Flamenco at University of Mary Washington’s Multicultural Fair
Flamenco dancers Yolit Yospe (left) and Cecilia Terrasa with guitarist Miguelito at University of Mary Washington's Multicultural Fair. April 14, 2012 (photo by Celinda)
It's 3-something on a Wednesday afternoon as I type the words. I'm happy to report that business is pickin' up for us local performers. Is it the economy? The unseasonably warmer weather? Who knows? The point is to enjoy it while it lasts.
So this past Saturday, I performed at University of Mary Washington's Multicultural Fair with dancers Yolit Yospe and Cecilia Terrasa. If you're a DC local, you know about the weather we've been having: unusually hot and sunny one day, then back to normal cold and windy. Since we were scheduled to perform on the outdoor stage, I was crossing my fingers and hoping for warm and sunny. Mother Nature was kind to us and granted us a beautiful day, thank you! 
VCU Flamenco Festival III: Miguelito and Friends. March 24, 2012
VCU Flamenco Festival III poster based on a photo of Ginette and Miguelito taken by Niko Alexandrou. March 24, 2012 (iPad photo by Miguelito)
It's 2-something pm on Wednesday as I type these words, four days after my Saturday night concert at the Third VCU Flamenco Festival which took place in Richmond, Virginia the weekend of March 23-25, 2012.
Lineup for this year's Festival:
- Friday March 23rd—Flamenco Completo, with guitarist Marija Temo and dancer Ulrika Frank
- Saturday March 24th—Flamenco Fiesta, with guitarist Miguelito, dancers Ginette, Sarah Louisa, Pam de Ocampo and singer Carlton Ashton
- Sunday March 25th—Flamenco Finale, with ensembles Sueños Gitanos and Flamenco del Sur
Ideally, I would've also attended the Flamenco Completo and Flamenco Finale concerts, not only as a professional courtesy but just to show my support for flamenco. But it didn't work out for me schedule-wise. Oh well. Kudos to organizers Leah Kruszewski and John Patykula for doing all the hard work behind-the-scenes to make the VCU Flamenco Festival a reality once again!
Come to think of it, this is actually my fourth time to perform here at VCU. The first time was in 1997 with the Ana Martinez Flamenco Dance Company where I played alongside guitarist Paco de Málaga. Then I was invited to perform as a solo performer in 2007, 2010 and now 2012 and each time I had a select group of dancers and singers joining me onstage.
In addition to the concert, I was also invited to give a flamenco guitar masterclass earlier that day...
Fab photos of Flamenco Night at Plaza del Sol
Miguelito at Plaza del Sol February 4, 2012 (photo by Hélène Myko)
It's almost 6pm on Wednesday as I struggle to type these words. As much as I love my iPad, the onscreen keyboard is a pain to use for extended periods. Oh well. So it's official. After a short trial period, the flamenco show at Plaza del Sol Restaurant is now EVERY Saturday.
Yeah flamenco-wise, it's not exactly something new in Bethesda, Maryland. There have been flamenco shows here on and off over the years: Andalucía Restaurant, Thyme Square Café, Jaleo Bethesda (if you count Sevillanas as flamenco), Frascati, Divino Lounge and now Plaza del Sol. And of course, there are the flamenco dance classes at Joy of Motion Bethesda.
Of course I'm thrilled to have yet another fun night of flamenco every week while also making some money. But I'm also thrilled about the opportunity to expose more people to the art of flamenco who might not discover it for themselves unless they happen to walk by Plaza del Sol.
The cool thing is that the "stage" is right by the window. The original intention was to put the show in an area of the restaurant such that the servers wouldn't get in the way of the dancers. But as it turns out, having the show by the window attracts people's attention and hopefully draws them into the restaurant. But there's more to the draw than the flamenco. In the few months that Plaza has been open, they've gotten a rep for excellent food and service. So come for the flamenco but definitely stay and try the food.
Flamenco Night at Jalapenos in Annapolis
Flamenco dancers Rocío Montoya, Sara Jerez and Pam de Ocampo in bulerías at Jalapeños Restaurant in Annapolis, Maryland. January 26, 2012 (photo by Fran Farkas)
It's almost 1pm on a Tuesday as I type these words. I actually started working on this blog yesterday, but I was shall we say, brain dead. I'm guessing that this past flamenco-filled weekend totally wore me out.
Anywayz, last Thursday I had the pleasure of performing again at Jalapeños Restaurant in Annapolis, Maryland. All the photos are by Fran Farkas with the exception of one courtesy of Pam de Ocampo.
Joining me onstage were a few familiar faces that you've seen in my blog countless times over the years: dancers Pam de Ocampo and Sara Jerez as well as singer Carlton Ashton. It's always a blast working with these people of course, but we also had a special guest all the way from Granada, Spain: dancer Rocío Montoya!
Happy 16th birthday DCFlamenco!
It's 7:22am on Tuesday as I type these words. Believe it or not I went to bed before midnight for a change. So I'm up early and it so happens, it's my website's 16th birthday today, yay! It was first launched on January 10, 1996. Hmmmm, how will I celebrate?
Sixteen years is a very long time to be on the Internet, and if you're interested, I pretty much covered the origins of my website in last year's birthday blog. And yeah, while I've definitely had a huge impact on the DC flamenco community as far getting the word out about the local scene, the truth is that DCFlamenco is dying.
Just kidding…I'm being overly dramatic to make a point. 
Thing is that a few years ago, a website was the center of information. And it still is in a way. You go to Google, type in "flamenco" or "flamenco in DC" and my website consistently shows up in the top results and all the info you need about the DC flamenco scene is still at your fingertips.
But the "game" has changed. Social media is where it's at: consequently, my website has been relegated to being just one of many sources of information that people go to in their search for info about flamenco in DC. The quality of the content in DCFlamenco is still the same of course. What's changed is that people go to social media more than individual websites like mine.
DC Flamenco Newsletter
Recent Posts
- Flamenco at University of Mary Washington’s Multicultural Fair
- VCU Flamenco Festival III: Miguelito and Friends. March 24, 2012
- Fab photos of Flamenco Night at Plaza del Sol
- Flamenco Night at Jalapenos in Annapolis
- Happy 16th birthday DCFlamenco!
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