The new look.

I've been blogging for a very long time...long enough to see blog technology evolve over the years. And after 4 years (and 500 blog entries!!!) of using Movable Type, I'm switching over to the cutting edge in blogging software: WordPress.

Not that you really care about the techy side of things. But from this day forward, you can access my well-known flamenco blog at this new easy-to-remember URL:

www.dcflamenco.com/blog

And if you subscribe to my RSS or newsfeed, here's the new URL:

www.dcflamenco.com/blog/?feed=rss2

Manuel Liñán at DC Dance Collective. September 23, 2010

It's 9-something pm on Sunday as I type these words. Between rehearsals, private gigs and my usual fun Saturday night gig at Cafe Citron, it's been a busy couple of days for me. But I finally got a day with nothing on the schedule so I "unplugged," stayed-in and seriously caught up on sleep! I'm up now so I might as well crank out a quick blog entry.

So this past Thursday, I decided to drop by DC Dance Collective to check out Manuel Liñán's ongoing masterclass and also say hello to the many dancers that I know but don't see on a regular basis. I checked my blog archives and it turns out that I did meet Manuel briefly at a post-concert party during Lisner's flamenco festival in February 2007. But that was years ago so I can't expect him to remember me.

I arrived at the dance studio about 20 minutes before the class started and gave the dancers a heads up that I was going to take pics. Met Manuel for moment and got the OK to bring my camera into the studio. Got caught up in a few conversations, time flew by and before I knew it the class started and I got to work!

Manuel demonstrating a step. September 23, 2010

I realize that sometimes people get a bit nervous when someone's taking their pics. So I have this way of holding the camera in my lap and discreetly have the adjustable display viewfinder screen pointing up so I can see what I'm taking pics of. Sneaky? Perhaps. But my intent is to document the class and at the same time, not make anyone feel self-conscious. Y'know what I mean?

Of course there are a few dancers I know that feel completely comfortable in front of the camera. In fact, there is one that seems to always sense when my lens is pointing in her direction. It's Mariana (pictured below) who took a second to pose so I could capture this moment. Thanks Mariana! ;-)

Dancer Mariana. September 23, 2010

The masterclass went on for eight days from September 18th through the 26th. Each day there was a class for the beginner/intermediate level which worked on bulerías and the advanced level which worked on alegrías. Most of the people that night took both classes. The first night of the masterclass, the studio was filled to capacity with 25 dancers! And usually for the weeknight classes attendance typically drops slightly—not everyone can afford take class on a "school" night I presume. But I counted 15 dancers which is not bad at all for a Thursday night.

Accompaniment was provided by guitarist Behzad Habibzai who did an amazing job of coming up with inspiring modern falsetas that musically meshed with the choreography. Manuel would occasionally look in Behzad's direction and ask, "¿Tienes algo?" and Behzad would usually reply in English, "Almost" until he finally worked out the music. A couple of times, Manuel walked over to Behzad and was very impressed. Go Behzad! :-)

Guitarist Behzad Habibzai. September 23, 2010

As for the dance students, of course if you didn't understand Spanish, you missed a few details when Manuel went into lengthy verbal explanations. But he was always checking if everyone was keeping up, "Sí o no?" As expected Manuel's choreographic material is very creative and musical and of course very challenging and so it took a few or sometimes quite a few repetitions before there was a unanimous "Sí!"

What I liked was that Manuel gave the "back row" students just as much attention as the "front row." There was a lot of detail in the choreography, enough to make anyone's head explode, but he patiently took the time to answer questions. It's very easy in workshops to focus too much on the footwork patterns at the expense of the upper body. But Manuel covered it all, upper body and lower body.

An almost filled-to-capacity class at DC Dance Collective. September 23, 2010

Anywayz, I'd love to go on and on about the masterclass, but it would be better to get some commentary from the dance students themselves. Feel free to email me at michael@dcflamenco.com and I'll be glad to publish a few quotes here. Thanks!

If you want to learn more about Manuel Linan, you can visit his website at www.manuellinan.com

Kudos and thanks of course to Edwin Aparicio for setting up this masterclass!

PS this is my 500th blog entry since January 2006! Not that prolific as far as blogging goes, but most definitely more than any other flamenco blogger, the very few that are out there!

At Bambule in 2003 featuring dancers Marta Chico Martín and Sara Jerez with guitarist Ramin Rad and percussionist Jason Vera y Aragón. August 14, 2003

It's almost 1pm on Thursday as I type these words. Those of you who follow me on Facebook and Twitter knew that I had a Hispanic Heritage Month gig yesterday. The typical routine:
1. Wake up early to meet up with the dancers and singer to carpool together to the gig. (these shows are typically at noon)
2. Setup sound system while the dancers change into costume.
3. Ceremony starts. Speech or two then we go on stage.
4. 20-minute flamenco performance. Applause applause.
5. Put away sound system and collect big fat paycheck. :-)
6. Deposit big fat paycheck and spend it.

Easy money, right? Yeah it is. But we deserve it. Us full-time artists have paid our "dues" practicing for years developing our flamenco skills so that we can crawl out of bed, show up at a gig, perform, and get paid an extravagant amount of money considering we're only actually working for 20 minutes.

But I left out one tiny but still very important item from the above routine. Can you guess what it is?

It's the tablao!!! For those of you who don't know, a tablao is very simply a wooden stage to give the flamenco dancers a percussive surface to showcase their footwork. And yesterday for the Hispanic Heritage Month performance, we had to bring a tablao to the gig because the room we performed in was carpeted.

So we arrive at gig and the singer and I carried the tablao from the car to the room. It's something I've come to accept as a part of my duties as a flamenco guitarist...supporting my dancers. But yesterday as I was carrying the tablao, a very large piece of plywood requiring at least two people, my hands were feeling a little pain. So I said to the singer, "Dude, my hands are in pain here. I shouldn't be doing this to my hands. I'm the guitarist and we have a show in 20 minutes."

Our security escort, dressed in business attire took my hint and offered to carry the tablao. 20 minutes later we went on stage and I played guitar just fine. But still c'mon I shouldn't be carrying heavy stuff right before a gig.

This morning I was thinking about how most of our clients have no idea about the technical requirements of a flamenco show. It's not their fault of course. It's up to us flamenco performers to educate them. And I'm not about to impose upon you my ideas of what kind of stage is most appropriate...because each dancer has a different level of what they'll accept as suitable for a performance. So for the benefit of those thinking of putting on a flamenco show in a restaurant, private party etc here's a small sample of some of the tablaos I've seen over the years here in the DC area.

8' x 8' on a raised platform Pictured at the top of page. Built by Jason Vera y Aragón, this consists of two 8' x 4' birch wood sheets supported by 2" x 4" lumber around the edges. This allows the sheet to have a hollow space underneath giving it a nice sound for flamenco footwork. The platform raises the stage about 6-8 inches and locks onto the latches. This kind of stage is pretty costly but it was a long-term investment for the show.

First Night Alexandria gig in 2004 at Regent University with dancer Ginette in December 2004.

8' x 4' wood sheet supported by 2" x 4" lumber around the edges Pictured above. The price for parts and labor to build this stage is a few hundred. But since this was for a one-time gig, we were fortunate that we could borrow it for free from the Spanish restaurant Las Tapas which was down the street anyway. To keep the tablao from shifting around on the surface I placed an oriental rug underneath. Built by Antonio former chef of Las Tapas.

Fourth of July gig in 2005 at a private house with dancer Estela Velez, percussionist Behzad Habibzai and guitarist RJ Uebersezig.

8' x 4' wood sheet supported by 2" x 4" lumber around the edges Pictured above. Very similar to the Las Tapas tablao but with a prettier wood stain finish. Built by RJ.

Holiday part at the IMF in 2004 with dancer Sara Jerez.

Parquet floor with built-in lighting Pictured above. This kind of floor is what we usually encounter at wedding gigs and for a good reason. It makes a good dance floor for the guests. But for flamenco, a parquet floor is not very good. For one thing it's not hollow underneath so the sound of footwork is very subdued. It also tends to be very slippery.

Gig at Taberna del Alabardero with dancers Nelida Tirado and Anna Menéndez, singer Jesús Montoya and guitarist Richard Marlow.

Two 8' x 4' sheets of plywood Pictured above. This is the least expensive way to go as far as tablaos are concerned. Plywood is relatively cheap and light but it's ideal for one-time gigs. It does provide a decent surface for footwork but usually requires the assistance of microphones. The disadvantage: splinters. After the show, you can expect to see tiny slivers of wood on top of and around the edge of the stage.

Las Tapas stage. The flamenco dancers' all-time favorite tablao!

Three 8' x 4' tablaos supported by a 4' tall platform Pictured above. Las Tapas has the best and probably most expensive set-up in the DC area. But the flamenco show here has been going on for 12 years now so I'm sure the business that the show has brought in has more than paid for the stage many times over.

Backstage closeup showing the platform that raises the tablao at Las Tapas.

The stage at Las Tapas also tends to be very loud. The reflective surface of the brick walls and tile floors make this a very loud space!

Toro Tapas gig back in 2004 in Shirlington, Virginia which has been closed for years. That's Edwin Aparicio dancing.

8' x 4' wooden box with vinyl kitchen tile on top and bass port vents on the side Pictured above. This is a beautiful looking stage but the sound is dull. We had always had to to put a microphone on the floor. Builder unknown.

Taste of Jerusalem gig in 2007 featuring guitarist Torcuato Zamora and Furia Flamenca dancer Estela Velez.

Approximately 6' x 10' on a raised platform Pictured above. This was a custom-built stage by the very handy guitarist Torcuato Zamora. I don't know anything about the construction but the sound was good for flamenco and I would hope so since it was built by a flamenco performer for his own gig!

Feria de Sevilla at Strathmore in 2007. That's Ana Martínez and Edwin Aparico dancing. (photo by Stan Peters)

4' x 4' sheets of wood with directional microphones Pictured above. This is at an outdoor stage which already has a wood floor but has been subjected to the damage of rain, snow and heat. For this show the performers brought in sheets of wood to lay on top of the stage surface. While small in size they still served their purpose: providing a stable loud soundboard for footwork.

Gig at Cafe Citron with dancer Sara Candela and singer Gerard Moreno in 2004

8' x 4' birch wood with 2" x 4" lumber around the edges Pictured above. By now, you've seen this format again and again. It's practically the tablao standard for DC. Note the stage lights at the front. An often forgotten piece of stage equipment, it's still very imporant to have good lighting. Built by Jason Vera y Aragón.

Cabanas gig with dancer Ginette in 2009

6' x 6' with 6" high lumber around the edges Pictured above. This was custom-built by the chef at Cabanas at the time. Painted black to give it a more presentable appearance. The builder also added wheels so that when the stage was turned upright it was easy to move around and store.

Andalucía gig in 2005

8' x 4' sheet with removable 2" x 4" lumber frame around the edges Pictured above. This design is unique because all you had to do was lay the rectangular frame on the floor and place the 8' x 4' sheet on top. This made it light enough so that only one person was required to set it up. The other 8' x 4' tablaos previously mentioned were extremely heavy and required two strong people to carry. Built by Antonio, Andalucía's chef at the time.

Gig at Elena's Oven in Fairfax, Virginia in 2003

Dimensions unknown with 6" high raised lumber around the edges Pictured above. Yet another custom-built stage made especially for this space. Note the built-in lights.

I could go on and on but I'll stop here. Hopefully this sampling this gives you and idea of the various designs that have been attempted over the years.

But getting back to my story in the beginning...it wasn't the end of the world that I had to carry the tablao. Despite the minor pain and strain, I just sucked it up and played the guitar and the show was fine. But for the future, I'm thinking of getting one of those portable dance floors that roll-up. You know...the ones made by Dance Mat Direct.

A friend of mine has one and we've used it in a gig or two and works great. I mean it's not perfect. The sound is decent but more importantly, it's not as a pain-in-the-butt to carry as an 8' x 4' sheet of wood. Even though it's more compact when rolled-up it's still heavy as hell but you can always put it on a luggage cart with bungie cords. They're expensive though (but probably worth it cuz you won't get back problems carrying a dance mat).

But for now us flamencos have to deal with carrying the wood or hope that our clients will consider springing with a little extra cash to at least buy some plywood sheets. And let's not even get into getting the damn thing into the car (or top of it!). That's a whole other story! :-)

On the way to the First Night Alexandria gig with Ginette in 2004

José and César Oretea aka Duende Camarón at Vinoteca. September 19, 2010 10:43pm

It's 2-something pm on Monday as I type these words. And yes I'm proud to say I just arrived home after a fun night at Vinoteca. Things never seem to go as planned. This always happens. I promised myself I'd only have one beer and leave early. Don't get me wrong, the show was excellent...I just didn't want to stick around too long and be tempted have a couple more drinks and spend more than my struggling artist budget would allow.

As I was about to leave, I got a text from a flamenco fan who saw my Twitter update (announcing that I was going to Vinoteca) and so she decided to drop by. I hadn't seen my friend in a while, so I decided it wouldn't hurt to stick around for just one more drink. We split a bottle of Spanish wine, which by the way are half-off during Flamenco Sundays! $32 bottle slashed to $16 split between two came to $8 each plus tip.

Next thing you know it's 11:00pm. The show's over and I was about to rush off to catch the 11:23pm metro home. So as I was saying goodbye to everyone, I was introduced to this Italian girl who apparently is a regular. She asked, "Where are you going?"

And I jokingly replied, "We're going to your house to party all night!"

"OK! Let's do it!" Wow...this totally caught me off guard. But I went with the flow.

"Allright let's go!

So scratch the idea of catching the last train. I worked out another ride home and we headed to my new Italian friend's house for a few drinks with the Oretea brothers and friends.

After-party at our Italian friend's house. September 19, 2010 11:54pm

So after a few drinks, it was time to leave. Didn't want to overstay our welcome, y'know? César offered to drive me home which was totally in the opposite direction, but José said, "Why don't you just crash at my place?" I didn't have any plans in the morning, so I said, "OK!" And just like the old days (back in 2004) José and I sat out on the porch at his house, being the late night vampires that we are, and talked about music, life etc until who knows what time.

Monday morning hanging out with José and his nephew. September 20, 2010 11:46am

Next morning I was woken up when someone came in the room and announced, "Come upstairs for breakfast." So I joined the Oretea family for some coffee, bacon, eggs and some picante empanadas, yum! Got to meet José's nephew who seems to already have a headstart on decent rasgueo technique! No surprise.

So what's the point of all of this? Well, as much fun as I have doing flamenco for a living, I still need a vacation like everyone else. But I can't afford it right now. So the closest thing to a vacation is to leave the guitar at home, not think about work, go out and relax and go with the flow which is exactly what I did. Did I spend more money than I should have? Yeah. Is it the end of the world if I did. No. I'll figure somethin' out. But am I more relaxed now? Yes. Mission accomplished!

No that's not me in the picture, but I wish it was. :-) What a simple life a dog leads! Yeah so that's the most recent photo in my camera—during a break from rehearsal at a dancer friend's house. Whenever I write a blog I always have some photos of a recent flamenco-related event to publish along with it. But I haven't been out and about as much as I wanted to the past week, so that's the photo I'm going to publish today. Enjoy it!

In case you didn't know, here in the USA, from September 15th to October 15th is officially Hispanic Heritage Month. As it turns out a lot of end of summer festivals happen around this time and this year, especially this weekend there has been a lot of flamenco performances (many of them FREE!):

• September 17th: Flamenco Aparicio in Alma Flamenca at the Creative Alliance in Baltimore
• September 18th: Furia Flamenca at the H St Festival
• September 18th: Flamenco guitarist Marija Temo at Bloomingdales in White Flint
• September 18th: Natalia Monteleón's Arte Flamenco at Rockville Town Square
• September 18th: Manuel Liñán flamenco masterclass at DC Dance Collective
• September 18th: Furia Flamenca at the Lincoln Theatre in honor of Rita Moreno
• September 19th: Furia Flamenca at the International Chilren's Festival at Wolf Trap

Sadly, I couldn't make it to any of the above events. I'm sure some of my photographer friends will send me some pics to publish in a future blog. But to redeem myself for not getting out to do my photojournalist duty this weekend, I'm going out to Vinoteca tonight for the rumba/flamenco show.

But I'm doing so against my better judgment—on my struggling artist budget, I can only afford one beer. Hopefully I'll see some of you there tonight and nudge nudge, feel free to buy me a drink! ;-)

P.S. The next couple of weeks are packed with flamenco happenings. Checkout the calendar, show your support for the local flamenco community and come out to a show or two.

Flamenco dancer Sarah Hart and guitarist Miguelito at Las Tapas. August 31, 2010 (photo by Stan Peters)

It's 11-something pm on Wednesday as I type these words. My day off. Saw a movie (The American starring George Clooney). Spent a few hours reading an interesting book: "Say Everything: How Blogging Began, What It's Becoming, and Why It Matters." Got home around 10:30pm. I hadn't touched the guitar all day, but trust me I will make up for it after I finish this blog entry, for sure!

That picture above was from my Tuesday night gig at Las Tapas with dancer Sarah Hart. My thanks to photographer Stan Peters!

So I went to support my fellow flamencos this evening in another venue. And as it turned out, one of the dancers onstage was one that I had worked with the night before. Naturally I was already very familiar her tientos choreography but what made it especially interesting was that guitarist Behzad Habibzai's accompaniment had a couple of musically interesting twists that I hadn't heard before. I was very intrigued!

Understandably many professional dancers work out choreographies ahead of time and pretty much stick to them. And of course, they'll have bits of filler-choreography ready to pull out at a moment's notice, when the singer unexpectedly extends his letras, when the guitarist plays a longer falseta than expected, or if the dancer forgets her choreography and needs a few seconds to recall it. It happens. That's just how it is. But the important thing to realize is that the more experienced dancers can dance the same choreography with a different guitarist playing the same compás with different musical interpretation.

As for myself, the vast majority of my baile accompaniment patterns are based on the traditional ideas that everyone plays with a bit of my own interpretation mixed in. Other things that I play for dancers have come up organically in the moment when my concentration lapsed and I made a "mistake" that actually turns out sounding pretty cool which later becomes part of my repertoire. And sometimes I "steal" ideas from my fellow guitarists I see live or hear on recordings. And of course, I might actually painstakingly work out some musical phrases at home and later sneak them in during one of my shows to test them out. The dancers (and singers) do it to me so why I can't I do it to them too? :-)

There aren't that many guitarists that perform on regular basis here in DC. But what's cool is that each one has his/her own recognizable style. It happens eventually as you master the basics, try out ideas that speak to you and eventually you develop a personal "sound." But when you do this for a living (or as a serious hobby) it's very easy to fall into the rut of playing the same things all the time. I'm not saying it's a bad thing necessarily. If you play the same stuff all the time and it sounds good, expresses what you want to say musically and inspires the dancers and singers, by all means do it!

But ultimately you want to grow as an artist. I certainly do! Unfortunately I can't afford to go to Spain to study as much as I'd like. But I can still listen to and study recordings, watch videos, jam with my fellow guitarists and even schedule a lesson with one of them!

But as I realized this evening, going out to support my fellow flamencos turned out to be a lesson in itself. I left with a couple of musical ideas to play with, a fresh take on something very familiar, an extra boost of inspiration.

I'm speaking from the guitarist's perspective of course. But I'm sure the same principle applies to dancers too! So while I continue to incessantly tweet, blog, and announce in Facebook and my website all my shows and the shows of colleagues, go out there and check out the shows. Not just to support your fellow flamencos...but to actually learn something new.

Anywayz, I'm going to keep this blog short. I can't wait to play my guitar!

That's me, Miguelito, in June 1995 at the Washington Folk Festival (photo by Stan Peters).

It's 11:55am on Monday as I type these words. I'm not going to lie. Summer has been fun so far, but not much to report flamenco-wise. I mean over the past few months I could've easily cranked numerous blog entries about the the same people, places and events you've read about before. Come to think of it, that's pretty much what I do most of the time anyway.:-) But regardless I've been sticking to my primary mission: to keep the local community of what's going on (even if there isn't much going on).

Lately, my longtime photographer friend Stan Peters has been uploading some old flamenco pics to Facebook. "Old" is relative term of course. But I mean old as in from the 90's. That pic of me you see above was taken in 1995 at the Washington Folk Festival. I was 28 at the time and having the time of my life. I was pretty much the only young 20-something guitarist in the DC area at the time.

The other "young flamenco guitarists" at the time like Richard Marlow, Ramin Rad and Behzad Habibzai didn't arrive on the DC flamenco scene until a few years later. In the meantime I was getting calls left and right and doing everything from the low-paying and non-paying street festival gigs to the full-fledged theatre performances. (Full-disclosure: I had a full-time office job too so I could afford to take on low paying and free gigs at the time.)

While I was thrilled with the idea of getting paid for doing what I love, money wasn't my main motivation. It was, and still is, a lot of fun playing guitar for dancers (and singers too when we are lucky to have them). And it's an added bonus to perform for a live audience. The idea of sharing this most beautiful art form with others motivates me again and again each time I'm about go onstage.

[photo on the right by Stan Peters, taken at the DC Feria de Sevilla in 1997]

Fast forward to current day and things are pretty much the same. I'm a little older and presumably a little wiser too. :-) I still get that thrill each time I go onstage (I'm not exaggerating...I really do!) and money, despite the hard economic times, is still not a motivational factor.

But 2011 is approaching and June 1st of that year will mark 20 years that I've been involved in the DC flamenco scene! So while 20 is just an arbitrary number, it's a good time as any to reflect on where I've been and where I'm going and to think about how the DC flamenco scene has evolved.

Yeah I admit that seeing pictures of myself from the 90's has got me in a nostalgic mood. But enough about me. What do I have in store for you, my loyal readers? Well for starters I'm scheduling interviews with some of the older generation of DC flamencos some of whom were active in the scene long before I arrived in 1991! It'll be very interesting to get their take on how things have evolved, how things have changed and how things have remained the same over the past 20 years.

And while I'm at it, I'll start interviewing some of the current younger generation of flamencos and not just the performers and teachers, but also the local students and aficionados. Not all of us are destined or striving to become full-time artists but in a way being an amateur is in a way a more noble approach: when the amateur does flamenco, it's purely for the love of the art and etymologically, amateur does mean lover anyway.

Anywayz, let's get back to the regular blogging format and let me talk about the pics you see here from my gigs the past week or so...

Pam de Ocampo, Miguelito and Jen at Hispano Fest 2010 in Millsboro, Delaware. August 22, 2010 (photo by Richard)

I've been doing the Hispano Fest in Delaware for a long time mostly at the invitation of my dancer friend Micaela, but previously a few times with Arte Flamenco. I know what you're probably thinking: that I probably squeezed in a visit to the beach or made a whole beach weekend out of the gig. But sorry to disappoint you but I didn't. A few times over the years I did go, but this time around I went out for some margaritas afterwards with Micaela and the other dancers to relax and catch up.

Pam and Jen dancing Sevillanas as Micaela Moreno provides palmas. August 22, 2010 (photo by Richard)

If you think you see raindrops in the above pic, you are right. It did rain and it poured. As luck would have it, it happened during our show. But at the same time, our audience braved the rain, at least those who were lucky enough to have umbrellas.

And while we had a roof over the stage, us performers got a little wet too! But what can I say? We're experienced pros and we went on without losing a beat, so to speak. I think at one point I was laughing so much on stage. We all were. I can only speak for myself, but I was laughing with joy seeing all the audience members that braved the rain and I was laughing with joy that despite the rain we were all feeling especially inspired.

August 22, 2010 (photo by Richard)

Of course, I've worked with dancers Pam de Ocampo and Jen many times over the years, but I was thrilled to have Micaela join us onstage. She's a very close friend and unfortunately for us in DC she lives all the way out in Delaware so I don't get to see her very often.

Jen dancing tientos/tangos. August 22, 2010 (photo by Richard)

A few days later, I was performing at El Manantial in Reston, Virginia. It's been a couple of months since the last time I think. I've been performing at this venue on and off since 2005. My friend RJ was first to get this gig going back then. So a big thank you to RJ for taking the initiative.

Many of my colleagues have performed here at El Manantial, but this particular Friday, I had the pleasure of working with dancers Ginette and Pam de Ocampo and singer Gerard Moreno.

Dancers Ginette and Pam de Ocampo at El Manantial in Reston, Virginia. August 27, 2010

Attendance could've been slightly better but we had a very appreciative audience. One lady came up afterwards to show us a photo of a painting she did a while back. Depicted in painting were dancers Pam de Ocampo, Sara Candela, singer Gerard Moreno and yours truly Miguelito! I gave her my card and asked to her email me digital photo that I hope to share with you here very soon.

Singer Gerard Moreno with Pam and Ginette. August 27, 2010

I'm not going to lie, while I'm into flamenco for the art, I do enjoy the little perks of being a performer. After we changed into street clothes, we walked through dining room to get some dinner, the audience gave a us another round of applause. Loved it!

Show's over. Time to get some dinner! Pam, Ginette and Miguelito. August 27, 2010

Of course, I'll love it even more if they tell their friends to come out to see the show next time at El Manantial. I'm sure I'll have a specific date for the next one coming up in September!

Speaking of September, it's going to be a busy month! Here's a quick rundown of what's coming up:

• September 1, 2010 Ziva's Spanish Dance Ensemble at Village of Friendship Heights in Chevy Chase, Maryland
• September 11, 2010 Furia Flamenca in the Arts on Foot Festival at Harman Center for the Arts
• September 11, 2010 Flamenco Aparicio Dance Company in the Arts on Foot Festival at Harman Center for the Arts
• September 16, 2010 Natalia Monteleón's Arte Flamenco at Jalapeño's in Annapolis, Maryland
• September 17, 2010 Flamenco Aparicio Dance Company in "Alma Flamenca" at the Creative Alliance in Baltimore
• September 18, 2010 Furia Flamenca in the H St Festival
• September 18-26, 2010 Manuel Liñán Flamenco Master Class at DC Dance Collective
• September 18, 2010 Furia Flamenca in the "Here I Stand Award" presented to Rita Moreno at the Lincoln Theatre
• September 19, 2010 Furia Flamenca at the International Children's Festival at Wolf Trap's Global Stage in Vienna, Virginia
• September 25, 2010 Furia Flamenca at the Reston Multicultural Festival in Reston, Virginia

For further details, visit my calendar page at DCFlamenco.com!

Flamenco dancers Emily Mazzotti and Sara Candela performing Sevillanas at L2 Lounge in Georgetown. July 1, 2010

It's almost 11pm on Monday as I type these words...my second blog entry in one day! This past Thursday International Club of DC hosted "An Evening in Madrid: Flamenco and Paso Doble Dance Performance" at L2 Lounge in Georgetown.

For the flamenco portion of the evening the featured artists were Emily Mazzotti and Sara Candela, both of whom danced beautifully!

Sara and Emily. July 1, 2010

The music wasn't live however. They used CD's. But I'm not going to make too big a deal about this. Although, it felt a little strange that someone who was fully capable of accompanying these dancers on guitar, that's me, instead was standing right in front of them watching the show. But the reality is that it's a matter of economics and it's cheaper to use a recording instead of live musicians. Still a very enjoyable show nonetheless! And I suppose any opportunity to present a flamenco show to a new audience is a good thing for the flamenco community as a whole.

Interesting concept: a ribbon to establish a boundary between the audience and the performance space. It worked! July 1, 2010

So for the past couple of months, International Club of DC (ICDC) has been hosting these Spanish-themed evenings and featuring flamenco performances at L2 Lounge and at other venues including Cafe Citron's third floor VIP lounge. There's always a modest cover charge, but it's for a good cause. According to their website ICDC is "Washington's premiere organization for internationally-minded professionals who enjoy international cultural experiences as well as social, educational, and outdoor events while helping the community."

Sara. July 1, 2010

When I arrived, I ran into some of my Romanian friends, Sandra and Diana. Of course, they've known me for years and they knew why I was there: to take pictures of the show. They stood by closeby assuming I knew where the show was going to take place. Truth is that I didn't know. This was my first time to see the flamenco show at L2 Lounge.

ICDC has done cultural events for years in venues ranging from embassies to clubs like L2. So right before the show started, one of the organizers, Marina, cordoned off the performance space with a ribbon...an ingenious idea if you ask me. It discouraged people from walking across the "stage" during the show. And it worked!

Emily. July 1, 2010

The next Spanish-themed party will be August 5, 2010: A Chocolate Feast in Spain: 12 exquisite Chocolates and Truffles masterfully pared with Cava, Red, and White Wines from Spain which includes FREE admission to Flamenco party at L2 Lounge.

Domingo and Chris, the dancers' most loyal supporters: their husbands! July 1, 2010

Sara and Emily. July 1, 2010

Dancer Emily Mazzotti with a few of my fashionably-dressed friends: Diana, Sandra and Lloyd. July 1, 2010

I hope you enjoyed these pics. I'm going to try and get started on a third blog entry for today. Ciao for now!

Furia Flamenca members Karina, Estela Velez (director), Evlyn, Sylvia, Amy and Lauren opening the show with Sevillanas. June 30, 2010

It's 9-something pm on Monday, the day after Independence Day, as I type these words. I'm behind on blogging as you know, yada yada yada...but hey, cut me some slack: I've been busy performing! And I'm just one of those types that can't just blog like it's a job. I have to be in the mood. Ugh...yeah I know. Us artists can be so temperamental. :-)

So this past Wednesday, DC-based dance company Furia Flamenca gave a free performance at The Forum at Harman Center for the Arts in Chinatown. With camera in hand, I did what I do best: document the DC flamenco scene wherever and whenever. Being the struggling artist that I am, when admission is free, you can bet I will cover it! :-)

Sylvia. June 30, 2010

Of course when admission is free, sometimes more people will show up then there are seats available. So when the theatre doors open, the competition for prime seats can be aggressive. Unfortunately, I arrived 10 minutes before showtime, and there was a crowd already waiting to get in, so I pushed my way through to the front of the line acting like I was a member of the press...which I am, in a way. When the doors opened, my guitarist friend Torcuato Zamora caught my eye and said hello but I kept our conversation very brief. You see...I was on a mission to get a good seat and no senior citizens or moms with baby carriages were going to stand in my way! :-)

Evlyn and Sylvia in Garrotín. June 30, 2010

Don't be fooled by the appearance of The Forum when you first walk in. Yeah it looks like a meeting room but if you look up at the ceiling, there's a pretty decent array of stage lights ready to transform the space into a very intimate theatre. There were about 100 people in attendance...yeah I counted. After a few introductory remarks by member of the theatre staff, the house lights dimmed and the stage lights beautifully illuminated the dance floor as Furia Flamenca made their entrance opening the show with Sevillanas.

Estela and Amy providing palmas as Torcuato Zamora plays a bulería. June 30, 2010

They were accompanied as usual by flamenco guitarist Torcuato Zamora with a special appearance by an amazing percussionist from Puerto Rico named Coco who played the cajón.

Tanguillos de Cádiz. June 30, 2010

During the 50-minute performance I took about 300 photos...that's about 1 photo every 10 seconds! Of course, in the interest of catching up on blogging, I just randomly chose just a few to publish here. Enjoy!

Furia Flamenca director Estela Velez introducing her dancers and musicians and promoting future performances. June 30, 2010

That's all for now. I promised myself I'd crank out at least one more blog tonight, so moving on! For more information about Estela Velez and Furia Flamenca, visit www.Furia-Flamenca.com.

Discussing the program. From left: guitarist Wilver Hernández, singer Naíto, guitarist Hector Márquez, percussionist Mateo Romero and dancer Sarah Hart. May 28, 2010

It's 1-something pm on Monday...a mere 12 hours since I last published a blog entry today! It's 85° F and sunny outside and yes, I am indoors in front of my Mac, but I can't help it. The sacrifices I make for the DC flamenco community! :-) Seriously though I'm in the mood to publish something so here goes...

This past Friday, a group of some friends of mine that I like to call "Los Jovenes Flamencos," who all happen to be in their early 20's, performed in a fundraiser concert at St Michael Archangel Catholic Church in Silver Spring. I wasn't able to go, but fortunately Hector's sister Marylin and members of Wilver's family took pics. Enjoy!

Hector. May 28, 2010

Hector writes: "It was a night of flamenco and tapas to help raise money for the youth to go to the pilgrimage in Madrid, Spain in 2011. The show started off with Wilver playing a minera, next an alegría, fandango libre, and tientos to finish the first set. Mateo started off the second set with a tarantas then a tangos, soleá, and we finished off with a bulería! The event overall was a success and they treated us very well. It was a lot of fun performing with flamencos around the same age. We are all young and still learning about flamenco as we go along. The fact that there were three guitarists on stage and everyone took on a different role to play was interesting and proves that we don't just limit ourselves to just one aspect of flamenco."

Sarah. May 28, 2010

I had a chance to talk briefly with Hector on the phone...

Miguelito: So do you think you will all work together again in the near future?

Hector: Hell yeah!

M: Cool...so this was the first time with this combination of artists?

H: Yeah.

M: I remember you had more or less the same group in 2008 but with dancer Ginette Perea. It's good to see you all continuing to work, learn and grow together. So did you guys do a lot of rehearsal? Or did you wing it most of the way? Or a little of both?

H: A little of both.

M: What would say was the highlight of the show...the part that you're most proud of?

H: Everything to be honest, everything.

Mateo and Hector. May 28, 2010

Hector went on to explain that the night before they all celebrated Naíto's birthday. Knowing Hector and his friends they probably had an all-night juerga. And, I'm willing to bet they slept-in late and arrived at the gig with just enough time to discuss the program, get dressed and warmed-up and go onstage.

Of course being good friends and young flamenco artists with more or less the same level of accomplishment they already have mutual respect and camaraderie which is usually good for chemistry onstage. Without a doubt, these guys love to play and sing all night long and although I wasn't there for the performance last Friday, I'm sure what the audience saw was a bunch of friends having a good time expressing themselves the way they know best through the art of flamenco.

Wilver warming up. May 28, 2010

A little digression: I started performing in flamenco shows when I was 24, a late starter I guess you could say. I was the dance class guitarist for the Blanca Luz Dance Academy in Buena Park, California. Sure enough I was recruited to do shows early on. And while I did acquire some knowledge sitting alongside veteran flamencos at juergas in the Los Angeles area I really didn't know that much but went out and performed anyway. Not in a disrespectful way of course. I prepared as much as I could. Some things you can only learn with experience.

Thing is that there's only so much you can learn in a lesson and perfect in the practice room. You have to go out there and put yourself under the pressure of the stage. There are no do-overs. And things can and will go wrong and you have to deal with them and go on with the show.

I'm sure there were people saying things about me in the beginning (probably still to this day...haha) when I was putting myself out there in performance despite my inexperience. And some would say it to my face...not very pleasant I admit. But I learned from those encounters and am still learning. It's part of the initiation of becoming a performer.

Wilver onstage opening the show with a minera. May 28, 2010

Mateo, Naíto, Hector and Wilver. May 28, 2010

Being a veteran flamenco here in DC, it pleases me to see these young flamencos growing and learning very much in the same way I did when I was their age. They're actively studying on their own of course. And while I've passed on bits and pieces of wisdom over the years, I know that deep down inside it's better for them to learn from experience. And I better be nice to them, because they'll be the ones taking over my tablao shows when I get old and have arthritis!

Naíto, Sarah and Hector. May 28, 2010

Mateo, Naíto and Sarah. May 28, 2010

Mateo, Sarah, Naíto, Hector. May 28, 2010

Mateo, Sarah and Naíto. May 28, 2010

Mateo playing tarantas. May 28, 2010

Naíto and Hector. May 28, 2010

Sarah, Naíto and Hector. May 28, 2010

Naíto accompanying Hector in the fin de fiesta bulerías. May 28, 2010

Naíto, Hector, Wilver and Sarah. May 28, 2010

Mateo, Naíto, Wilver, Hector and Sarah. May 28, 2010

Congrats to Los Jovenes Flamencos! I'll definitely announce future performances. But in the meantime, stop by Bodega on the weekends and head back to the Matador Room. That's where you'll usually find Hector, Naíto, Wilver and Mateo playing and singing flamenco late at night. Be sure to tell them Miguelito sent you! ;-)