Dancer’s Guide to Flamenco Vocabulary

DANCER’S GUIDE TO FLAMENCO VOCABULARY

There are, of course, endless terms in flamenco because you know, it’s another language! There are words that are just the Spanish equivalent from English, but there are many terms specific to flamenco. 

Here is a compilation of vocabulary that every flamenco dancer student should know.

Abanico ­ Fan- large fan dancing is also pericon

Aire Literally “air”- in flamenco an approving reference to the general character of, or manner of performing, a flamenco form- i.e. “This dancer has a lot of aire when she dances Alegrías” ; also the general emotion of a dance- “The aire of Solea is very somber and profound.”

A palo seco ­ Without guitar accompaniment

Bailaor, bailaora ­ Flamenco dancer (male, female), as opposed to ‘bailarin’, which is all other dancers.

Baile ­ Flamenco dance; other (non ­flamenco) types are referred to as ‘danza’

Bata de cola ­ Dress with a train (literally: “gown [of/with] a tail”)

Braceo ­ A dancer’s use of the arms

Cambio Change; a change in the cante

Cantaor, cantaora ­ Flamenco singer (male, female); other singers are often called cantantes

Careo A passing movement, usually made facing partner (face to face; cara a cara) such as the careos in Sevillanas

Castañuelas ­ Castanets, also known as palillos

Chico Small; used in cante chico to depict the lighter emotions and feelings of flamenco rhythms.

Cierre ­Close of a series of steps or a line of song

Compás ­ Flamencos use the word to mean (a) to stay in Compás, to stay in rhythm, in time; (b) the count of a particular rhythm, i.e. the Compás of Tangos is 4; (c) a measure or bar, i.e. “This particular step is 4 compases long”- it’s 4 measures or 4 counts of 12 (if a 12 count palo) 

Contratiempo ­ Counter time

Cuadro flamenco ­ a flamenco performance group with guitarist(s), dancer(s) and singer(s)

Desplante ­ Usually denotes a step in the rhythm of Bulerías that the dancer strongly steps on 1-2-3 to accent in the letra. It’s also used as a llamada

Duende ­or tener duende (“to have duende“) is a Spanish term for a heightened state of emotion, expression and authenticity

Entrada Entrance, beginning of a song or dance

Escobilla ­ The section of a dance in which the bailaor/a does an extended zapateados (footwork)

Estribillo ­ Short phrases sung repeatedly at the end of a song; the last section of a dance done with singing, where the dancer completes the dance

Falseta ­ Solo passages on the guitar, short melodies played at the start of a dance and between verses of a song

Golpe The whole flat of the foot; the movement of striking the flat of the foot against the floor

Guitarrista  Guitarist

Hondo/Jondo  Serious, deep or profound. Cante hondo and baile hondo are song and dance that depict the more serious feelings and emotions of flamenco

Jaleo ­ Vocal encouragement given to performers, when the audience calls out phrases such as ¡eso!, ¡arsa!, ¡olé!, ¡toma!, ¡vamo!

Juerga ­ A flamenco party where there is casual singing and dancing

Letra ­ Verse of a song; section of a dance when the cantaor/a is singing the lyrics

Llamada ­ A call or signal used by dancers to communicate a change in the dance; llamadas are commonly used to signal a dancer’s entrance or salida, the closing of a section of dance (cierre)

Mantón ­ Shawl

Marcaje ­ Travel steps done by bailaor(a)s, usually while the cantaor(a) is singing

Palmas ­ Hand clapping

Palo ­ Song form or rhythm; literally, a branch. Common palos for dancing include Solea, Alegrías, Bulerías, Tangos and many more

Pasada  A particular step in Sevillanas in which the partners pass by each other

Paso Step, as in taking a step, or a particular “step” in a dance

Pellizco  Those little nuanced moves that reflect the personality of the dancer and adds life to the dance

Planta The ball of the foot; the movement of striking the ball of the foot against the floor

Remate ­ An accented, decisive move

Salida ­ Start of the baile (literally, going or coming out)

Tablao ­ The venue for a flamenco show

Tacón  The heel; the striking of the heel against the floor

Taconeo  Heelwork; sometimes used to refer to any footwork

Vuelta  A turn; there are many different types of turns used in flamenco dance.

Zapateado  Footwork; more specifically, the striking of the different surfaces of the foot against the floor

Zapatos Shoes