Ena Camargo and Gigi Ortega helping a young dancer accessorize. October 1, 2000 12:15pm

It's about 1:00am on Monday as I type these words. I'm pretty psyched about my being able to recover these old photo files from a hard disk that crashed last year. As far as I know, I have the most extensive collection of photos and articles about the DC flamenco scene. These photo archives mean a lot to me and I want to share them with you.

So this is my first retrospective blog entry. I'll do these from time to time especially during slow periods like now since most of the local tablao gigs are canceled during holiday periods like Christmas.

These pics were taken in October 2000. Those of you who have been involved in the flamenco scene for many years will probably recognize some of these young dancers. Or maybe you won't. Some people change a lot in 7 years. Some change very little or not at all. Take a look for yourself and decide. Enjoy!

Reena, Ena and Gigi. October 1, 2000 12:15pm

Ena Camargo created a flamenco and Spanish dance school that was based in Rockville, Maryland. She passed away in 2002.

Guadalupe Cerritos and Renata. October 1, 2000 12:24pm

Milagros Soler and Miguelito. October 1, 2000 12:30pm

Girls all lined up and waiting for the parade to officially start. October 1, 2000 12:36pm

Miguelito, Gilda and Torcuato Zamora. October 1, 2000 12:54pm

Micaela Moreno leading one of the two lines. October 1, 2000 1:05pm

October 1, 2000 1:13pm

Gigi is leading the other line. October 1, 2000 1:15pm

October 1, 2000 1:18pm

October 1, 2000 1:19pm

That's Milagros on the right holding up the Viva Flamenco banner. October 1, 2000 1:21pm

Micaela. October 1, 2000 1:22pm

Torcuato. October 1, 2000 1:29pm

October 1, 2000 1:31pm

October 1, 2000 1:36pm

Micaela. October 1, 2000 1:42pm

Gilda, Milagros and Ena. October 1, 2000 1:51pm

Micaela with her mom Dianeth. October 1, 2000 1:56pm

Grecia Anchorena. October 1, 2000 1:58pm

I met Grecia when she was 3 years old. One night in 1997, I was performing at Rincón Español with dancer Micaela Moreno. During the show we heard some pretty decent palmas which took us by surprise--your average audience member can barely keep the beat without rushing. We looked around and there was this cute little girl sitting on the stairs near the stage. So we invited her to sit on stage with us just for fun. Since she was the daughter of one of the servers, she was there every week so little Grecia joined us onstage all the time. Didn't have to explain the compás to her. She just followed her instincts! Over the years, she became like a daughter to us. Occasionally I assumed the role of babsitter. I took her to Kennedy Center one year to a performance by Paco de Lucía and she slept through most of the show until dancer Joaquín Grilo took the stage!

Grecia just turned 14 this year. And although she's not actively studying flamenco, she does have an appreciation for it.

Anywayz, I hope you enjoyed this little blast from the past. There'll be more. Stay tuned!

Posted by Miguelito at 1:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

May 6, 2007 2:22pm

It's 3:27am on Sunday as I type these words. And no, I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth. While it has been more than a week since my last blog posting, I have been pretty busy spending time with family for Christmas not to mention catching up with some of my friends that I haven't seen in awhile.

These pics are from way back in May 2007. I was doing a gig down in Virginia Beach at the Chrysler Museum of Art with fellow musicians Amilcar Cruz and Jason Vera y Aragón. Afterwards, the dancers of choreographer/teacher Vicky Flores Cooke (based in Virginia Beach) put on a performance featuring flamenco and classical Spanish pieces. After many years of communicating with Vicky via email and telephone, this was the first time we met in person, finally!

Incidentally, when their performance began, I discovered that the batteries in my camera were dead. Thank God, Jason had his camera. He let me borrow it and I was very fortunate to be able to capture these many beautiful moments for you. Enjoy the pics!

Frankie. May 6, 2007 2:22pm

UPDATE: Someone emailed me asking what camera I used for the twirling red cape shots. It was the Sony Cybershot DSCT30 7.2MP Digital Camera with 3x Super SteadyShot Stabilization Zoom. My thanks again to Jason for letting me borrow his digicam!

May 6, 2007 2:22pm

May 6, 2007 2:23pm

May 6, 2007 2:23pm

May 6, 2007 2:23pm

May 6, 2007 2:24pm

Vicky Flores Cooke giving background information about the dances. May 6, 2007 2:25pm

May 6, 2007 2:27pm

May 6, 2007 2:28pm

May 6, 2007 2:29pm

May 6, 2007 2:30pm

May 6, 2007 2:42pm

May 6, 2007 2:46pm

May 6, 2007 2:47pm

May 6, 2007 2:48pm

May 6, 2007 2:49pm

May 6, 2007 2:49pm

May 6, 2007 2:51pm

Yes, that's marble she's dancing on! May 6, 2007 2:51pm

May 6, 2007 2:51pm

May 6, 2007 2:51pm

May 6, 2007 2:51pm

Miguelito, Mariquita Flores and Vicky Flores Cooke. May 6, 2007 3:08pm (photo by Jason)

Sorry it took so long to get these pics published. Better late than never! And yeah, I'm still on vampire time: going to bed at around 4:00am every night. So sometimes when I can't get to sleep, I'll keep myself busy playing around with Photoshop. You won't believe what a backlog of pics I have yet to publish. On top of that, recently I was able to rescue a year's worth of pics (about 7 gigabytes!) from an old hard drive that crashed sometime last year. So I may be digging through those old pics and do some retrospective blogging.

Speaking of retrospective, a few nights ago I met up with a dancer friend I hadn't seen in a while. She invited me over for dinner and get this: she knew what kinds of food I like. How did she know? Simple: as she vicariously lived the flamenco life by keeping up with my blogs over the years, she also picked up on my culinary preferences through my many food pics. Nice! :-)

Anywayz, it's about 4:00am: my bedtime. I wish you all a safe and happy new year. Ciao!

P.S. the flamenco shows at Las Tapas in Old Town Alexandria (703-836-4000) will resume starting this Tuesday January 1st, 2008. Yours truly will be there of course with two dancers TBA. See you there!

Posted by Miguelito at 3:27 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

María dancing Sevillanas at Cafe Citron. December 17, 2007 9:40pm (photo by Jani)

It's about 2:30am on Friday as I type these words. Although I had an enjoyable and relaxing day off (Thursday), I'm feeling a bit tired, but can't sleep so here I am editing pics and blogging to keep myself entertained. :-)

So how did I spend my day off, you ask? Around 11am, I met up with one of my top friends from MySpace who happens to be a very prominent person in the DC salsa community (HINT: this past Monday she received the award as "Washington Salsera of the Year") .

December 17, 2007 9:41pm (photo by Jani)

We got some coffee at Starbucks in downtown DC and for about an hour shared with each other our respective experiences promoting the DC flamenco and salsa communities. There aren't too many people who do what we do, so it's always a pleasure to chill out with a fellow arts scene promoter and talk shop. We could've talked all day, but she had a day job to go back to.

Miguelito. December 17, 2007 9:41pm (photo by Jani)

So around noon, I took the metro back to Rosslyn and just as I walked in my apartment, I got a text from another friend I hadn't hung out with in a while, who happens to be a fellow webmaster and web designer extraordinaire. And guess what? Yeah, we met at a Starbucks in Arlington and talked shop for almost an hour. Of course, he had a day job to go back to, ugh, so I stuck around by myself for a bit and finished my second tall pumpkin spice latte, not my usual drink (which is doppio espresso), but I decided to try something new in the spirit of Christmas.

María. December 17, 2007 9:41pm (photo by Jani)

Just as I left Starbucks, I got another text from a dancer friend who was getting off work around 3:30pm. We were meeting up with a mutual MySpace friend at a--guess what?--yes, Starbucks again. This time in Dupont Circle. And yeah, I had pumpkin spice latte for the third time in four hours. So as you can imagine, I was pretty caffeinated by now. Hehe. So for about an hour, we caught up on each other's lives. Then our mutual friend had to go back to work and we decided to follow her to the restaurant where she works, sit in her section and order some pretty decent Italian food. We spent about an hour enjoying our dinner and conversing about flamenco stuff.

December 17, 2007 9:42pm (photo by Jani)

Just so you know, it's not typical for me to meet up with so many friends in one day. But I enjoyed myself just chilling with my friends for most of the day. Considering that I've been performing every single night the past week, it was good to take a break from the guitar.

Miguelito again. December 17, 2007 9:42pm (photo by Jani)

After dinner my dancer friend and I went our separate ways. I ended up going to Pentagon City Mall to squeeze in a little Christmas shopping. I was in the mood for a movie, but decided I'd rather buy a DVD and spend the night in. I was hoping to find SuperBad but I settled for Bourne Ultimatum instead.

María. December 17, 2007 9:47pm (photo by Jani)

I suppose I should say a few words about my gig on Monday night since you're looking at the pics right now. Our singer Gerard Moreno wasn't able to make it to the gig since he had last-minute transportation difficulties (plus we was all the way in North Carolina!). So my dancer for the evening, María, and I performed as scheduled--the show must go on! We had a good time, but we missed you Gerard! It's just not the same without cante.

December 17, 2007 9:47pm (photo by Jani)

NOTE: if you'll check your calendars, you'll see that the next two Mondays fall on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve and Cafe Citron will be closed on those dates. Therefore there will be no Monday flamenco show at Cafe Citron until January 7, 2008.

December 17, 2007 9:48pm (photo by Jani)

It was great to see my dancer friends Joelle and Karina. We hung out at the bar after the show for a little while before heading over to Ozio for rumba by Duende Camarón. And yeah, while they did have day jobs to get up early for the next day, I did manage to convince them to stay until 12:30am. I'm such a corruptor. :-)

Joelle and Karina Valverde. December 17, 2007 10:50pm (photo by Miguelito)

December 17, 2007 11:06pm (photo by Miguelito)

December 17, 2007 11:08pm (photo by Miguelito)

Tuesday morning, I had to get up early (by musician standards) to do a noontime gig at the AARP headquarters in Chinatown where Karina works. I offered to be her accompanist as she performed several flamenco dances at her department's holiday party. Joining her was her fellow Furia Flamenca dancer Sylvia Melecio.

Karina dancing alegrías at AARP. December 18, 2007 12:53pm (photo by Barbranda)

Karina, Sylvia and Miguelito. December 18, 2007 12:58pm (photo by Barbranda)

It's like 3:30am now and I'm still awake. I think I'll lay in bed and see if I start to fall asleep. If not, I'll just dig up some more photos to edit and write another blog. We'll see.

As for tonight (Friday), I'll be performing at Cabanas with dancers Ginette Perea and Shahram. See you there!

Posted by Miguelito at 2:25 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Timo Núñez and Ginette dancing Sevillanas at Cabanas. December 14, 2007 9:33pm (photo by Serenity/Carol)

It's about 5:00am on Monday as I type these words. And yeah, I'm actually starting to fall asleep. This is my second blog entry in a two-hour period, yay! So last Friday I performed at Cabanas with Ginette plus guest dancer Timo Núñez. In case you didn't know, Timo was in town doing a show with Edwin (here's the review) and happened to be sticking around DC for another week so we squeezed him in as a guest artist in a few local tablao shows. My friend Hector Márquez joined us onstage to sing a few letras por bulerías and alegrías. Serenity and Carol volunteered to be my photographers and got a few pics from the second set. Thank you ladies! Enjoy!

December 14, 2007 9:33pm (photo by Serenity/Carol)

Timo dancing alegrías. December 14, 2007 9:47pm (photo by Serenity/Carol)

December 14, 2007 9:48pm (photo by Serenity/Carol)

December 14, 2007 9:51pm (photo by Serenity/Carol)

Chelsie, Jason Vera y Aragón, Edwin Aparicio, Genevieve and Timo. December 14, 2007 10:17pm

Ginette, Serenity, Carol and Rachel. December 14, 2007 10:36pm

OK, it must be around 5:15am so now I'm really going to bed. Don't forget to come to Cafe Citron tonight (Monday). It's the last show for December (since the next two Mondays will be Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve). Good night! :-)

Posted by Miguelito at 5:05 AM | Permalink

Tamara Sol Flys, Edwin Aparicio, Hector Márquez, Timo Núñez, Ricky Santiago, Pam de Ocampo and Ginette at Las Tapas. December 11, 2007 8:38pm

Yeah, it's really 4:00am on Monday as I type these words. This is like the fourth night in a row I've been wide awake at this hour. At least I got stuff I can do at home, like blogging, to keep me busy without disturbing the neighbors. I needed to catch up anyway, so here ya go: pics from last Tuesday at Las Tapas (Old Town Alexandria, Virginia) with dancers Timo Núñez and Claudia. My thanks to Hector Márquez for being my volunteer photographer for the evening. Enjoy!

Carlton Ashton. December 11, 2007 9:03pm (photo by Hector Márquez)

Claudia dancing soleá. December 11, 2007 9:03pm (photo by Hector Márquez)

Claudia. December 11, 2007 9:04pm (photo by Hector Márquez)

December 11, 2007 9:06pm (photo by Hector Márquez)

Yeah, that's the legendary cantaor Manolo Leiva watching our show! December 11, 2007 9:06pm (photo by Hector Márquez)

December 11, 2007 9:07pm (photo by Hector Márquez)

December 11, 2007 9:10pm (photo by Hector Márquez)

Timo dancing alegrías. December 11, 2007 9:13pm (photo by Hector Márquez)

December 11, 2007 9:14pm (photo by Hector Márquez)

December 11, 2007 9:17pm (photo by Hector Márquez)

December 11, 2007 9:19pm (photo by Hector Márquez)

Carlton and Miguelito. December 11, 2007 9:24pm (photo by Hector Márquez)

Edwin dancing a patada of bulerías. December 11, 2007 9:25pm (photo by Hector Márquez)

Claudia's turn. December 11, 2007 9:28pm (photo by Hector Márquez)

Timo. December 11, 2007 9:29pm (photo by Hector Márquez)

December 11, 2007 9:30pm (photo by Hector Márquez)

Just want to say that it was a special treat to have Timo join us at Las Tapas. He's based in Los Angeles and was here to perform in Edwin Aparicio's Selected Works at the Gala Theatre the previous weekend. Since he was sticking around for another week, why not feature him as a guest in some of the local tablao shows?

So that's one quick blog done and I think I'll do another since I'm still not sleepy yet. Ugh. I'm not complaining that much though. I mean, c'mon, I work at night anyway so I can usually afford to sleep in during the day, right?

Well, yesterday (Sunday) I almost missed a private gig scheduled at 3:00pm. Lately (no pun intended), I've been using my cellphone's alarm to wake me up but I just don't seem to hear it anymore and I end up sleeping right through it. Luckily I managed to wake up naturally with just barely enough time to quickly get dressed and rush to make it to the gig. Close call! Note to self: this week shop for an alarm clock radio with an extremely loud speaker!

As for tonight (Monday), I'll be at Cafe Citron as usual with singer Gerard Moreno and dancer TBA. NOTE: This will be the last show for December since the following two Mondays will be Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. So come on out and let's do the Monday night flamenco bar crawl (Citron for my flamenco show then Ozio for rumba by Duende Camarón) one last time for the year 2007. See you there!

Posted by Miguelito at 3:57 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Nikki Strong and Jennifer Carmichael dancing alegrías at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. December 13, 2007 6:02pm

It's 3-something in the morning on Friday as I type these words. Yesterday (Thursday), I went to the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center to watch a performance by Furia Flamenca, a DC area dance company. I arrived at 5:15pm thinking that I would be one of the first in line with the intent of getting a first-row seat to get some really great pics. But there was already a long line of people and I had to settle for a 5th row aisle seat. Ugh. I took more than 300 pics during the hour-long show. Here's a random selection for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

Tammy Lemley and Morgan Heyer dancing alegrías. December 13, 2007

Daniel Paredez in guajiras with guitarist Torcuato Zamora. December 13, 2007

Estela Velez with singer Margarita Ossorio. December 13, 2007 6:08pm

Daniel and Estela. December 13, 2007 6:11pm

Torcuato. December 13, 2007 6:16pm

Estela dancing Zorongo. Behind her are percussionist Antonio Castro-Ossorio, Margarita, Torcuato and singer Jorge Porta. December 13, 2007 6:27pm

Daniel and Estela. December 13, 2007 6:27pm

Estela and Daniel. December 13, 2007 6:28pm

Estela and Daniel. December 13, 2007 6:30pm

Guillermo Christie playing the oud. December 13, 2007 6:31pm

Morgan, Daniel and Estela in tangos de Málaga. December 13, 2007 6:36pm

Antonio. December 13, 2007 6:37pm

Morgan. December 13, 2007 6:38pm

Estela, Morgan, Daniel and Sylvia Melecio. December 13, 2007 6:39pm

Bala Veeraswami, Antonio, Katie Brady and Tammy dancing tanguillos de Cádiz. December 13, 2007 6:44pm

Katie. December 13, 2007 6:45pm

Karina Valverde and Antonio. December 13, 2007 6:46pm

Bala. December 13, 2007 6:48pm

Nikki, Lillian Mattiaccio, Morgan, Estela, Tammy, Jennifer, Karina and Sylvia in bulerías. December 13, 2007 6:53pm

To be honest, I rarely attend Millennium Stage performances mostly because I'm a busy performer myself anyway. But judging by the number of people that showed up, I'd say this was probably the most well-attended performance I'd been to. All the seats were filled-up. Children sat on the floor at the foot of the stage. Several hundred people sat on the carpeted steps and there was a standing-room-only crowd that went further back than I could see!

Lauren Raivel, Miguelito and Karina. December 13, 2007 7:26pm (photo by Bruna)

Sylvia, Katie, Bala, Lauren, Estela, Karina, Lillian and Tammy. December 13, 2007 7:26pm

Afterwards, I joined the dancers of Furia Flamenca for a post-performance dinner at the Watergate just a few blocks away from the Kennedy Center.

If you missed the performance, you can still watch the video online at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage website. For more information about Furia Flamenca visit their official website.

As for tonight (Friday), I'll be performing at Cabanas with dancers Ginette Perea and Timo Núñez, one of the guest artists from Edwin Aparicio's production last weekend. See you there!

Posted by Miguelito at 3:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)