FLAMENCO PALOS WITH JUAN PARILLA

Four Sessions  |  Virtual (Zoom)

August 2023 – May 2024

Sundays from 12:00 – 2:00 pm EST via Zoom

This four-part series offers a complete study of the flamenco palos; the traditional musical forms characteristic of flamenco with specific verses, moods, tones, and rhythmic structures. Each session in the series will focus on melodic and rhythmic analysis as well as an exploration of the evolution of each palo from its origin to today. Students will learn to distinguish between each rhythm and identify a palo’s unique characteristics and sub-styles. Dancers, musicians, and aficionados alike are welcome; a general knowledge of flamenco music is recommended.

*This is a virtual class given in Spanish with English translation.
**A recording will be available for 7 days after each live class.

ARTIST & INSTRUCTOR BIOS

Juan Parilla

Juan, a native of Jerez, is a composer, performer and educator hailing from a family of renowned flamenco dancers, singers and musicians.  He began studying flute at the Conservatorio de Música in Jerez and later moved to Madrid to study under Andrés Carreres, a soloist with the National Orchestra of Spain.  His career has taken him to the world stages with artists such as Antonio Canales, María Juncal, Lola Greco, Manuela Carrasco, and Farruquito.  You can hear his original compositions in his album “Taxdirt” and on the albums of Ketama, Carmen Linares, Manolo Sanlucar and Jose Mercé.  He teaches at the Escuela Nueva Músicas, Centro de Flamenco y Danza El Lucero, coordinates the music department at the Centro Superior de Estudios del Flamenco and is the author of the educational book Método Flamenco Para Instrumentos Melódicos (The Flamenco Method for Melodic Instruments).  Juan most recently led a Flamenco Seminar for Melodic Instruments at the renowned International Festival, Cante de las Minas.

Dr. M. Gabriela Estrada (Translator)

Dr. Estrada is a multicultural dance artist, educator, choreographer, journalist, and filmmaker.  She holds a B.A. and an M.F.A. in Dance from the University of California, Irvine, and a Ph.D. in Flamenco Interdisciplinary Studies from the Department of Sociocultural Anthropology and Philology at the University of Seville, Spain. Dr. Estrada’s MFA and Ph.D. research, publications, and creative work analyze reciprocal influences between ballet and flamenco derived from interdisciplinary collaborations as exemplified in Ballets Russes’ Tricorne. Examples of her work include choreographic advocacy initiatives such as Not a Single Carmen More!, the documentary film ENI9MA: The Legend of Félix, the feature-length screenplay False Premises, and the book titled The Choreographic Development of The Three-Cornered Hat Through the 20th Century. Dr. Estrada is invested in collaborating with cultural institutions such as the Instituto Sonorense de Cultura in Mexico, and Ballet Hispánico and Flamenco Vivo in NYC. In Mexico, she was the founding director of Dance Collage School of Dance, and the first cohort of faculty at the Universidad de Sonora.  Dr. Estrada has also served as an instructor and faculty at colleges and universities, including East Carolina University, where she was Co-Chair of the Inclusion and Diversity Action Committee. Dr. Estrada serves NDEO as Advisory Board Director of Research, Sundance Collab as Community Leader, and is an active member of the Dance Studies Association, and women’s film associations such as NYWIFT and MCYTV.  This year Dr. Estrada will join the University of Houston as an Assistant Professor of Dance.

SESSION 1

SESSION 2

SESSION 3

SESSION 4