We know that jaleos are words of encouragement to call out to the dancer, singer, guitarist, to anyone participating really.
And flamenco is not flamenco without them.
So, below you'll find a list of a few common ones.
Every now and then this weird thing happens and a jaleo in English sneaks out of my mouth.
What in the world?! I can't help it. English is my first language, and it happens.
Like the time in class when I suddenly heard someone say enthusiastically, "This is!" and quickly realized that someone was me.
Yep. We still laugh about that one.
I guess the question is, Is that still technically a jaleo?
I'm going to say yes because it was heart-felt and encouraging, and
Jaleos are meant to be heart-felt and encouraging.
But, let's aim to do them en español, shall we?
Wait. That's still not specific enough because what about the time when Stefani called out, "Hola!" Actually, she used to do this a lot. Siempre con ganas. Always with enthusiasm.
Mmm-hmm. And we still laugh about that one too.
My goodness, the things we do to make flamenco fun without even meaning to.
Ok, but onto the list.
Here are some to get you started. You can stay tuned for more in the future.
With some pronunciation guidance for those who aren't quite sure how to say them.
And then little translations. Which are there to give a general idea. Because they can ssound kind of funny the translations.
The thing to hold on to is that they're all meant to be encouraging...
Here you go:
olé (óle) [oh-lay]
guapa [wah-pah] beautiful
eso es [eh-so-eh] that's it/that's the way
venga [behn-gah] come on
así se baila [ah-see say baee-lah] that's how you dance
así se toca [ah-see say baee-lah] that's how you play
así se canta [ah-see say baee-lah] that's how you sing
bien [beeane] good
toma [toe-mah] take
agua [ah-gwah] water
Of course, there is a lot to be learned about how and when and where to say them.
We'll address that and play around with them in the Jaleos para Tangos 1-day workshop at the end of August.
Last week at the park, which was so beautiful by the way...playing palmas on a gorgeous summer evening with the Willamette River in the background. That was nice. Anyway, we added some jaleos to the mix of palmas patterns. Ha! It was a bit mind-boggling at first but by the end of class we were layering them on top of some complicated patterns, and, well, it was quite fun. Our next class is this Thursday at Washington Park.
Oh, and in September we have Jaleos para Bulerías, but before you do that you'll probably want to take the Ins & Outs.
And now, Do you have a favorite jaleo? Or perhaps one that just sneaks out a lot? Or a story about a time some strange words intending to be jaleos flew out of your mouth? Leave a comment below.'
Update: Check out the Beginner’s Guide to Flamenco Jaleos here.