The art form
Flamenco palos for first-timers
Cante, baile and toque, what a palo is, and how to recognise a soleá, a seguiriyas and a bulerías when the cuadro plays them.
Reserve your flamenco evening ↗Three arts in one
UNESCO describes flamenco as a combination of cante, the song, baile, the dance, and toque, the guitar playing. It adds that castanets, hand-clapping and foot-stamping are also used. Flamenco developed in Andalusia in southern Spain, with roots in Murcia and Extremadura, and the Gitano, or Roma, community has played an essential role in its development. Knowing the three parts helps you decide where to look during a show: at the singer, the dancer or the guitar.
How the song works
UNESCO says cante is sung by men and women, usually seated, with no backing singers. The lyrics are brief and simple and express a wide range of emotions. Dance is described as a form of passion and courtship, with male dancers using their feet more heavily and female dancers' movements gentler and more sensual, though each artist has their own technique. The guitar began as an accompaniment and has long grown beyond that role, so it can carry a passage of its own.
What a palo is
A palo is a flamenco form. Wikipedia describes it as a popular, sometimes inconsistent way of classifying songs, identified by rhythm, mode, motifs, the type of verse and origin. Some palos have a metered rhythm cycle called the compás, while others, such as the granaínas and malagueñas, are sung in free rhythm. The soleá family uses 12-beat cycles. Over fifty palos are listed, so no single evening covers all of them, and a cuadro picks a handful.
Soleá
The soleá probably began among the Gitano communities of Cádiz or Seville, and its origins are unknown. Wikipedia says its lyrics are generally serious, with a solemn character, and often carry an intimate pain. Its golden age was the last quarter of the 19th century. The compás has 12 beats that combine triple and duple groupings. Some call it the mother of the palos, but the article says that is not fully accurate, because the seguiriyas is older.
Seguiriyas
The seguiriyas belongs to cante jondo, the deep song, and is considered purely Gitano in origin. It is solemn and intensely expressive, and one reference describes it as the most tragic and emotional expression in flamenco. Lyrics often address imprisonment, death, love and religious ideas. Its rhythm is a 12-beat compás, but it is often counted in five beats, and singers and dancers vary the tempo for dramatic effect. It is one of the hardest styles for a guitarist to accompany.
Bulerías
The bulerías developed among the Calé Romani of Jerez in the 19th century as a fast, upbeat ending to soleares. It is among the most dramatic forms and often ends a flamenco gathering. It is a fast 12-beat cycle that can be heard as a measure of six followed by a measure of three, and dancers usually count it in six. Its footwork is intricate and it allows the most room for improvisation, which is why the final number often feels loosest.
Listening in the room
In a small room you hear the compás before you understand it. Watch the clappers and the guitar for the pulse, then follow how the dancer answers it. Madrid's tourism site lists several palos among the repertoire at Torres Bermejas, and the operator says the programme changes through the season. Whichever palos you hear, notice the contrast: slow and solemn numbers sit alongside quick, playful ones, and the contrast is part of the design of an evening.
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