It's me, Miguelito, just checking in so you know I'm still alive. :-)
Flashback from Miguelito's trip to Madrid a few years ago. This is a view of the Rastro flea market held on Sunday mornings. June 12, 2005 9:49am
It's 9:54am on Saturday morning as I type these words. It's been a pretty normal but enjoyable week of flamenco for me so far. Did my shows at Cafe Citron on Monday, at Las Tapas on Tuesday, subbed for Torcuato at Cubano's on Wednesday. Thursday and Friday I chilled out at home (last night's show at Cabanas was canceled). I don't have any other plans for today (Saturday) except for the DC Dance Collective fundraiser at 8:00pm tonight.
I've been in vampire mode the past few days which means I've been literally staying up all night and having to catch up on sleep through short naps throughout the following day. Been thinking about lots of stuff personal and professional—I'm pretty much a night person which among other things means I'm more mentally focused late at night. I should've been born a vampire. :-)
Having been involved in the DC flamenco scene for the past 17 years I've seen a lot of changes. What's cool for me is having seen quite a few beginner flamenco dance students grow artistically into experienced knowledgeable performers. Sometimes my colleagues and I have these conversations, very much like sports fans do, trying to predict who amongst the latest crop of beginner students of today will blossom into the inspiring performers of tomorrow.
I won't go through a list of names, for fear of inadvertently leaving someone out, but many talented and inspiring flamenco dancers have taught or still currently teach at the DC Dance Collective. We have many very respectable dance studios in the DC area, but most of the time when I overhear dance students talking (and as you know, I hang out with dancers a LOT!) the DC Dance Collective comes up again and again as the place to go.
View of Plaza Mayor in Madrid. June 12, 2005 10:36am
Being in my position as a guitarist who has played for just about every dance company in the area, I try not to promote one artist or studio more than the other. But then again, I've been writing about the DC flamenco scene for a long time, so my personal biases will come through whether I want it to or not, in subtle and not so subtle ways, as you've read my hundreds (yes hundreds!) of blog entries and articles over the years.
Having said that, I know I'm going to get in a little trouble for saying this, but here goes. A lot of people write me (or ask me in person at one of my gigs or when I randomly meet people on the street) to recommend a dance teacher or a dance studio. The first studio that comes to my mind is the DC Dance Collective aka DCDC. They have some of the best flamenco teachers in the DC area most of whom are very active as performers. The atmosphere is very friendly. Let's face it though: backstabbing and politics in the performing arts will never completely go away, but at least at DCDC my perception is that it's kept to a minimum. I like that. The art of flamenco is hard enough as it is, so why make it harder for yourself by getting involved in the local politics? I'm going shut up now before I worked up and turn this blog in to a rant.
Here's the pitch: due to the current not-so-good economy amongst other things, the DC Dance Collective is not doing so well financially and needs help from YOU! They need to raise money to cover the rent and other expenses to keep the studio afloat. You can either make direct monetary contributions (visit the studio in person or checkout their website for contact info) or come to tonight's fundraiser at 8:00pm at the DC Dance Collective studio itself! I'll be there and I'll be taking attendance! :-)
Breakfast in Plaza Mayor. June 12, 2005 10:36am
Please don't get on my case for not publishing pics lately. I've been busy with personal stuff and every now and then it's nice to just focus and enjoy my flamenco performances without having to constantly worry about documenting everything for the blog.
These pics you see are from my trip to Madrid back in June 2005. What can I say? I'm in a reminiscing kind of mood. At this very moment, it's wet and cloudy in my neighborhood and these pics transport me back to that beautiful sunny Sunday in Spain. Ahh the memories! Have a nice day and a wonderful flamenco-filled weekend. Ciao for now!
One more thing....I want do a little promo for some California flamenco friends who have flamenco-themed t-shirt designs for sale. Go to www.flamencoapparel.com. In case you didn't know this already, I did my get first start in flamenco in the Los Angeles-area scene. It's where my flamenco "roots" are—never forget your roots!
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