DC flamenco update for September 2009...I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth. :-)
Singer Hector Márquez, dancers Ginette Perea, Pam de Ocampo, Sarah Hart and guitarist Miguelito at the Science Museum of Virginia in Richmond. September 11, 2009
It's been a long time since I last blogged, I know. So in case you've forgotten who I am (or if this is your first time here), it's me Miguelito, your trusty DC flamenco community blogger chiming in to update you on the local scene and let you know I'm still alive. :-)
I'm not going to lie to you...I've been feeling kinda down lately, which probably explains why I haven't been blogging as much lately. With the budget being cut at just about all the flamenco tablao shows I'm just happy to still have a job. Just as mentioned in my last blog entry in August, the weekly tablao shows where I used to have two dancers (namely Las Tapas and Cabanas), there's still only a budget for one dancer. And the show at Café Citrón, I had to lay off the singer pretty much since the beginning of the summer.
On the other hand, the rumba scene seems to be faring slightly better. Besides the usual rumba shows at La Tasca, Las Tapas, Bambule and Vinoteca, the relatively new shows at Coppi's Organic, Lima and Dulles Hyatt are still going strong. This past Thursday, guitarists Ramin Rad, Richard Marlow and José Oretea started up a new show at where else but Rumba Café in Adams-Morgan.
I'm sure I'm missing a couple of other venues: there are other shows which are popping up here and there as promoter/performers like guitarist RJ Uebersezig scout out new places to present rumba. In any case, I've updated my calendar of events with the latest offering of weekly shows. So be sure to check it out and support your local performers...we need your support!
So that sums up the tablao and rumba scene. What else is going on? I suppose I should say something about the pic at the top of this page...
While the club and restaurant scene is down economically speaking, thank God it's Hispanic Heritage Month. What that means is a bunch of private gigs for us flamencos mostly at government agencies but also in the private sector.
In the picture above that's yours truly Miguelito with some of the dancers and singer that I most frequently work with in local tablaos in DC. Except this time we're in Richmond at the Virginia Science Museum doing a private gig. It was one of those big budget extravaganzas where they hired me and my flamenco group to put on a show for a party of close to 800 guests having dinner!
Hector Márquez and Sarah Hart at the Virginia Science Museum Gala. September 11, 2009
You never know what to expect with big events like these. We had the pleasure of having video monitors next to the stage so we could see how we looked from the audience's point of view...how cool is that? I have to confess, seeing how good we looked on camera did boost confidence a bit during the show. :-)
Of course, we don't always expect this courtesy, but the client was generous enough to give us performers a table at the gala event and serve us a delicious dinner. Yeah I know what you're thinking: how can a catering service for 800 guests possibly be able to produce gourmet-quality food? I was just happy to get some free dinner...the fact that it was it was very good was an added bonus.
Notating my "improvised" cues for the musical Ferdinand the Bull coming soon at the Imagination Stage in Bethesda. September 20, 2009
If you've been following me on FaceBook or on Twitter, then you know about my daily rehearsals at the Imagination Stage in Bethesda where I'm playing guitar for a musical titled Ferdinand the Bull. It's geared towards children, but I'm working with some very talented and experienced adult-age actors. The flamenco dancer for the show is Renee Lamont and the choreographer is Jaime Coronado.
Not to worry...I'm still doing my night-time tablao gigs, but the rehearsals and performances for this musical are during the day.
I'm playing all the live music for the songs and incidental music in this hour-long musical which normally is not a big deal since I pretty much do the equivalent already in flamenco. But since this is my first time in "legit theatre" I have a few more challenges ahead of me. OK, so I've memorized all the songs and now I've got to know all the cues so I know when to come in musically and blocking wise--yeah I'm costume too and I've got to remember where and when to walk on and off. I'm doing everything from playing pasodobles for the bullfight scene to playing mood music to accompany various settings to playing dramatic accents here and there to support the action etc. The thing is that some cues last as little as a few seconds and I only have one chance to get each of them right, yikes!
At home, warming up before playing through all the musical cues. September 20, 2009
But it's all good. We're rehearsing pretty much every day for an average of five to six hours with a few breaks plus lunch so by sheer repetition we're all going to mentally internalize the show this week. And tomorrow (Monday) we're moving from the rehearsal space to the actual stage where the performances will take place. This Tuesday and Wednesday I'll be in rehearsal at Imagination Stage from 10am until 10pm!
Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining...OK maybe a little. :-) While the hours are long, I consider this an artistic challenge and after almost two weeks of intensive rehearsing, I'm starting to see everything come together. Now that the actors, dancer and musician (that's me!) are getting "off book" (having memorized the script and music and cues) we can work more on interpretation and start to have more fun.
The musical itself is about one hour long and we're performing almost every day from late September until early November. To be fair to you, my loyal readers of this flamenco blog, I wouldn't call this a flamenco puro show but it's more like a musical with a Spanish theme that includes a few flamenco moments sprinkled here and there. The actors also have the challenge of learning a lot of choreography from Jaime not to mention getting a crash course in the basics of flamenco and classical Spanish dance! While I struggle to adapt myself to the musical theatre world, they're doing their part to make it look like they've had extensive training in flamenco already...they are fast learners and I am humbled to be sharing the stage with such talented people! The actors are Ricardo Frederick Evans in the role of Ferdinand, Michael John Casey is Duque Dodó, Andrew Boza is Danilo and Sara Beth Pfeifer is Cochina. Director is Kathryn Chase Bryer, Musical Director is Debbie Jacobson and Stage Manager is Kristen Bishel. Script and lyrics by playwright Karen Zacarias and music by Deborah Wicks La Puma. The list of credits goes on and on, so forgive me for not listing everyone here.
Whether you're familiar with the book or not, I highly recommend the checking out the musical if you have young children (ages 4 and up) that you'd like to introduce to Spanish culture. There's something for every age including a few child-friendly puns here and there that adults will pick up on. More info at the Imagination Stage website. Here's a very informative press release.
OK...I better sign off now. I have a lot of practicing on the guitar to finish up tonight! Ciao for now!
PS tomorrow, Monday September 21, 2009 marks the 8th anniversary that I've been performing flamenco at Café Citrón. The dancer will be Sara Jerez. There's no big party planned, but if you happen to stop by the show feel free to congratulate me for eight years. Or buy me a shot. Hehe.