Palos of Flamenco: Farruca

FARRUCA is a dramatic palo (rhythm) and the danced in a masculine style with strong lines, lots of footwork and many moving parts. It’s a 4 count rhythm with the emphasis on the “1.” It was originally danced only by men, but has evolved so that women dance it, commonly wearing pants. Although, I do remember an amazing rendition by the dance company of Rafaela Carrasco, where her male dancers performed it shirtless and with bata de cola!!!!

The word “Farruco/a” is a slang term for someone who is far away from their original home of Galicia, the northwest province of Spain. The traditional letra (lyric) of Farruca speaks of the experience of a Farruca, a woman from Galicia.

Una farruca en Galicia
ay amargamente lloraba
porque a la farruca se le había
perdió su rebañito de cabras

A farruca in Galicia
oh bitterly cried
because the farruca had
lost her flock of goats

The dance focuses mainly on the virtuosity of the dancer and not necessarily a vehicle for the singer. Some Farruca performances don’t even include cante, just escobillas, falsetas and llamadas. But a typical format for the dance would include

Salida (singer sings a very traditional “tran, tran, tran, treiro….”)
Falseta (melodic guitar)
Llamada (dramatic break from dancer that calls the singer to sing)
Letra (singing verse)
Subida (tempo buildup)
Escobilla (footwork section)
Tangos de Titi (fast verse of song in a particular style of Tangos)
Estribillo (ending chorus)

The variables of the dance are endless where one llamada can lead to more escobillas or more falsetas.

Enjoy these Farruca videos with some descriptions of what to look out for!

First video is of the legendary dancer Antonio Gades, who was known for his sleek and strong lines in Farruca. Here is a video from 1969 and no cante included.

This video of Pablo Egea in the Peña Torres Macarena de Sevilla is GORGEOUS! Lots of dramatic holds, strong lines, surprising turns. I hold my breath throughout it, especially in the beginning when he holds his posture extending higher and higher!! OLEEEEE!

Here are the major elements of his dance.