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Another reason to go out and support your fellow flamencos!
The photo 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! Almost 20 years in the DC Flamenco Scene!
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 to the left 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.
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 Perea and Pam de Ocampo and singer Gerard Moreno.  Dancers Ginette Perea 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:
For further details, visit my calendar page at DCFlamenco.com! Flamenco at L2 Lounge in Georgetown. July 1, 2010 Flamenco dancers Emily Mazzotti and Sara Candela performing Sevillanas at L2 Lounge in Georgetown. July 1, 2010 July 5, 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 at The Forum at Harman Center for the Arts. June 30, 2010 Furia Flamenca members Karina, Estela Velez (director), Evlyn, Sylvia, Amy and Lauren opening the show with Sevillanas. June 30, 2010 July 5, 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. Natalia Monteleón's Arte Flamenco at Jalapeño's in Annapolis. June 17, 2010 Cori Bernal dancing a soleá accompanied by guitarist Miguelito and singer Hector Márquez. June 17, 2010 (photo by Franciska) June 24, 2010 With the struggling economy, business for us flamencos has been slow the past year and while it is picking up little by little, we're all still struggling. But every now and then I get a whole string of gigs one after the other...when it rains it pours, as the saying goes. And last week was one of those weeks! Besides rehearsing everyday for the Hurricane Whispers gig with Helena Lalita, and my usual weekly gigs at Las Tapas and Cafe Citron, I was also tapped to join Natalia Monteleón's Arte Flamenco for their monthly show at Jalapeño's Restaurant in Annapolis, Maryland last Thursday. I have played for Arte Flamenco for more than 10 years and I am one of their regular guitarists, but this was my first time to perform at Jalapeño's so I was especially excited. It's not too often I get out to Annapolis, other than driving through on my way to the beaches in Delaware. Don't let the strip mall exterior fool you. Upon first pulling into the parking lot, my impression was that this was a tiny fast food restaurant, but once you get past the bar, you're greeted by a fancy glass wall fountain. The hostess then leads you to the dining area with fancy classic wooden chairs, white linen-covered tables and murals depicting presumably the Spanish countryside.  Cori Bernal and musicians with Claudia Román and Natalia Monteleón providing palmas. June 17, 2010 (photo by Franciska) The stage is in front of the fireplace where us musicians sat. Thankfully there was no roaring fire at our backs on such a hot day! Arte Flamenco director Natalia Monteleón and I arrived an hour early and I ordered a Tecate to cool myself off. My head wasn't in the game, and I made the rookie mistake of not ordering some food before the show. Experienced restaurant performers know that between setting up sound and lights, warming up with the dancers and singer, doing the show and putting your equipment away afterwards, there literally is no time to grab a bite. I did get some tasty tapas afterwards but I left with more Tecate in my tummy than food. Not a good thing! :-)  Claudia Román dancing Guajiras. June 17, 2010 (photo by Francika) I had performed with Arte Flamenco just a few days earlier at the DC Feria de Sevilla, so a rehearsal wasn't necessary. Besides we were doing tablao-style flamenco. No group numbers. Just solo dance numbers so we were all free to give and take with changes in choreography, letras and falsetas in the spur of the moment...the way I like it! As I expected, the show went really well. We had a quite a contingent of Arte Flamenco dance students, fans and supporters. We filled the dining room to capacity or close to it, so I'm sure the restaurant owner was pleased. I've been asked to come and play at Jalapeño's again next month on July 15th, yay! So if you can make it out to Annapolis on a Thursday night, the show starts around 8:30pm (subject to last minute change, so call ahead at 410-266-7580).  Closeup of the musicians. June 17, 2010 (photo by Franciska) Visit the Jalapeño's website for directions, menu and more information and see you next month! Hurricane Whispers at Wonderbox: collaboration with Helena Lalita et al. June 20, 2010 Dancer Ginette Perea, videographer Seanie Blue, guitarist Michael Leuchtenberger, singer/violinist Helena Lalita, singer Sandra Bishop, guitarist Miguelito and sitar/tabla player John Protopapas. June 20, 2010 (photo by Jani) June 24, 2010 It's 2-something pm on Thursday as I type these words. It's been almost two weeks since the DC Feria and I still haven't published pics. So much catching up to do! But to be honest I'm drowning in a sea of pics (many of them gorgeous!) so it'll take me some time to sort through them. In the meantime, I'll catch up on blogging by publishing a few short entries starting with the most recent flamenco-related event this past Sunday at the Wonderbox. My friend Seanie Blue and I have known each other since 1991, the year I first arrived to live in the DC area. He's one of the masterminds behind Wonderbox, an artspace based here in DC. While on a recent trip to Southern California he stumbled upon a young musician named Helena Lalita and was so intrigued by her talent he decided to bring her to DC to adapt a suite of songs (authored by himself, Peter Fox and Steve McCormick) and have her collaborate with me on flamenco guitar, singer Sandra Bishop, tabla/sitar player John Protopapas, guitarist Michael Leuchtenberger and flamenco dancer Ginette Perea.  The movie set. We were surrounded by lighting umbrellas, video and still cameras. June 20, 2010 (photo by Jani) For the six intense days leading up the the performance/videoshoot, Helena, Sandra and I rehearsed at the Wonderbox. Seanie, one of the writers, gave us license to adapt the songs as we pleased. It was my first time to work with a singer like Helena who's voice kind of reminds me of Norah Jones. And I believe it was her first time to work with a flamenco guitarist. I'm not going to lie. While I was surrounded by such great talent, I was wondering what I got myself into. But while I was a bit overwhelmed it was also a good feeling. It meant that I was stretching myself artistically by exploring something new for me.  Dancer Ginette Perea testing out the floor during a break. I duct-taped a lavalier microphone underneath to pick up her footwork on the recording. June 20, 2010 (photo by Jani) So I listened to a recording of the original version of the songs that Helena and I were comissioned to adapt. And the song most closely resembling anything flamenco to my ears was "Namaste Papi" for the simple reason that it ventured at times into the Phrygian mode. While the compás was mostly in 4's, I did include a section of 12's por bulerías to give our dancer Ginette a chance to expose our presumably non-flamenco audience to something interesting and different. Fortunately, I didn't have to explain bulerías compás to Helena. She has great ears and picked up it quickly. Same goes for tabla player John Protopapas (incidentally Helena's father!) who being well-versed in Indian music probably deals with rhythmic patterns vastly more complex than something in 12's!  This is me, Miguelito, trying my best to look comfortable but suffering a bit from the heat of the lights. :-) June 20, 2010 (photo by Jani) So the day of the videoshoot, the air-conditioning wasn't working as well as we had hoped. It was scorching hot outside and it wasn't that much cooler in the Wonderbox. With the small crowd of people half of whom was the production crew manning cameras, lighting and sound there was a bit more natural body heat and electronics-generated heat than we planned for. We did have some industrial-strength fans (aka wind machines) on hand, but during the shoot we turned them off for the sake of being able to properly record the live music. So yeah, we were all sweating on stage. And I must say, that it probably did add a bit of drama to the video. Sweat is a good thing in this case. Poor Ginette was one doing the real work though. I thought I was feeling pretty hot just sitting there playing my guitar. But she was dancing in this heat!  Me again with sitar player John Protopapas.June 20, 2010 (photo by Jani) I should mention of course that Ginette was also exploring new ground. On the day of the show, with no rehearsal she was requested to come up with some choreography not only for the bulerías of "Namaste Papi," but also for some of the other not-quite-flamenco songs on our set list for the evening! Ginette said to Seanie, "...At first I was so confused at what was going on, I always seem to enter the wonderbox wondering what will happen there...I never know. This suspense gives me the motivation I need to make things happen."  Closeup of singers Helena Lalita and Sandra Bishop accompanied by me on guitar. June 20, 2010 (photo by Jani) I can't wait to see the videos and photos coming out of this production. It was a pleasure to work with such talented people and I know there will be more opportunities like this coming again soon. My thanks to Seanie Blue and all the wonderfully creative people at Wonderbox for their support and for pushing me to try something new!  Posing after the video shoot with Ginette and Helena. June 20, 2010 (photo by Jani) In the meantime, checkout Helena's page on MySpace. Photoshoot at The Wonderbox with Seanie Blue. May 29, 2010 Flamenco guitarist Miguelito with dancer Ginette Perea. Seanie comments, "Study of Ginette Perea, dancing from the waist up: She is sprawled on the floor, and Pérez crouches beside her as Blue shoots from a distance to compress the focal plane. Shot on a 185mm zoom MF Nikkor lens which is the favorite of model train enthusiasts." May 29, 2010 (photo by Seanie Blue) May 31, 2010 It's 1-something am on Monday as I type these words..the last day of the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Just got home after spending the evening at the Georgetown Waterfront with a friend. Of course we stopped by Bodega and after consuming a very potent pitcher-and-a-half of white sangría I seriously had to lie down. But that was an hour ago and now I'm sobered up and wide awake! So this past Saturday my flamenco dancer friend Ginette Perea and I returned to the new arts/music space "The Wonderbox" but this time to do a shoot with photographer Seanie Blue. Although we had been to the "Box" only once before, it was already feeling like home mostly because Seanie, being an artist himself, had a pretty good idea of what to say and do to make us feel comfortable. Seanie comments, "...the session goes for 3.5 hours, has five costume changes, and consumes 1,238 photographs. Manual lenses, focused each time, dancing subject! But the results are cool." I'm a performer and I'm onstage in front of people on a weekly basis, so you'd think, OK, so being in front of a camera in a photo shoot is no big deal. I'm not saying it was traumatic. It was just something new for me, being told which direction to turn my head, where to focus my eyes, shift my body weight, chin up. Hmmm...these kinds of directions do sound familiar: they're what dancers are used to hearing all the time!  Miguelito with Ginette. May 29, 2010 (photo by Seanie Blue) But I'm not a dancer. I'm a flamenco guitarist and while I do think about "getting into character" when I'm onstage, most of my energy goes into playing the guitar, getting into the mood for each palo and accompanying the dancer and singer to the best of my ability. And if I look a little less than photogenic from time to time, it doesn't really matter all that much since the audience is drawn visually to the dancer, most of the time, right? So Ginette and I arrive at The Wonderbox and we chat awhile with Seanie, get an idea of his vision and eventually we walk over to the studio. There were these fancy lights with shiny umbrellas on them which I expected to see. What I didn't expect was that these were all daisy-chained by a cable that terminated at Sean's camera. I think the way it works is that the lights give him illumination so he can focus his camera and when he presses the shutter button all the lights (three separate ones) go off with a flash.  Another study of Ginette Perea. May 29, 2010 (photo by Seanie Blue) But the flash is more than just to brighten things up of course. It allows Seanie to manipulate the direction and intensity of the light to achieve whatever his vision is. One thing he mentioned to us afterwards was that he had to compensate for the fact that I had darker skin tone than Ginette's...yeah I spend a lot of time outdoors. Not that he wanted us to look the same but so that I didn't appear excessively dark or that Ginette didn't appear ghostly white. So he had me closer to the lights most of the time. Anywayz, I don't know that much about the technical side of studio photography. But my job that day was to be one of the photographic subjects. He knew that Ginette would take to this naturally since being a dancer she was accustomed to painting a picture through the movement of dance. I on the other hand, was very dependent on direction from Seanie. And while most of the time, he'd ask me do things that I didn't naturally do (like look away from the dancer) or remind me to raise my chin (I'm used to chin down from watching my hands), he assured me that his job was to make us look good.  Miguelito and Ginette. Seanie comments, "The staircase was pulled from the old Tivoli Theatre, loaned by Ron at the Brass Knob Warehouse, and structured by Andy Cassatt." May 29, 2010 (photo by Seanie Blue) Seanie comments poetically about one of the photos, "One of perhaps 10,000 poses Gin struck during a tiresome but thrilling shoot. She is a bundle of energy, a gyro of wills and unexpressed dreams; in the shadows of Michael's icy determination to make the instrument his perfect horse, leaping at a whisper instead of a touch, she is like a spill of lava into a nighttime of possibility. Working with these guys was utter pleasure." The feeling is mutual Seanie! Flamenco at The Wonderbox. May 23, 2010 Miguelito playing guitar at the grand opening of The Wonderbox. May 23, 2010 (photo by Andrés Jacome Melkonian) May 26, 2010 It's 11-something am on Wednesday as I type these words. As usual, I'm doing my blogging at a cafe using free WiFi while getting my caffeine fix. So this past Sunday, flamenco dancer Ginette Perea and I were invited to perform at the grand opening of The Wonderbox, a new art/music space in DC founded by Seanie Blue and Andy Cassatt. Among the guests were many fellow artists from musicians to dancers to actors to photographers to videographers and more! And while I could've handed my camera to someone in the audience to take pics of our flamenco show, instead I waited to see what some of photographers in attendance that evening would come up with. My friend Andrés Jacome Melkonian gave me permission to republish here some of his work...thanks Andrés!  Miguelito again. May 23, 2010 (photo by Andrés Jacome Melkonian)  Flamenco dancer Ginette Perea. May 23, 2010 (photo by Andrés Jacome Melkonian)  Ginette. May 23, 2010 (photo by Andrés Jacome Melkonian)  Ginette. May 23, 2010 (photo by Andrés Jacome Melkonian)  Ginette. May 23, 2010 (photo by Andrés Jacome Melkonian)  Ginette. May 23, 2010 (photo by Andrés Jacome Melkonian)  Ginette. May 23, 2010 (photo by Andrés Jacome Melkonian)  Ginette. May 23, 2010 (photo by Andrés Jacome Melkonian)  Ginette. May 23, 2010 (photo by Andrés Jacome Melkonian)  Ginette. May 23, 2010 (photo by Andrés Jacome Melkonian)  Ginette. May 23, 2010 (photo by Andrés Jacome Melkonian)  After the show, Ginette, stunning as usual, mingling with some of the invited guests and artists. From left: Sandra Bishop, Ricardo, Andrés Jacome Melkonian and James Mercé Edwards. May 23, 2010 (photo by Miguelito) As you can see, Sandra was in costume as "MozTart" for her performance later that evening. :-) Here's a sample of one of her hilarious videos on YouTube. And yeah, she's a flamenco dancer too. I used to do shows with Sandra all the time in the 90's. The guy on right, James, is a filmmaker. I played guitar on the soundtrack (by composer Nicolas Laget) for one of his films last year!  Before the show, Ginette with Seanie Blue (one of the founders of Wonderbox) and the videographer Halldóra Mark. I've known Sean since the early 90's and did some flamenco performances with dancers in at least one of his films (Popé and the Alien) and many performance art pieces at the Blagden Alley ArtScience Warehouse.May 23, 2010 (photo by Miguelito) Text and original images ©1996-2010 by . Please do not republish content from this website, including text and photos, in whole or part without prior written permission. |
 Details in the calendar.  News and updates8/21/2010Just added a bunch of upcoming performances for August and September. See calendar. 7/27/2010  Guitarist Miguelito (that's me!) celebrates his birthday this week. Happy birthday to me! :-) 7/6/2010Just added to calendar: Flamenco workshop by Anna Menéndez at American Dance Institute in Rockville. Details. 6/15/2010Just added to calendar: Flamenco workshop by Sergio Bernal-Alonso June 28th-July 2nd. A blog entry or two about last Sunday's DC Feria de Sevilla are in the works. Sifting through hundreds of photos!!! 6/3/2010  Just added American Dance Institute's Flamenco Recital 2010 featuring Anna Menéndez to the calendar. Just added the schedule of performers for this year's DC Feria de Sevilla. 6/2/2010Edwin Aparicio will be giving a Sevillanas Workshop this weekend. Details. 6/1/2010Guitarist Alfred Cáceres performing this Sunday June 6th at noon at the Ibero-American Guitar Festival at the National Museum of the American Indian. DC flamenco guitarist Behzad Habibzai will be joining him! Details. Just added a blog entry titled Jovenes Flamencos at St Michael Archangel Catholic Church. Just added a blog entry titled Photoshoot at the WonderBox with Seanie Blue. 5/24/2010Checkout the video of Furia Flamenca apprentice dancer Carmen Smith-Estrada at Millenium Stage. Click on link and fast forward to 11:10. 5/19/2010 Dancer Genevieve aka La Genoveva celebrates her birthday this week. Happy birthday Genevieve! Checkout this blog I wrote about her when she first arrived to DC. Lots of flamenco at this year's Washington Folk Festival: Furia Flamenca on June 5th, Natalia Monteleón's Arte Flamenco and The Roya Ensemble on June 6th. See calendar. 5/17/2010Just added to calendar: A Night of Flamenco & Tapas at St Michael's the Archangel Church in Silver Spring, Maryland on Friday May 28th. Featuring guitarist Hector Márquez, singer Naíto, percussionist Mateo Romero and dancer Sarah Hart. 5/10/2010 Dancer Ginette Perea celebrates her birthday this week (she also graduates from college this week too!). Happy birthday and congrats Ginette! 4/29/2010Just added to the calendar: Flamenco Master Classes with Pablo Rodarte. Next week! 4/27/2010Read the review of Post Classical Ensemble's Friday night performance of "Falla and Flamenco" at Sidney Harman Hall. in the Washington Post. 4/26/2010Just added to the calendar: Carmen de Vicente's Spain in Motion at Gunston Arts Center. Also coming May 3-4 (Monday and Tuesday)at Taberna del Alabardero: dancer Azucena Vega with special guest artist guitarist Jesús de Araceli. 4/14/2010Just added Dina Fadeyeva to the Teacher Directory. She teaches at the Virginia Ballet Company and School in Fairfax, Virginia. Have you checked out the music videos by the DC-based rumba group Duende Camarón? Beautifully done with Andean influence. 4/10/2010 Dancer Anna Menéndez celebrates her birthday next week. Happy birthday Anna!  Dancer Cecilia Terrasa celebrates her birthday next week. Happy birthday Cecilia! Just added to the calendar: Flamenco Completo Workshop with Ulrika Frank and Marija Temo. 4/8/2010 Guitarist Mateo Romero celebrates his birthday this week. Happy birthday Mateo! He has been joining me in tablao shows for a few years now. Checkout pics from 2008. Good times! 4/6/2010Just added to the calendar: Ziva's Spanish Dance Ensemble at the Black Rock Center for the Arts. 4/1/2010 Just added a new blog entry titled Furia Flamenca at the Sylvan Stage. 3/30/2010Just added to the calendar: FREE screening of Rito y Geografía del Cante Flamenco with discussion by flamenco scholar Brook Zern at the National Gallery of Art. 3/29/2010Just added to calendar for this Friday April 2nd: International Club of DC presents An Evening in Madrid: Flamenco Dance Performance—at Café Citron VIP Lounge. 3/26/2010Just in time for the upcoming DC Feria: Monday night Sevillanas classes at Born 2 Dance studio in Vienna taught by Sylvia Melecio. 3/25/2010 Dancer choreographer teacher Estela Velez de Paredez celebrates her birthday this week. Happy birthday Estela!. 3/22/2010Just published a blog about Foursquare and flamenco in DC. Do you have some flamenco-related items to sell or are looking to buy? Checkout my message board. It's a free service for the community! Are you on Foursquare? I'm busy adding recommendations for the DC flamenco scene. But don't let ME have the final word: join Foursquare and add your own recommendations! Did you know that dancer Edwin Aparicio performed in the first annual Los Angeles Flamenco Festival this past weekend? Seen any reviews yet? 3/18/2010It's photographer Niko Alexandrou's birthday today. Check out some of his excellent photos of the DC flamenco scene. 3/15/2010Just added to the calendar: Post Classical Ensemble's Falla and Flamenco—El Corregidor y la Molinera at Sidney Harman Hall.  Just added to the calendar: upcoming performances for Furia Flamenca.  Just added to the calendar: upcoming performances for Natalia Monteleón's Arte Flamenco. 3/12/2010 Checkout the fabulous pics by my photographer friend Jill Hatzai in this blog entry titled Rumba night at Guarapo. Did you know that the University of Maryland, College Park has a flamenco dance class? Taught by Miriam Phillips, the course number is DANCE 489F and it's on Tuesdays and Thursdays 3:30pm-4:45pm in Studio 2 of the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. Guess what? Yours truly is the guitarist for the class! 3/10/2010The classical guitar program at my alma mater, Cal State Fullerton, may soon be effectively destroyed due to cutbacks in the wake of the current financial crisis. Here's a video documentary with info about what's happening as well as links on how to help. Just published a blog entry titled If you think about flamenco 8 hours a day in your cubicle, you're probably in the wrong job. 3/8/2010 Guitarist Ramin Rad celebrates his birthday this week. Happy birthday Ramin! Check out his well-known website Flamenco-Teacher.com. He also performs in El Manantial's flamenco show in Reston on Fridays. 3/4/2010 Just added to calendar: Flamenco Workshop by Alfonso Losa. 3/3/2010 Guitarist and percussionist Behzad Habibzai (pictured here with Rubem Dantas) celebrates his birthday this week. Happy birthday Behzad! Just published a blog entry titled "Yeah, I am THAT guy!" or Miguelito the flamenco guitarist is also Miguelito the webmaster!. 2/28/2010 Just added a blog entry titled Marina Heredia at Lisner Auditorium. 2/22/2010Duende Camarón is out of town. (They played in Cancún this past weekend!) They're not back yet so tonight guitarists Richard Marlow and Ramin Rad will be playing rumbas at Cafe Citron. Show starts around 8:00pm. 2/16/2010Read Kathleen O'Connell's review of Rocío Molina's Friday night New York performance. Read Andrew Beaujon's review of Rocío Molina's Sunday night performance at Lisner in the Washington CityPaper. Read Paula Durbin's review of Lisner Auditorium's Flamenco Festival performance by Compañía Rocío Molina in today's Washington Post. You dancers will want to checkout ToritoMedia's video coverage of Day 1 of SIMOF for the latest fashion designer interpretations of flamenco costume.  Guitarist Richard Marlow and dancer Jason Vera y Aragón celebrate their birthdays this week. Happy birthday guys! 2/13/2010 Just added a blog entry titled Flamenco at Las Tapas. 1/28/2010There's a new private dance studio in McLean, Virginia called Just Flamenco. The resident teacher is Lee Schneider. Read the article in the McLean Connection. Just added dance teacher Lee Schneider to the Teachers Directory. This Sunday January 31st, Things To Do DC is hosting Taste of Spain: Dinner and Flamenco Dance Show at Las Tapas featuring guitarist Miguelito with dancers Sarah Hart and Ginette Perea. Just heard that International Club of DC is hosting An Evening in Madrid: Flamenco Dance Performance at Cafe Citron. 1/26/2010Just added to the calendar: Dressed to Dance at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Details 1/24/2010Just added a blog entry titled Saturday Night Flamenco at Cafe Citron. Also, dancer Emily Mazzotti celebrates her birthday this week. Happy birthday Emily! 1/19/2010 Read the article by Nancy Heller titled Flamenco not to be missed. It's about Soledad Barrio and Noche Flamenca which is coming to Philadelphia's Kimmel Center this Saturday January 23rd. They're not coming to DC so this is your only chance! Road trip anyone? 1/18/2010Just added: Latin Ballet of Virginia's Passion, Love & Roses coming up in March! Found a video on YouTube of Duende Camarón at Cafe Citron. They perform Monday nights 8:30pm-11:30pm. Just heard that the Oretea brothers are performing in a band called Ouros which fuse flamenco, bluegrass, jazz, Latin, and traditional American and European music into a consistent and original sound. Show is 7:30pm TONIGHT in Rockville. Details. Thanks to Heather for this info! Just added: Tangos de Málaga workshop by La Maja at You Can Dance Studio in Hampton, Virginia. Details. Lisner's 10th Annual Flamenco Festival is next month. You've bought your tickets already haven't you? Just added: Dance On Stage, two flamenco dance workshops for beginners that take place on Lisner's stage each taught by local artists Sara Jerez and Ana Martinez. More info in the calendar. 1/17/2010 Just added a blog entry titled Saturday Night Flamenco at Cafe Citron. Just added Halifax, Nova Scotia-based María Osende Flamenco and Houston-based Solero Flamenco to my list of flamenco-related websites around the world. My thanks to Jeremy García for the link!
 Flamenco singer Carlton Ashton celebrates his birthday this week. Happy birthday Carlton! 1/10/2010Just added a blog entry titled Happy 14th Birthday DC Flamenco!  I'm so proud of my website DCFlamenco! It was first published 14 years ago on January 10th, 1996. I'll write a blog about this later today. Anywayz, happy birthday DCFlamenco! 1/9/2010Just added Hampton, VA-based flamenco dancer Michelle Jones to the teacher directory. 1/7/2010 On January 9th, Emily Mazzotti is the featured dancer in this weekend's Saturday Night at Cafe Citron. Shows at 7:00pm and 8:00pm. 1/5/2010 Read the latest blog titled "Monday Night Rumba at Cafe Citron." 1/4/2010 Happy New Year! Read the latest blog titled "Saturday Night Flamenco at Cafe Citron."  Dancer Sarah Hart celebrates her birthday this week. Happy birthday Sarah! She teaches at Roda Movements Studio in Takoma Park.  Just heard that rumba group Duende Camarón is playing 8:30pm tonight at Cafe Citron. Come out and show your support! Yours truly will be there! 12/29/2009Cafe Citron's Monday night flamenco show has been moved to Saturdays at 7:00pm starting January 2, 2010. Show your support and come out to the first show. 12/8/2009"...the star of the performance is Edwin Aparicio whose legs defy possible innervation as they vibrate into being out of visual focus." Read Bob Anthony's review of Edwin Aparicio's "Flamenco Deconstructed." 11/29/2009Dance teacher Emily Mazzotti has updated her class schedule. 11/25/2009Just added to the calendar: Aparicio Flamenco Dance Company in Flamenco Deconstructed at Gala Theatre. 11/23/2009Read the review of the Fuego Flamenco Festival in today's Washington Post. 11/16/2009Just added to the calendar: Casa Patas featuring Isabel López in Gala Theatre's Fuego Flamenco Festival. 11/12/2009Flamenco en Familia at Gala Theatre on November 28th featuring Natalia Monteleón's Arte Flamenco and Omayra Amaya Flamenco Master Class in December! Details in calendar. 11/10/2009Marija Temo and Ulrika Frank are coming to DC on November 22 to complete their tour of Flamenco Completo bulerías workshop. More info in the calendar. 10/9/2009The Sala Rociera is back! If you're on FaceBook, click here to RSVP. Otherwise come to DC Dance Collective on Saturday November 7, 2009 at 9pm. Cover charge. 10/6/2009Dancer Edwin Aparicio performing in a benefit concert of Íntimo at Gala Hispanic Theatre on October 14th. Flamencos doing musicals this month (yes, really!): Guitarist Marija Temo is performing in "Man of La Mancha" with the Annapolis Chamber Orchestra on October 9-10. Miguelito (that's me) is playing guitar in "Ferdinand the Bull" at Imagination Stage in Bethesda everyday until November 1st. 10/5/2009Read the review of DC-based flamenco guitarist/singer Marija Temo's performance in Alabama with Corazón Flamenco. Dancer Edwin Aparicio was mentioned in a review of the VelocityDC Festival in today's Washington Post. Dancer Renee Lamont was mentioned in reviews of Imagination Stage's "Ferdinand the Bull" in the Washington Post, the Washington Times and DC Theatre Scene. Read the review of Paco Peña's Saturday night performance at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. Checkout SpainDC for some DC area Spanish and flamenco-related events for October. 9/28/2009Wasn't able to make it to Fiesta DC in Mt Pleasant yesterday (Sunday) where Furia Flamenca and Arte Flamenco were performing. Did find some pics of Arte Flamenco on Flickr. 9/24/2009Doesn't look like Paco Peña is coming to the DC area this year. The closest shows will be in New York and Philadelphia on October 2nd and 3rd respectively. See calendar. 9/21/2009Today marks the 8th anniversary of live flamenco shows at Café Citrón! Checkout pics from the very first show in 2001. 9/20/2009Read the latest blog entry to get Miguelito's (that's me!) take on what's been going on in the DC flamenco scene lately. 
Singer Hector Márquez celebrates his birthday this week. Happy birthday Hector! 9/14/2009Congrats to DC-based flamenco artists Estela Velez and Guillermo Christie who were the winners of Excellence in Costume Design and Excellence in Sound Design/Original Composition, respectively, at last night's Metro DC Dance Awards! 9/6/2009 Starting this week: new session of flamenco classes by dancer Sarah Hart at Roda Movements in Takoma Park, MD. Just updated the Weekly Shows calendar to include Sunday night rumba at Coppi's, Monday through Thursday night rumba at Lima, Thursday night rumba at Guarapo and Saturday night rumba at Las Tapas. 9/5/2009I'm back on Twitter again. I do more frequent flamenco-related updates. Just follow me @flamencodc. Just updated Richmond-based flamenco guitarist Frank Rourke's contact info on the Teachers' Page. Just added a couple of upcoming shows in September by Furia Flamenca to the Calendar. BTW, there's no flamenco at Cafe Citron this Monday in honor of the Labor Day holiday. 9/3/2009 Niño de Los Reyes is coming to DC this month to give a workshop at DC Dance Collective! Details. 8/13/2009 Just added pics from dancer Sarah Hart's first time to perform at Cafe Citron. 8/7/2009Richmond-based flamenco guitarist Leah Kruszewski has a new website. 8/6/2009Check it out: DC-based guitarist Richard Marlow and dancer Genevieve Guinn were mentioned in a review in the Los Angeles Times. Congrats!  Just added to the teacher directory: Baltimore-based flamenco guitarist Paul Villmoare. Welcome Paul! Just read in today's Washington Post that a one-time Sevillanas class is being offered at the Long Branch Senior Center in Silver Spring today (Aug 6th) at 11:00am. 7/29/2009 Flamenco dancer Daniela and yours truly, Miguelito, celebrate our birthdays this week. Happy birthday to us! 7/3/2009Just heard that the "Verano Flamenco" scheduled for July 18th has been canceled. Checkout the pics from the first Verano Flamenco. 6/19/2009Just heard that this Sunday June 21st at 1:00pm, DC flamenco multi-instrumentalist Behzad Habibzai will be playing cajón with guitarist Alfredo Caceres in the Ibero-American Guitar Festival tribute to Heitor Villa-Lobos.  Just heard that New York-based flamenco artist Andrea del Conte passed away this past Tuesday. Memorial service to be held 10:30am today at St Stephen's Church 151 E. 28th St (between 3rd and Lex in New York. This Sunday June 21st, there's a new rumba show in DC at Coppi's Organic Restaurant (just three blocks from Vinoteca) featuring guitarists Ramin Rad and César Oretea. 9:30pm-11:30pm. Did you know that DC flamenco dancer Edwin Aparicio will be performing in New York (Thu-Sun next week) in Omayra Amaya's La Sobremesa? 6/14/2009 New six-week flamenco class session with dancer/teacher Sarah Hart starts Thursday and Saturday this week at Roda Movements in Takoma Park. I'm such a nerd. :-) Got my Facebook vanity URL just hours after they were made available! (Thanks to fellow Twitterer Michael Long for the nudge.) Now it's easy to find me on Facebook. It's dcflamenco, of course! 6/10/2009 Just published a blog entry about Verano Flamenco at DC Dance Collective. 6/8/2009 Just added to the calendar: Feria de Sevilla at Taberna del Alabardero this Sunday June 14th featuring performances by Carmen de Vicente Flamenco School and Maestro del Cante Manolo Leiva with dancer Emily Mazzotti and guitarist Henry Jova.  Did you know that DC flamenco Emily Mazzotti will be performing in Tablao Flamenco in Astoria, NY this Friday June 12th? 6/7/2009Check out this promotional slide show of the flamenco show at Café Citrón made by a local promoter. 6/6/2009 Just added to the calendar: Suspiro Andaluz returns to Artomatic. 6/5/2009Just added to the calendar:Carlos Sánchez Segura Flamenco Workshop in Arlington and Arte Flamenco at Latino Fest in Baltimore. Read the article by Debbie Jerome, a local flamenco dance student and writer: Verano Flamenco: A new DC flamenco tablao for future flamenco stars in the Washington Examiner 6/1/2009 Dancer Isabel Otero celebrates her birthday this week. Happy birthday Isa! 5/29/2009 Local flamenco singer "Naíto" celebrates his birthday this week. Happy birthday "Naíto!"  Just added to the calendar: Carmen de Vicente Spanish Dance Academy presents Indalo, Music and Dance from Spain at Gunston Arts Center in Arlington, Virginia featuring guest artist Carlos Sánchez Segura, first dancer from the Royal Conservatory of Madrid. 5/21/2009 Just added pics of the Ana Martinez & Paco de Málaga Flamenco Dance Company from the European Union Open House at the Embassy of Spain.  Just added pics of Furia Flamenca from their recent performance at the Embassy of Spain. Just added new flamenco events to the calendar: Noche de Sevillanas at DC Dance Collective, Una Noche Flamenca at Area 405, Ziva's Spanish Dance Ensemble at the Washington Folk Festival, Gipsy Kings at Wolf Trap and Arte Flamenco's 9th Annual Recital. 5/10/2009 Dancer Ginette Perea celebrates her birthday this week. Genevieve aka Genoveva celebrates her birthday next week. Happy birthday ladies! 5/7/2009Just added dancer/teacher Sarah Hart to the Teacher Directory. Currently teaching Thursday nights at Roda Movements in Takoma Park, MD. 5/4/2009 Added pics from last Saturday's Flamenco Recital at the American Dance Institute in Rockville, MD. |
[photo on the right by Stan Peters, taken at the DC Feria de Sevilla in 1997]
Trying out a new format for the website: putting my freshest content, i.e. the most recent blog entries, on the front page.