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Are you ready for the
next few weeks? (Friday
January 18, 2002) There
is so much going on that I decided to make a list so you won't miss anything.
Artist links give information about the artist. Venue links give directions and/or ticket information. WEEK 1
I'm sure that after these performances, some of you will be inspired perhaps to start learning flamenco. Well, I suggest you find a teacher and enroll NOW as many class sessions have already begun and you don't want to fall too far behind!
Can you believe it's been six years?  What you see before you is the result of countless redesigns and tweaks based on your feedback, my sense of style and fastidious attention to detail. The website made its debut on January 10, 1996. The above photo is not genuine, obviously. I doctored it. But through the virtual world of the Internet, I know for a fact that I have in some small way touched upon the lives of hundreds (perhaps thousands) of flamencos around the world. This photo is just a visual representation of those flamencos gathering today
in the virtual streets of the Internet to say "Happy Birthday DCFLAMENCO!"
Aside from the gigs I get through this website, I also get a small commission from sales through the Amazon.com links. A few people express their appreciation with generous monetary contributions while others buy me dinner and a few beers. :) Thanks everyone! My mission here is simple: to make it easier for people outside of the DC flamenco community to find out the who, what, where and when of flamenco shows and classes in the Nation's Capital. No doubt, I do a great job of it--you just can't beat a website that's updated almost everyday. I challenge anyone to find a better local flamenco website. Good luck! :) A few days ago, I published this pic with the following caption: "This is Michael Blalock, a flamenco guitar student who's been putting in the time to learn accompaniment by playing for dance classes. I ran into him yesterday at the Natalia's studio in Laurel where he's becoming a regular. Thanks Michael! The dance students need (and appreciate) you! "Michael replied: Thanks for the write-up, it's a little like being in People Magazine. I have to say your website has been a great source of information and entertainment to me. I was inspired to try playing flamenco guitar after attending a Paco de Lucia concert four years ago. Afterward I discovered your wonderful website where I found my teachers, Torcuato and Marija Temo. Now I have gotten the opportunity to play for flamenco dance classes. I know that without your website my life would be very different today. Putting aside my interest in flamenco your site is the very best I have ever come across on the net. Good work!Thanks Michael. It's messages like yours that really make all my work worth the effort. See you in the dance studio! If you haven't figured it out already, I do have an agenda: it's to promote an appreciation for flamenco guitar accompaniment.
Always take your guitar "Hey man, you gotta come to Las Tapas right now. A guitarist friend of José's is here from [name removed for privacy]." (It's an hour-long trip from where I live.) I arrived at Las Tapas at midnight and met José's friend [name removed for privacy]. He's a guitarist in a band called [name removed for privacy]. So I did what most flamenco guitarists instinctively do the moment they pick up their instrument: started playing bulerías. José joined us and started singing a few letras (top photo). [name removed for privacy] provided palmas and later switched to the doumbek, a middle-eastern percussion instrument (bottom photo). Unfortunately, it was the late and the restaurant had to close for the night. End of fiesta. Looking back, I realize I could've shown up without my instrument.
But it just wouldn't have been as much fun. Dancers have it easy: they
can show up at a fiesta and get by (sort of) with street shoes. But
a guitarist without his instrument? You get the picture. Remember: always,
always take your guitar! |
