Sunday with Miguelito March 19, 2006
It's 8:37am on Monday as I type these words. Yesterday (Sunday) I pretty much slept-in cuz I felt a cold coming on--surprise, surprise! Although I did get up around 7:30am to upload photos here, I went back to sleep and didn't get up until 3:00pm-ish. Grabbed a bite to eat and with all this sleep was still feeling lethargic, I almost went to the movies but something told me to go back home, pick up my guitar and head to DC Dance Collective for Anna Menendez's 4:00pm class. Actually didn't get there until close to 5:00pm and as I was descending the stairs to the studio I looked in the window and caught Anna's eye and made strumming movements and mouthed the words "Do you want music?" and she of course, nodded, yay!
I came at just the right time, cuz they were taking a short water break when I entered the studio and started tuning up. I don't know what it is about DC Dance Collective. It could be the ambience, the people, the teacher or perhaps even me, but it's always fun to play for classes here. They worked on escobilla and one letra of bulerias.
When the class was over at 5:30pm, I put my guitar down and wandered around the hallway and got the usual thank yous from the students. During the lull between classes I went back into the studio and mentally practiced my ballroom and salsa dance figures (yeah that's what they call them: figures) when Angelica approached me and said something like, "This is from all of us to show you how much we appreciate you coming without question." as she handed me a neatly folded wad of cash. "Come, here," she said as motioned me to the hallway. And the girls chorused, "We love you, Miguelito!"
That made my day! Thanks ladies!
Self-portrait in studio 1 at DC Dance Collective. March 19, 2006 7:00pm
I stuck around for the 5:30pm class and worked on a letra of alegrias and when it was over at 7:00pm I headed to the Chinese place to get some Szechuan beef, hot sour soup and steamed rice, yum!
Chinese dinner March 19, 2006 7:19pm (taken with my camera phone)
It was around 7:30pm when I passed by Joy of Motion on the way home. It was the second night of the performance class showcase and about that time, the flamenco part was done cuz I could hear the salsa music blaring in the hallway. I walked to the back studio temporarily converted to the dressing room just for the weekend. I was hoping to run into some of the dancers to congratulate them. I saw one of them and was invited in but I hesitated asking, "Are you sure they're all decent?"
"Don't worry about it, just come in."
Sure enough, all the dancers were too busy changing for the next number to notice a guy walking in. I greeted my dancer friends as they crowded around the tiny screen of a camera to view a video of the performance. Apparently, there was a little mishap where the CD stopped and fortunately they kept improvising until the music started again from the beginning. The audience applauded wildly because they handled the situation gracefully. One of the studio directors described the performance as "fierce." The dancers put their frustration from the "technical difficulty" to use in the bulerias with each and every stress-relieving foot stomp. :-)
One of the dancers, Aida, was also in another performance class group for a Bollywood dance number. This is me with Aida...
Aida and Miguelito. March 19, 2006 8:09pm
I was hoping to see Karina, but she had to rush off back to work. I see many of friends so much in shows and performances that I forget that they have work and personal lives too. My hats off to you people who strive to make time for the things that make you happy!
Afterwards, we headed to Jaleo in Bethesda to get some dinner and celebrate. Throughout the evening, the video camera was passed around as we all relived the never-to-be-forgotten moment the music stopped.
Gathering around the camera. March 19, 2006 8:51pm
I ordered potato leek soup (for my cold), sauteed mushrooms with spinach and goat's milk cheese with toast and jam (I was in a vegetarian mood). Although I had eaten earlier, this was a good time to get to know these dancers better cuz I'll be performing with them in a few weeks on April 8-9 at the Joy of Motion Jack Guidone Theatre. Stay tuned for details.
March 19, 2006 9:34pm
Here are a bunch of pics courtesy of Estela Velez...
Ramona, Dana, Karen, Jennifer, Rollie. March 19, 2006 (photo courtesy of Estela Velez)
Rollie, Celia, Jennifer, Karen. March 19, 2006 (photo courtesy of Estela Velez)
Heidi, Dana, Theresa and Jennifer. March 19, 2006 (photo courtesy of Estela Velez)
Ramona and Dana. March 19, 2006 (photo courtesy of Estela Velez)
Ramona, Teresa, Miguelito, Aida, Sol, Young Key, Aref. March 19, 2006 (photo courtesy of Estela Velez)
It's 9:25am now. I'm going to squeeze in a few errands before heading out to Cabanas at 11:00am to pick up my sound system and take it to Cafe Citron. Once I get that out of the way, I'll have the day free to relax. Ciao for now!
« Joy of Motion Performance Class Showcase March 18, 2006 | Main | Cafe Citron March 20, 2006 »
Comments
Miguelito, a nice surprise you came by a second time to check out the JOM performance class showcase, I'm sorry to have missed seeing you. Thanks so much for the coverage on your site and sharing our experience with the rest of the flamenco community. Performing, at whatever level, is intense and fun, I love it! -Karina
Posted by: Karina Valverde | March 20, 2006 4:35 PM
Nice photo of you with Aida in her glamorous bollywood costume. Aida, if you didn't know, has been a flamenco student for years (she won't reveal to me how many ;)), and has been with so many of the flamenco teachers here in DC and in Spain. I love to watch her in class because tiene flamenco en el alma (she has flamenco in her soul), just watch her and it shows! Love you both, Karina
Posted by: Karina Valverde | March 20, 2006 5:04 PM
Hey, Miguelito
I was just looking for some info. regarding Cafe Citron (which happens to be my favorite weekend spot) and I ran into your blog. Once I finished reading some of your entries I quickly put it in my favorites. From now on I'm always going to check in to see what new places you go out to and where you perform. You seem to know all the right salsa clubs, flamenco spots, etc... in the area. I live in Rockville and don't go out much but when I do, I definitely want to make it memorable. My birthday is coming up on Wed. April 12 and I want to go somewhere with live music, performance, and a bite to eat. Do you recommend anywhere in particular? Once again, I enjoy reading your blog and the pics and I would love to be on your mailing list for dates of your performances. Thanks again, for everything. Your new fan, Flor
Posted by: Florcita Z. | April 4, 2006 3:34 PM
Hi Flor,
I don't get out much myself aside from the places where I perform. Fortunately, I "work" in places where people go out for a fun evening especially Cafe Citron where I usually linger long after my show is over. :-) As far as places to find salsa, I'm working my way through the list. So far, I've been to Lucky Bar on Mondays and Club Felix and Habana Village on a Friday. They used to have a good salsa band at Felix but when I went there last week they were replaced with a jazz group (good jazz but I was in the mood for salsa). I hope you had a fun night for your birthday.
Posted by: Miguelito | April 17, 2006 11:29 AM