Natalia Monteleon’s Arte Flamenco at ArtScape 2012

Arte Flamenco director Natalia Monteleón, singer Hector Márquez and guitarist Miguelito at ArtScape. July 21, 2012 (photo by Steve Johnson)

It's almost 11am on Monday as I type these words. Hopefully I can crank out this blog by noon which so happens to be the busiest time on Monday, the busiest day for traffic to my blog according to my web server stats. Strange but go figure.

So this past Saturday, I had the pleasure of playing guitar for Natalia Monteleón's dance company Arte Flamenco at the 2012 ArtScape, billed as America's largest free arts festival.. The performance took place at Baltimore Theatre Project, a very intimate 150-seat space very well-suited for flamenco shows. And as it turns out I have performed at this venue previously with Arte Flamenco way back in 2005!

Arte Flamenco dancers (front to back): Fran, Terrie, Yanira, Emily, Rebecca and Mark. July 21, 2012 (photo by Steve Johnson)

We were scheduled for the noon time slot, which meant that we arrived at the venue at 11:00am which meant that my ride left the DC area to get to Baltimore at 10:00am which meant me getting up before 9:00am. Way too early for my body clock. But you do what you gotta do, right? Fortunately dancer Fran Farkas offered to let us artists chill at her cozy little apartment which was conveniently located a few blocks from the theatre. Thanks Fran!

Arte Flamenco dancers (left to right): Mark, Emily, Yanira, Terrie, Rebecca and Fran. July 21, 2012 (photo by Steve Johnson)

Mother Nature wasn't cooperating this past Saturday. It rained pretty hard, so the street fair part of the festival was pretty much a ghost town. Fortunately, for us our performance was indoors. I imagine we gained a few audience members who were probably just escaping the rain. But besides the social media blitz by ArtScape and Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts (BOPA), us flamencos also did our part to get the word out via FaceBook and Twitter. Plus the BOPA also produced this very nice promo vid on Youtube.

I'm happy to report that we packed the theatre to capacity. A number of friends showed up a little too late and had to be turned away, sorry. I did have two photographer friends come out from Reston and Alexandria: Steve Johnson and Stan Peters. They deserve the credit for the photos you see here today in my blog. You might find it interesting to note that Steve shot from the back row of the theatre, hence the wider shots while Stan was in the front row, hence the more intimate close-ups. Thanks for the great work guys. Thanks also to my dancer friend Monica who came all the way out from Stafford, Virginia.

Arte Flamenco dancers (left to right): Mark, Emily, Yanira, Rebecca and Fran. July 21, 2012 (photo by Steve Johnson)

So here's the program:

• Martinete - Company
• Tangos - Cante solo by Hector
• Sevillanas - Company
• Alegrías - Company
• Soleá por bulería - Dance solo by Pam de Ocampo
• Farruca - Company
• Guajira - Dance solo by Claudia Román
• Soleá - Company

It was an hour long. Come to think of it, it was slightly longer since we went over our time slot, but oh well. Anywayz, for those of you who couldn't make it out to Baltimore on Saturday, these pics will give you an idea of what you missed. Enjoy!

Arte Flamenco dancers (left to right): Mark, Emily, Yanira, Terrie, Rebecca and Fran. July 21, 2012 (photo by Steve Johnson)

Arte Flamenco dancers (left to right): Mark, Emily, Yanira, Terrie, Rebecca and Fran. July 21, 2012 (photo by Steve Johnson)

Arte Flamenco dancers Fran and Terrie supported by palmeros Claudia and Natalia, singer Hector Márquez, guitarist Miguelito and percussionist Jason Vera y Aragón. July 21, 2012 (photo by Steve Johnson)

The remaining photos were shot by Stan Peters...

July 21, 2012 (photo by Stan Peters)

Arte Flamenco dancers (left to right): Mark, Terrie, Yanira and Carol. July 21, 2012 (photo by Stan Peters)

Arte Flamenco dancers (left to right): Terrie, Yanira and Carol. July 21, 2012 (photo by Stan Peters)

Guitarist Miguelito. July 21, 2012 (photo by Stan Peters)

Arte Flamenco dancers Emily and Terrie supported by palmero Natalia, singer Hector, guitarist Miguelito and percussionist Jason. July 21, 2012 (photo by Stan Peters)

See the little speaker next to my chair? That's mine. It's an Electro-Voice ZXA1-90. Lately, I've been bringing my own monitor speaker to theatre performances so I can set it up exactly the way I want it to sound onstage. Number one: of course I need to hear myself amidst the loud footwork of a company of flamenco dancers. And number two: my guitar also has to be loud enough onstage so the dancers can hear me clearly for synchronization purposes.

Once I take care of those two requirements, I then use a DI box to send my guitar signal to the front-of-house where the sound person can set the level and EQ for the audience.

Screen shot of the Set List Maker app on my iPad

Yup I used my iPad onstage. Yeah it's kind of nerdy, but I don't care. It helped me relax more so I could focus on the accompanying the dancers. Although, I had the program pretty much memorized, I just took a quick glance between dances to be sure about lighting cues and entrances. Also instead of buying a $40 iKlip, I devised my own iPad holder using a guitar stand.

Arte Flamenco dancers (left to right): Mark, Emily, Terrie, Yanira, Rebecca and Fran. July 21, 2012 (photo by Stan Peters)

Arte Flamenco dancers (left to right): Emily, Natalia, Terrie, Claudia and Yanira. July 21, 2012 (photo by Stan Peters)

Congrats to Natalia Monteleón and her Arte Flamenco company for a job well done. Thanks again to my photographer friends Steve Johnson and Stan Peters. And thanks to ArtScape for inviting us back to perform at the festival again.