Palos flamencos: Bulerías

Get to know the flamenco forms

Alegrías

Bulerías

Cantiñas

Flamenco Forms
Bulerías
by Susana Navalón
Translated by Yasha Maccanico

(From burlería, mockery, fun or from bullería, racket, shouting, din). It is a boisterous, festive and happy palo (form). It can be distinguished for its fast rhythm and its double-quick meter that makes it better suited to the jaleo (encouragement and loud expressions of admiration, through shouting interjections or gestures) and palmas (hand-clapping) than other styles. It is often used to finish off songs in other styles, mainly the soleá, although it also tends to be the dance that finishes off any flamenco get-together. When this is the case the entire company gets together in a semi-circle in the centre of the scene and, one by one, the performers come out to dance a section of the piece. Normally, it starts with a llamada (call, signal) and ends with the exit, with which the bailaor (dancer) returns to the position in the circle that s/he was occupying previously.

Sometimes, steps from different folk and popular dances are performed in a bulería style, although this is done in fun and with a touch of mocking about it.

Dance

It is a style of dancing that is laden with intuition on the part of artists, allowing them to flaunt their skills and to have plenty of communication with the audience, because it is the style which allows the most space for improvising. The meter plays a crucial role in the freedom that exists for spontaneous, graceful and roguish movements. Absolute control of the offbeat is required, alongside a wealth of dance steps, speed, as well as strength in the feet in order to zapatear (making a rhythmic combination of sounds by stepping with the toe, sole and heel of the foot), and absolute expressiveness of the arms, the body, and even the face. At times, the steps of different kinds of folk and popular dances are performed in a bulería style, although this is done in fun and with a touch of mocking. It is also the only flamenco style that allows jumping in the male performance.
It has the same meter as the soleá, but it is a lot quicker:

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or, also:

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Guitar

It can be executed in whatever key one prefers, with a middle or higher key usually preferred. In the middle, it involves playing the same chords as in the soleá, in LA major and B flat major. There are other bulerías which are suited to the chords of alegrías in the middle, in a dominant LA major, whereas these are in a dominant E major when playing at the top.
The desplantes (the simple strumming that goes at the end of the melody) in this dance are the same as for alegrías when they end and go into a bulería, and its rasgueo (strumming) is also the same, although there may be someone singing.

It is often used to finish off songs in different styles, mainly the soleá, although it also tends to be the dance that finishes off any flamenco get-together.

Singing

Bulerías appeared in the middle of the nineteenth century in Jerez, although their core region also includes Utrera and Cádiz. Its coplas (poetic composition, in verse, used as lyrics) have three or four eight-syllable verses and its lyrics are inconsequential, although they may gain strength in their delivery. Within its heterogeneous nature, it is possible to single out bulerías al golpe and bulerías ligadas. The former are also known as bulerías por soleá and have a slower rhythm. The latter are frantic.
In the last few years it has become fashionable to perform the lyrics of songs and coplas that are not originally flamenco in a bulería style. The important aspect is to deliver the lyrics properly adjusting them to a precise meter.