At DC Dance Collective: upstairs studio converted into a mini-theatre! The audience is just arriving. June 6, 2009 6:49pm

It's 2-something am on Wednesday as I type these words. I got home around midnight feeling tired and was so looking forward to going to bed early for a change. OK, so my body was tired, but I still couldn't fall asleep. So here I am working on a blog—I needed to catch up anywayz. :-)

So this past Saturday, local dancer Flor Pérez Taboada (who has some great ideas to add something a little different to our already active DC flamenco scene) got to see one her ideas come to life: "Verano Flamenco."

Here's a quote from my interview with Flor last month:
...in Madrid, I hosted "Juglar por flamenco." The concept is an "open tablao," where pre-professional or foreign bailaoras, for example, can ask for a show date and perform with great musicians in front of an appreciative audience. Now everyone who knows the Madrid flamenco scene knows about Juglar. 'Cause in Madrid, as here, there are very few opportunities to perform on a real stage with great musicians without being at an advanced level and with lots of experience. Juglar has been going strong every Sunday since 2003, and "Genoveva" was there when I started!! In fact, the first month of Juglar she performed with me!

So it seemed very fitting and sentimental to have Flor and Genoveva dance together in "Verano Flamenco" since this is sort of like a continuation of "Juglar por flamenco" idea transported from Madrid to DC! The featured guest dancers included Pam de Ocampo and Jen.

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Xaviera. May 9, 2009 1:46pm

The adult dancers are going to be kinda upset with me. Why? Well, I took about 500 pictures all day at the Spanish Embassy and I'd say that about 75% of them are of the children. Can't help it—as you'll see in these pics, they are absolutely adorable.

Continue reading "Ana Martinez and Paco de Malaga Flamenco Dance Company at the Embassy of Spain. May 9, 2009" »

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Furia Flamenca members Sylvia, Katie, Morgan, Karina and Lillian. May 9, 2009 10:33am

On May 9th, 2009 the Embassy of Spain opened its doors to the public for the annual European Union Open House. Embassy representatives were giving out flyers and booklets promoting tourism and culture of Spain and even some highly coveted freebies like abanicos imprinted with the familiar Spanish logo. Seriously, everyone was asking me, "Where did you get that fan?"

Of course, with the delicious free tapas and hourly flamenco shows, the lines were long and the place was packed. It was hot in there and those free fans came in very handy! I skipped out on the free food though (I eat Spanish cuisine every week anyway) and staked out a prime spot for taking pics. Take a look...

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Milagros Uribe, student of Anna Menéndez, dancing Garrotín at the Flamenco Recital at American Dance Institute. May 2, 2009

It's almost 1:00pm on Monday as I type these words. I'm at a bookstore right now and my allotted free WiFi time is about to run out so this'll be a quickie blog.

This past Saturday May 2, 2009 I attended a Flamenco Recital featuring the students of Anna Menéndez as well as her apprentice company Pastora. It took place at the American Dance Institute in Rockville, Maryland.

As the DC flamenco community's self-appointed historian and promoter, I probably attend more local flamenco events than anyone. But I was especially looking forward to attending the Flamenco Recital with the intent of seeing some fresh new talent.

Some teachers more than others produce students who become accomplished performers and Anna is one of those teachers! I'm not just saying that because she's a personal friend (actually come to think of it, I'm friends with practically all the local teachers in DC anyway), but because I've performed in tablaos frequently over the years with quite a few of her students! The only soloist in the recital I haven't performed with yet (but I hope I will eventually) is Milagros Uribe, a very promising young student of Anna Menéndez...

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