Colombianas is considered one of the newer palos of flamenco, which came about in the 1930’s by the singer Pepe Marchena. Even though it’s considered one of the palos of “ida y vuelta,” there’s nothing “Colombian” about Colombianas! Supposedly, it was inspired by Mexican and Basque songs. However, the melody itself of Colombianas is very reminiscent of Guajiras.
This four-count rhythm also has the humid, feminine and playful aire similar to Guajiras. Even though the palo can be danced and follows the basic format of all dances (if you listen to didactic recordings like El Baile Flamenco), it’s actually not common to see it danced! I was hard pressed to find *any* videos of dancers performing it with live music, even though there are plenty of videos with just a singer as well as student groups performing using one of the didactic “solo compás” style recordings for dancers.
Carmen Amaya actually made the palo “danceable”. Here, she sings and adds little elements of dance to it.
Ana de Caro sings a beautiful Colombiana here.
This is a lovely group performance by a dance company from Italy.
Enrique and Estrella Morente sing a transcendent rendition of Colombianas here.
Here is a preview of a complete Colombianas choreography with easy to follow instructions inside the Online Flamenco Studio.
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