Flamenco Dance Clapping Rhythms

Video Transcript

"The rhythm of co-clapping called Palmas, is this next section that I'm going to talk about. The clapping is very important in Flamenco. Usually as a dancer, if you're not dancing, you're expected to do Palmas or rhythmical clapping in the show. It does require a definite skill, however. One has to be able to hold the correct tempo and also to follow the dancers heel work or dance very carefully. So, let's look at the correct posture for doing Palmas. We're going to bring the arms up straight similar to the way we did, when we did our arm and hand movements and we're going to clap the hands. As we do this, we keep the fingers open and the fingers pulled out a little bit especially the right hand as you notice, I have the fingers reach into the ceiling. This is the correct position for Palmas. You want to avoid anything where the arms bend in which conveys a feeling of fear or insecurity. You always want to have a generous movement with your Palmas, as if you're giving a gift to the audience."