Flamenco Dance Vocabulary

Body

cabeza: head
ojos: eyes
cara: face
cuello: neck
hombro: shoulder
pecho: chest
costillas: ribs
cintura: waist
cuerpo: body
espalda: back
brazos: arms
manos: hands
dedos: fingers
 

pierna: leg
rodilla: knee
tobillo: ankle
pie: foot
dedos de los pies: toes
planta del pie: sole of the foot
bola del pie: ball of the foot    
talón del pie: heel of the foot
derecho: right
izquierda: left
estirar (verb): stretch
doblar (verb): bend
girar (verb): turn


Sound and Movement

paso: step or a series of steps
paseo: walking step
gólpe: strike with the full lower surface of the foot
punta: strike with the toe of the shoe
planta: forefoot sole meets the floor with or without sound
tacón: the flat of the heel strikes the floor
talón: the edge of the heel strikes the floor
chaflan: one foot strikes the floor with a gólpe as the other slides along the floor
giro: turn
vuelta: turn
braceo: movement and positioning of the arms
muñecas/flores: movement of wrists and fingers
pellizco: gestures to add spice or effect to the dance

pitos: rhythmic finger snaps in regular rhythm (tiempo) or counter-time (contra tiempo)
palmas: rhythmic hand claps in regular rhythm (tiempo) or counter-time (contra tiempo)
palmas sordas: soft, hollow sound with more cupped hands
palmas secas/claras: sharp, clear sound with flattened hands
taconeo: footwork, or more particularly patterns involving the heels
zapateado: footwork in general, also the name of a particular dance


Descriptors

round: redondo
recto: straight
despacio: slow
rápido: fast
tarde: late
temprano: early
fuerte: strong, sharp
suave: soft, smooth
tranquilo: quiet
 

sencilo: simple
difícil: hard
más: menos
menos: less
antes/delante: before
después/detrás: after
tiempo: beat, tempo
contratiempo: counter-rhythm, falling evenly between the beats of the tempo
síncopa: slightly before or after the beat


Positioning

alante: stage front
atrás: stage rear
arriba: up
abajo: down
 

altura: height
a la izquierda: to the left
a la derecha: to the right
espejo: mirror


Elements

compás: beat, rhythm, measure, characteristic rhythmic patterns
palo: form of flamenco identified by rhythmic pattern, musical mode, lyrics, and origin, sometimes organized into broader families by shared characteristics
jaleo: encouraging words and sounds such as ¡olé!, anda, vamos ya, alla, and eso es
jipio: singer's musical cry such as ay
letra: lyrics
melodía: melody
salida: entry or exit
estribillo: repeated passage similar to the concept of "chorus"
colletia: short estribillo
falseta: melodic variation played by guitarist
tercio: short musical phrase or line of a letra; literally "third"

escobilla: sequence of footwork combinations, named for the small brushing steps used to display feet and arms
marcando/marcar/marcaje: marking time with the feet
remate: strong, decisive conclusion
llamada: call signalling a change of rhythm, a new section of the dance, a dancer's entrance (salida) or an approaching closing (cierre
cierre: a llamada closing the phrase, section, or dance
desplante: passage of two musical phrases signalling a change in choreographic sequences, longer than a llamada