Marinera, marinera, marinera! May 27, 2007

Welcome to the Marinera competition. May 27, 2007 1:43pm

One of my flamenco dancer friends, who happens to be Peruvian, invited me to join her in watching a Marinera competition on Sunday.

What is Marinera? It's a Peruvian couple dance that might've had very humble beginnings but has evolved (and continues to evolve from year to year) into a highly refined art form around which serious competitions are organized every year here in the US and in Perú and I'm sure in other parts of the world. The different dance schools that were represented at this competition had banners, wore t-shirts and jackets emblazoned with their logos. The cheers, shouts and noisemaking were just as intense as you might find in a sporting event. Of course, the competition itself was held in a gymnasium complete with the yellow-tinted fluorescent lights. The concrete walls really didn't help with the acoustics. I could barely understand the Spanish, let alone appreciate the music blaring through the sound system as it echoed throughout the gym. I got used to it after awhile.

Flamenco lecture at George Mason University. May 24, 2007

Miguelito giving lecture at George Mason University (Manassas campus) May 24, 2007 12:27pm (photo by Danielle Goldberg)

It's 11:21am on Friday. Been a busy morning and I'm trying to finish up here so I can be outta here by noon to enjoy the beautiful hot day. So this'll be a quickie with minimal commentary.

So yesterday (Thursday), dancers Ginette, Sarah Hart and yours truly performed at George Mason University's Verizon Theatre (Manassas campus). We were the culminating event of a day-long program titled "Students Striving for Cultural Competence."

The title of my lecture was "The History and Cultural Importance of Flamenco Dance." Yeah, it's a pretty lofty subject but I kept it light but made sure to touch upon the more relevant points that tied in with the cultural diversity theme of the day.

Our audience of 270 was made up of high school students, teachers, staff and VIP's of the Prince William County Public School system. Danielle Goldberg, a local flamenco dance student and friend hired us on behalf of the organizers of this event. Thanks Danielle! Here are more pics...