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Announcing the United States Tour of "Entresueño"
July 10, 2006 Unless you've been living under a rock, you already know that local dancer Edwin Aparicio has been keeping himself pretty busy producing flamenco concerts in the DC area and around the United States the past few years and making quite a name for himself. We here in DC are very proud of all his accomplishments thus far. As the flamenco info guru for the DC area, I'm always looking for flamenco events and pieces of interesting news to announce. As a personal friend and a local flamenco, of course I want to promote all of Edwin's shows (as well as those of our other local flamenco colleauges), but if you know anything about promotion and business, you gotta do more than that. You gotta find something special about each event that answers the question, "OK, so what's so special about this one?" I'll let Edwin answer that question himself in this press release: Edwin Aparicio's new flamenco production Entresueño explores the frontier of consciousness where memories blur and mix with imagination, where reality gives way to dream. Entresueño is the transition from awareness to sleep - the period when imagery is exaggeratedly vivid and the boundaries of time and space disappear. Mr. Aparicio, America's most celebrated male soloist, whose performances have been described as having "hellfire footwork" and "evocative imagery," presents an exciting production that features world renowned flamenco celebrity Eliezer "La Truco" directly from Madrid. Joining Mr. Aparicio and "La Truco" are flamenco dance prodigies Óscar Valero and La Genoveva; guitar virtuosos Pedro Cortés and Ricardo Marlow, along with singers David Castellano and Jesús Montoya (El Genio Gitano), both highly regarded for their authenticity and passion. The show is divided into two parts: La Penumbra, and La Aurora. La Penumbra represents the entresueño before entering sleep, while La Aurora explores the entresueño before awakening. Ironically, it will be the intermission that symbolizes the period of sleep. This vision provides the perfect context for the expressiveness of flamenco, since the experience of hearing, seeing and performing this art form could be seen as parallel to the intensity of the experience of entresueño. The performers of flamenco are often described in terms of duende, or being possessed, and over time flamenco has developed an association with a trance-like state of being. "I selected the artists for this production based on certain criteria," says artistic director Edwin Aparicio. "It is of utmost importance that the technical skills of each artist be superb. For the dancers, my choreographies are very challenging and require great command of the body. For the musicians and singers, superior technique allows us to focus more on the lyricism and musicality of the pieces. While all of the pieces are choreographed, there is room in all of them for improvisation - otherwise it would not be flamenco - which requires the highest level of professionalism." "The artists' knowledge of flamenco repertoire and familiarity with the culture are very important. The subject matter of this production is quite complex, and in our collaborations we are searching for the perfect elements in the melody, rhythm, and lyrics to express the concept. It is no surprise all the artists in this work are either from Spain or have spent an extensive amount of time there, immersed in the flamenco culture." Aparicio continues, "A very important requirement for the dancers in all of my works is their interpretive ability. They have to be able to emote so that even from the last row of the theater there would be no doubt about the sincerity of the presentation. I have worked with the artists in this production on numerous occasions. The rapport and trust we have developed are of primary importance as we work together on stage, especially in flamenco, where communication is paramount. I am very proud to have brought together in this new work some of the finest flamenco professionals performing today. Their achievements as individual artists assure the collaborative success of Entresueño." The world premiere will be here in Washington DC on August 4-5, 2006 at the GALA Theatre/Tivoli. Call 1-800-494-8497 or visit www.boxofficetickets.com/flamencoaparicio. For info about the performances of Entresueño in New York and Chicago, click here. Happy Tenth Birthday DC Flamenco!January 10, 2006 I know it's hard to believe, but this website has been around for that long! It was one of the first flamenco websites on the Internet when it was first launched January 10, 1996 when a search for flamenco on Webcrawler (the big search engine of the time) resulted in one page of search results! It has become the model which inspired other flamenco community websites--and to this day, there is no other website which covers a local flamenco scene with more depth and currency. Because of my website, noone has an excuse for not knowing what's going on in the DC flamenco scene. Anyway, I already know the positive impact my website has made over the past ten years, but let's hear it from the community itself. Here's what some of my supporters have to say: In the last ten years, Michael has brought an awareness of Flamenco and all its forms to the people in the Washington, DC area. His objectivity in representing and visiting not only the area's flamenco events but presenting to the public the teachers, their classes, workshops and the like was a job that he took on with great fervor. I for one received many telephone calls and e-mails from people wishing to take classes and workshops who had found my name on the DC Flamenco website. His hot link to my website was also a great help to me. Michael's website represents his love and passion for the art of flamenco and the many area people associated with it. While Michael is himself a working, knowledgeable musician and flamenco guitarist, he found the time and energy to give of himself in creating and maintaining the best flamenco website on the east coast. I look forward to at least another ten years of fruitful work from this charming and modest man we know and respect. Ziva (Potomac, Maryland) Dear Miguelito, Melissa Gilbert- Ichiuji (Virginia) Your fun-filled site has enriched my flamenco experience from my beginning in this mysterious art. When, after my first few dance lessons, I asked fellow flamenco buff Marlene English where to find info about local flamenco events, she seemed surprised that I even to ask. Thus informed, I visited your site to find times of local shows. Even after I’ve practically memorized your schedule, when things get too boring at work I find myself perusing your blog to vicariously live the life of a full-time flamenco. Since I can never get out to shows as often as I’d like, I relish photos of local performers and am always happy to see a familiar face. The photo diary offers a veritable biography of a few locals, and it is a treat to watch some dancers’ progress before I ever knew them. Indeed, it is almost like a family album for DC flamencos. Your site also serves as a daily reminder that flamenco happens every day here in DC. Without your photos, flamenco would feel like something that only really happened in Spain, or other far off locales. But seeing photos of local people singing, dancing, and playing the guitar every day reminds me that even if fame and fortune elude nearly all of us, even DC bumpkins such as myself can absorb and master the earthy yet ethereal rhythms of flamenco. Lillie (Washington, DC) Hi, dude! Congrads on number ten! I'm a student of flamenco guitar in Toronto, and I frequent your site to glimpse an example of a healthy thriving flamenco community, for which I suppose you can take much credit! I am acquainted with Richard Marlow, Behzad, and Ramin Rad, and I can only imagine the vibrance that you guys and many others bring to what would be my kinda of flamenco utopia! Best wishes and many true ole's, -Conrad Adams from Toronto Dear Miguelito, Anonymous (Washington, DC) Dear Miguelito, Un abrazo muy fuerte, Anna y Tito Rubio (Philadelphia) Congratulations Miguelito on the 10th year of DC Flamenco! Since I’m “old” I get to tell a story about the old days. When I was living in New Orleans, in the early 90’s, and had not yet had any contact with the internet, a friend of mine told me they found a website (I don’t think they even used that term yet) about Flamenco in Washington, DC. I was originally from this area, and knew the flamenco scene here pretty well, and I couldn’t even imagine what they were referring to. Real flamencos don’t know anything about computers or the internet; they stay up late at night, drink lots of sherry, and get their info by word of mouth. Internet – how silly! (thought I) Was I wrong or what? Over the years I’ve watched this site turn into something really useful to all of us, and entertaining as well. Upcoming shows and dance class schedules are publicized for free! I don’t know how many students have told me they found out about my classes on Mike’s website. And then when I’ve really needed a special helping hand, DCFlamenco has offered the opportunity to advertise for a fee, to promote via personal interviews, and to drum up interest via “quizzes”. And best of all - I think my students and company dancers love to see their photos on-line. Many of them are from other countries, and it’s cool that their families in Spain, the Philippines, or Brazil can view their photos on the web. Nowadays – when I want to find out how to get tickets, and what shows will be coming to the Flamenco Festival – I go to DCFlamenco.com. No need to deal with the Washington Post! Thanks again Miguelito for helping to bring flamenco into the 21st century. Natalia Monteleon (Laurel, Maryland) Dear Miguelito Even though I live in Chicago I check your website often to keep up-to-date on what's happening in the Flamenco community in DC and beyond. I also know many other dancers in Chicago who refer to your website often! I hope to make it out to DC sometime soon and check out a few of the tablaos. It seems like a thriving flamenco community. Jose Torres (Chicago, Illinois) Dear Miguelito, Where do I start? Well, actually, I started about a year and a half ago. I had been back from Sevilla for 3 years and wanted desperately to hear and see some flamenco in the area, besides the annual festivals in Feb. And there was your website, coming through in my time of need! I was amazed to see how big the DC flamenco community was--which was evidenced by your photo blogs and events calendar. I remember taking my friends to one of the Mon shows at Citron (which I heard about on the site). I recognized you immediately from the site and thought, Oh my God, it's "THE" MIGUELITO! This guy is FAMOUS! After that, I was hooked. I used your site to find a teacher, links, events, and pretty soon I found myself being caught on camera and featured on there. I feel so famous whenever I show my friends and co-workers. ;) Gracias, Miguelito, for your friendship, sincereity, help, tremendous guitar-playing talent, and your website. Without your site, I probably would have never known the DC flamenco community. Perhaps I would never have started dancing, since I wouldn't have known that was here, either. Your website has done so much for me and I really appreciate your hard work on it. Can't wait to read more blogs and see more pics! Tu amiga, From the very beginning of my flamenco journey, dcflamenco.com has been crucial in providing me information about flamenco happenings in the Washington DC area. It was where I went to find my first flamenco teacher, to find out about workshops, and to find out about shows that are coming into town. Now that I am teaching, most of the students that come to my class find me at dcflamenco.com just as I have years ago. As a student, teacher, and performer, I would like to say THANK YOU for your dedication and passion for keeping this website going. Congratulations on it's 10th year anniversary and may it have more years to come!!! Maria Roncal (Washington, DC) Mike, as you know your website, which has become the official website of the DC flamenco community,basically saved my soul while I was stuck in upstate New York for four years. Being able to keep tabs on what was happening here with Flamenco was a needed reprieve from tough classes and what at times was a very isolating kind of place. As I've said to you so many times before, in person and here on the site congratulations on 10 years of hard work and dedication...and for the next ten, keep up the outstanding work. Anonymous (Washington, DC) Dear Miguelito, Sincerely, Dear Miguelito, Cecilia Terrasa (Washington, DC) Dear Miguelito, Anonymous (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) Dear Miguelito, Alma Terremoto (New Jersey) Dear Miguelito, Cheers, Dear Miguelito, Your flamenco events page helps me determine nightly outings on a regular basis. I love the photo diary/blog too, because I can keep up to date on performances that I may not have been able to attend. Access to the teacher information has allowed me the opportunity to study with several professionals in the area as well as attend workshops by Tati, Carmela, Truco, Vargas, etc. Thanks for all of your hardwork. We are lucky to have your website to help provide a central page for flamenco information to support our community. Keep up the good work. Many Thanks! Anonymous (Washington, DC) Dear Miguelito, ~Behzad (Sterling, Virginia) Dear Miguelito, I am sure it takes a great deal of time and effort to put together such an indepth website.I have turned on fellow dancers to your site, and I hope you realize the impact you make on other aficionados' lives. Continued success in your career as a North American artist and upholder of this style of guitar, dance and life. Gracias y Ole! Anonymous (Canada) Dear Miguelito, For me, dcflamenco.com is the one-stop shop for what's happening in flamenco in the DC metropolitan area. It's all there. In addition to the regular and special events listings, and your never boring photo diary/blog, I found my first flamenco guitar teacher there, and met people like you who are now good friends. I can't imagine what life would be like without dcflamenco.com! The only thing I would change is to add a reading list to the site. I know you have sprinkled "book reports" throughout your diary/blog, but it would be nice to be able to go to one place and see them all at a glance. If you've already done this, then please forgive, but I couldn't find it, and maybe a strategically-placed link would do the trick... Anonymous (Gaithersburg, Maryland) From time to time, the flamencos where I live would refer to Michael Perez’s DC flamenco website. We have a flamenco community of our own, but not as tight-knit. We would look at the DCflamenco website for inspiration of unity and progress. The pictures show happy people, unity, and excitement. The website provides lots of information for flamenco aficionados. My friends whom visited Washington D.C. always mentioned great things about the community, especially of Michael who takes the time to give mini tours! As for myself, I finally made it up to DC to experience the flamenco scene. First by catching the tail end of the Las Tapas flamenco show. This is where I met Michael. He invited me to another flamenco outing where I would have the opportunity to meet other flamencos within the community. This outing was not published on his site therefore, it was not initially planned in my itinerary, but I was more than happy to make adjustments in my schedule. For flamenco, anything. On the evening of the outing I was feeling homesick. I was on the phone with a close friend who is also flamenco. He and I were reminiscing about past events and experiences. My spirits were low and I was deciding if I should attend the outing. I decided to go and see where the night would lead. As I walked into the Sala Rociera, I saw people dancing sevillanas. Some of the flamencos greeted me at the door. Just to see many flamencos in one room dancing and enjoying each other's company was inspiring in itself. I did not sense division between people especially since one knows there are different circles within the flamenco community. This was impressive to me. After this experience, I called my friends back home and told them that DC flamenco lives up to what it promotes because of its accuracy. DC truly has a united flamenco community. Although there are differences of opinion and a hierarchy between artists, I believe that ultimately we should unite because of the common art flamenco. It’s not about me, you, or the other person, it is about EL Arte. Punto. Thank you DC flamenco community for the warm welcome and inspiration! Marsha Bonet (Alexandria, Virginia) Dear Miguelito, Jamahl (Owings Mills, Maryland) DCFLAMENCO.COM is the heart of flamenco in the DC Metro area. Miguelito, it is thanks to you that we, the teachers and performs in this area, are able to share our passion and love of flamenco. It was thanks to your website that the flamenco program at one of the schools I teach finally took off. When you saw the word was not getting around you helped by doing a write up on me which spread the word and made it possible for the classes to take off. Many a students have come to my classes thanks to your website. When our dance company, Furia Flamenca, was established, your website played a pivotal role in promoting us. Through the years I have seen DCFLAMENCO.COM evovle and expand. All of us in the DC flamenco community have come to depend on your website for all of the latest information on shows, workshops, classes, etc. The flamenco community in DC is one of the biggest and most widely known in the nation, and we owe it all to YOU! THANK YOU!!!! for your hard work and dedication. May there be not only just 10 more years, but decades of continued success! Miguelito's website is a vehicle through which I got introduced into the D.C. Flamenco community. When I moved to D.C. four years ago, I was walking by Citron and saw a poster advertising Flamenco shows on Monday nights. I came by on Monday night and saw Micaela Moreno perform. I asked Micaela if she could recommend any Flamenco teachers or schools, and she directed me to Miguelito's website. Thanks to Miguelito's website, I quickly tracked down Edwin Aparicio, started taking classes with him in Laurel, MD, and then joined Natalia Monteleon's company, Arte Flamenco. Miguelito's website enabled me to take these formative steps immediately after I moved to D.C.! Subsequently the website has become a mechanism to stay up-to-date. I check the website every day to make sure I know about the workshops and performances taking place in the area. Also, I enjoy going there just to check out the pictures and see who is going what. It is nice to see all the familiar faces. Plus, it is a great distraction while working on the computer! The website provides us all with publicity and connects us to the Flamenco communities outside D.C. Two years ago, I was taking Omayra Amaya's workshop at Fazil's in New York. A dancer came up to me, identified herself as La Gata (she maintains the NYC flamenco website,) and told me that she knew me (or knew of me.) I was stunned! How? She told me I was featured on Miguelito's website when I performed my tablao debut at Las Tapas. I also use the website as a fun learning tool. I enjoy reading the interviews and Miguelito's on-line "lectures." (I definitely enjoy the humor.) Beyond that, the website has a broader mission. It unifies distinct segments of the D.C. Flamenco community and brings us all together. Thank you, Miguelito. Mariya Kostytska (Washington, DC) Thanks for the message and thank you for the invitation to the party but I was away on vacation, as I mentioned in my last email. In that emailI forgot to congratulate you on 10 years of DCflamenco. I know that keeping the website up to date and with as much information as it contains requires an enormous amount of work, constancy and dedication. I enjoy visiting the site and being brought up to date on goings ons (and on some of your pet peeves!) and it certainly is a service to all of us in the area that have an interest in flamenco. Look forward to seeing you soon - and maybe trading some falsetas. Anonymously (Washington, DC) Mike, Lee Aube (Annapolis, Maryland) Dear Miguelito, Ana (Baltimore County, Maryland) Congratulations on your 10th anniversary! Many thanks for a wonderful party the other night. I think Marsha expressed it best about how much you've done for the flamenco community and it was an amazing story to hear how you and she met. You've helped many dancers and teachers through your website and helped anyone who is interested in seeing a flamenco show figure out where to go any night of the week. Also, the personal touch through your diary entries keeps it very interesting. It's great the way you've managed to keep it up to date day after day. Many thanks for all of your efforts over the years helping the flamenco community flourish! Best wishes, Lisa (Washington, DC) Dear Miguelito, Anonymous (Washington, DC) Dear Michael: Shahram Tehranian (Washington, DC) Hey Mike, Anna Menendez (Washington, DC) Congratulations "Miguelito"!! My friend back in Arizona had met you through your website, so she introduced me to you when we came out for the Flamenco Festival in 2002. I was also interviewing for grad school, so there was the possibility that I would move out here, which I did. So through your website I was able to see what flamenco was going on in DC, and I was able to meet all the wonderful flamenco people here! I was so worried I wouldn't have a flamenco family the way I did in Arizona, but I was wrong! I know what you do takes a lot of work - I don't know how you do it!! Congratulations!!!! Tamara Sol Flys (Baltimore, MD) When I lived and worked in DC, I had mixed feelings about the combination of flamenco and personal web pages. Traditionally flamenco has remained sincere by relying on intimacy and word of mouth. Actually, while living in DC, I did not own or use a computer. I had only looked at the dcflamenco website a few times in the nine years it had existed. So, I was not fully aware of all the time and effort you put into it, how it does impact the DC community, the service it does for teachers, dance studios, restaurants and establishments that offer weekly flamenco shows. Not to mention being a great resource for beginning students who need trustworthy advice on where to buy shoes, skirts, CDs, etc. Ironically, when I moved to Chile last May and finally became computer literate, I started to look at DCflamenco to stay connected to so many people that I love and miss in DC. That's when I realized how incredible your website is. I had no idea before of all the archives and old photos! I could re-visit sala rocieras, ferias, great nights at cafe citron, workshops at DCDC, etc. I could also stay updated on positive new developments like newer dancers developing more as soloists, beautiful new costumes brought back from Spain, seasoned dancers presenting new productions, old and new commercial establishments offering more flamenco entertainment, etc. Flamenco is definitely at a commercial highpoint in DC right now. Partly due to the affluant economy, partly due to the marketability of the artform, and mostly due to the professional artists who, through their hardwork, talent, and integrity, have kept this artform so beloved and respected. The dcflamenco webpage is definitely an important part of that vibrancy. Congratulations Mike, for having had the "arte" to conceive of it, and the "tecnica" to have created it. Love, Sara Candela, and Jordi, too! (Santiago, Chile) Sorry Miguelito, I was unable to thank you for the invitation to the party to celebrate your 10th years of DCFlamenco website. As I have told you in the past, you are a wonderful person. You are always trying to help everyone, especially the flamenco students by donating your time to practice and also by doing what you are doing with your website. It is very hard to keep it updated, go around and take pics, looking for information etc...and do not get paid!!!!!!!that is incredible!!!! "hay que rendirte el sombrero" Your web provides us with a lot of information of what is going on in the DCarea and not just DC but in other parts of US. Again, Miguelito thank you for your hard work and dedication. Love, La India Gitana (Washington, DC) Miguelito Perez, Keep up the good work, Miguelito: You do an excellent job, and many of us have come to depend on your website for flamenco information. Thank you for keeping us informed, for uniting the community and for making us look good in every way. Un abrazo, Sylvia (Springfield, VA) Michael, Keeping up this informative website is a very hard work and you have done an outstanding job! The flamenco community in DC has grown significantly in the past few years. You have kept us informed of concerts, workshops, and many other important events that come through the city annually in addition to providing quite interesting information about the life of flamenco in DC. You are truly the official “DC Flamenco Cyber Ambassador”! Keep up the great work! Edwin Aparicio (Washington, DC) NOTE: if you have a testimonial you'd like to add. Just email me. [earlier articles][later articles][main index] |