BULERIAS

Salida
Your entrance. This is how you announce yourself. “Hello, I’m coming out to dance.” The tone of your salida can be mellow or exciting, depending upon the cante and what you want to convey.

Marcaje(s)
Marking the rhythm. Here you listen and allow the cante to guide you. (If the thought of following the cante feels overwhelming, give it time, and start off by aiming to relax into your steps while staying in compás.) Mark in a way that feels good, comfortable, and fun to you. Play around with moves you know (or are currently learning) to discover this. Normally you begin with more laid back marcajes allowing the excitement to build as your dance progresses.

Paso de bulerías
The bulerías step or a more dynamic marcaje. There is the basic bulerías step (most commonly seen) along with many variations. The bulerías step builds toward the climax of your dance.

Llamada
The llamada comes toward the end or the middle of your dance. It is NOT a call for the cante to begin as you might be used to from other flamenco dances. The llamada signals that your dance is coming to a close.

Patá* (Patada)
Typically the “fanciest” part of your dance. It often involves interesting rhythmic sounds made with the feet and body. (Some people call this the desplante or refer to it as remantando la letra.)
*(A patá or pataíta por bulerías also means a full bulerías dance. Here we are just talking about one component of your dance.)

Final
Finish. This is your period (or exclamation mark). You go to corner (or the opposite direction of where you came from) to signal the finish of your dance. Always finish in the place where you began (facing away from the crowd). During the final, be clear that you’re bringing your dance to a close.

This is a general explanation, and there is a lot of room for flexibility in bulerías. For example the type of letra(s) a singer gives you will set the tone for your dance and help indicate to you how long to dance. And speaking of that