina immersed herself in flamenco culture, she has never shied away from expressing her individual creativity.

In this way, she stands apart from many other foreign artists.

Watch her dance below:

So where does Cristina gain her inspiration?

“My need to dance is from my need to express myself.

Usually inspiration comes from things that I’m feeling or living in the moment that I need to get out and release…

Also art, painting because I feel like painting is movement on a canvas, colors, nature, human experiences because these are things that we can all relate to…

Music in general inspires me, everything; life itself is very inspirational.

But I feel like it usually comes from something that’s more internal within myself that I feel I need to release.”

Watch the full interview with Cristina here.

Study with her!

💃🏽Cristina will give flamenco dance workshops happen August 15-17, 2025 in Portland!⁣

💻 If you can’t make it in person, join us online.⁣

Get the details here.

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Part One: Teaching, Inspiration, and Performing with Cristina Hall

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21 Flamenco Dance Videos You’ll Love

Sevillanas Corraleras

Laura — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 09:28:15 +0000

You’ll love watching the following three sevillanas clips of dancers spanning the generations.

(Be sure to watch through to the final example, a true treasure captured on film.)

Let’s begin with the one and only, Rocío Jurado, singing to a stage full of young dancers from Carlos Saura’s film, Sevillanas:

Here is another version from Carlos Saura’s live production, Flamenco Hoy, choreographed by Nani Paños and Rafael Estévez with Concha Jareño, and Laura Rozalén:

And finally, perhaps the most inspiring take of all, Sevillanas Corraleras de Lebrija, again from the film, Sevillanas:

Check out this post from El Patio Andaluz to learn about the history and different styles of sevillanas here.

A Couple More Scenes from Saura’s Sevillanas:

Whoa

When I Cross The Bridge

By the way, you can watch Flamenco Hoy in full here. (It’s a different version, performed later with Patricia Guerrero.)

Which video did you enjoy most?

Let me know in the comments below.

Did all of that make you want to dance?

Join me for Intro to Sevillanas this summer!

Simple 12-Count Flamenco Dance Step with Abanico [Flamenco Dance Steps]

Laura — Thu, 29 May 2025 07:22:06 +0000

This step is for you if you are ready to start coordinating abanico movements with steps.

Practice opening, raising, and closing the fan while your feet maintain a basic forward and back marcaje in the compás of twelve.

Ready to give it a whirl?

Watch the tutorial below:

These are the steps with counts:⁣

12 right foot forward (planta, ball of the foot)⁣ ⁣

1 ⁣🚫⁣

2 🚫⁣

3 right step back and shift weight⁣

4 🚫⁣

5 ⁣🚫⁣

6 right foot forward (planta) ⁣

7 ⁣🚫⁣

8 ⁣🚫⁣

9 left step back and shift weight⁣

10 🚫⁣

11 ⁣🚫⁣

Fan movements:

12 open fan*

1 start raising arm with the elbow leading displaying the abanico⁣

2 raise arm⁣

3 continue raising arm

4 continue raising arm⁣

5 continue raising arm

6 bring fan behind head ⁣

7 begin letting fan fall closed⁣

8 let fan close⁣

9 drag closed fan to the front of your body⁣⁣

10 fan is closed in the center of your chest⁣

*Opening the Fan

Check out this post, How to Open a Flamenco Abanico, for a breakdown of the first fan movement.

Flamenco Tutorial: Contratiempo por Tangos [Flamenco Dance Steps]

Laura — Sat, 17 May 2025 01:16:46 +0000

Don’t you love contratiempo?⁣

It's one of those signature flamenco sounds, and it can be oh so addicting.

In the video tutorial below I show you an exerciise por tangos to practice contratiempo.

First watch and listen to the step in compás.⁣

Then follow along as I break it down.

Ready to give it a try?

Here are the steps written out (w/ the counts for my counters out there):⁣⁣

1 right 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘱𝘦 (stomp)⁣⁣ front

⁣& right slap⁣

⁣a left slap⁣

⁣[2]⁣

⁣& palma (clap)⁣

⁣⁣3 right 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘱𝘦 back

⁣[4]⁣

⁣5 left 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘱𝘦 front

⁣& palma

⁣[6]⁣

⁣& palma

⁣⁣7 left 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘱𝘦 back

⁣[8]⁣

⁣1 right 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘱𝘦 back

⁣& palma

⁣[2]⁣

⁣& palma

⁣⁣3 left 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘱𝘦 front

⁣& palma

⁣[4]⁣

⁣& palma

⁣5 right 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘱𝘦 back

⁣& palma

⁣[6]⁣

⁣& palma

⁣⁣7 left 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘱𝘦 front

⁣We don’t do any steps or claps or slaps on the counts in [brackets].⁣

Give it a try and let me know how it goes below!

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Your Mom Is With You Always | A Letra

Laura — Sat, 10 May 2025 08:21:51 +0000

Here is a bulerías letra José shared with us last Sunday, which was Mother’s Day in Spain.

You can listen to him sing it with Carmen playing palmas in the video below.

I share it with you this weekend, as we celebrate Mother’s Day in the US.

Dios mío, que alegría
Me durará a mi mi mare
Pa los restos de la via

My goodness, what joy
My mother will stay with me
For the rest of my life

I love this reminder that our mothers may remain in our hearts always.❤️

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers!

Do You Want to Unlock the Mysteries of Bulerías with Carmen & José?

If you would like to get to the bottom of this, join us from wherever you are in the world for a virtual workshop with José and Carmen Herrera to learn about cante por bulerías and how to respond to with palmas and baile. You won’t want to miss it!