Happy 14th birthday DC Flamenco!
Miguelito (that's me!) opening Cafe Citron's new Saturday night flamenco show with a guitar solo. January 9, 2010 (photo by Rosie)
It's 3-something pm on Sunday as I type these words. I'm at Barnes and Noble, comfortably seated at the coffee shop area sipping a double espresso and listening to a shuffle mix on my iPod—just my way of gettin' myself in the mood to blog. So it's DC Flamenco's 14th birthday? Big deal. It's more like a personal milestone to be acknowledged for a moment but not really celebrated in a big way (Seriously, how many people do you know who have a website that's been around that long?).
So yeah, my website's been around for so long now, it's considered a normal part of the flamenco scene but that's a good thing. It's not like screaming out to the world, "Hey, there's flamenco in DC!" It's more like, "We know you know there's a flamenco scene in DC, here's more info about it." What's cool is that in conversation, local flamencos say things like, "I read it on DC Flamenco..." and have no need to elaborate what DC Flamenco is!
Honestly though, a little glory would be nice...who doesn't like being showered with praise? 
But I'm just thrilled enough knowing in my mind that in some small way, my work here has had and continues to have an impact on the ever growing awareness of the DC flamenco scene.
(Anywayz, while you indulge my little online party of self-praise, enjoy these photos from last night's flamenco show at Cafe Citron featuring dancer Emily Mazzotti.)
When the topic of DC Flamenco comes up in conversation, there are two types of people I encounter...
Closeup of Miguelito's hands. January 9, 2010 (photo by Rosie)
1. People who have kept up with my website (mostly my blog) for long enough that they know so much about me.
Maybe I am a bit of a exhibitionist, but I just let my thoughts flow as I write and my theory is that over time, without realizing it, I tend to repeat things about myself enough that you'll get to know me whether you want to or not!
For example, a few years back, this one dancer friend of mine invited over for dinner one night and when I arrived I could smell what she was cooking. Turns out it was one of my favorite dishes and of course I told her. She replied, "I know, I read it in your blog!"
But my point in putting out a blog is not just to promote what's going on in the local flamenco scene (and to inform beautiful women what to cook me for dinner when they invite me over ) but also to give you a first-hand account of the life of someone who makes flamenco for a living. Is living a flamenco-filled life fun? Yes, most definitely! Is it stressful? Yes, sometimes, but the pleasure of doing what you love balances it out, most of the time. But I know that it's not practical for most people to perform on stage for a living, but I hope my blog does inspire people to make time for doing what fulfills their heart's desire, whether it's flamenco or salsa or World of Warcraft.
2. People who have known my website for some time now, but have no idea that I'm the creator.
These people will talk about DC Flamenco as if I'm just another person who knows about it, but I quickly inform them, "Oh yeah, that's MY website!" to which most people respond with, "That's you, really?"
Logo for DCFlamenco.com
This kind of reaction puzzles me a bit. Last time I checked the tag line for my website title was, "Miguelito's wonderful website for flamenco in Washington DC and beyond." Not to mention that my website logo has a picture of me (albeit tiny) and I haven't changed that logo for years—I've learned that it pays to maintain a consistent look for establishing a brand.
Emily Mazzotti and her husband Chris dancing Sevillanas. January 9, 2010 (photo by Jani)
It's OK. No serious harm to my ego. But I should be happy enough that they know about my website anyway (right?) and that they use it regularly to find out what's going on in the local flamenco scene. I suppose these are the type of people who google "flamenco," find the info they need and quickly move on. (Try googling "flamenco" and you'll see that DC Flamenco consistently shows up in either the first or second page of results!)
Miguelito and Emily. January 9, 2010 (photo by Jani)
The teacher directory and calendar of events, while probably being the most visited parts of my website, represent only a tiny tiny fraction of the content. I have more than 400 blog entries, probably close to 500 now, with thousands of pics of the local flamenco scene.
So I consider myself more of a blogger than writer. I say this because I don't always write for the art of writing. Don't get me wrong. I like to write well when I can. In fact I did really well academically in English and writing classes in high school and college—not boasting, OK maybe a little, just saying that I know I have the skill to write well if I want to.
I call myself a blogger in the sense that I am someone who's passionate about flamenco who happens to have the ability to write. Not the other way around. I am not a writer who decided to pick flamenco as topic so I can try to sound clever and show off with catchy alliterations like "fiery flamenco." Try googling that and you'll see how often that phrase has come up in reviews of flamenco shows over the years!
Oh God, I can feel myself starting to go off on a rant. I better stop here. Besides, my laptop battery is down to 26% so I better sign off now and publish this entry. I'll continue this train of thought in another blog entry. For now, enjoy the rest of the pics!
Emily and Chris. January 9, 2010 (photo by Jani)
Playing an intro to soleá. January 9, 2010
Emily executing a quebrada turn in a soleá. January 9, 2010 (photo by Chris)
Escobilla por soleá. January 9, 2010 (photo by Chris)
This is Russ, my former housemate when I lived at the Pink Flamenco in Chevy Chase from 2005 to 2007. January 9, 2010
This is Rosie, one of my most devoted fans! January 9, 2010
Idi, a longtime supporter of the flamenco show at Cafe Citron. January 9, 2010
Jani, one of my volunteer photographers, with Lina, the cute Colombian bartender who works on Saturdays at Citron. January 9, 2010
One last glimpse of Citron before heading to Sarah Hart's birthday party later that night. January 9, 2010
Hope you enjoyed these pics from Citron—remember flamenco at Citron is now on Saturday nights with shows at 7:00pm and 8:00pm. Monday nights Citron features a rumba show by Duende Camarón from 8:30pm to 11:30pm.
Also, this month a lot dance teachers are starting their winter session classes, so now's a good time to register if you haven't already:
Sarah Hart at Rodas Movements in Takoma Park, Maryland starting Thursday January 14th.
Estela Velez at Joy of Motion at Friendship Heights (DC) and Bethesda, Maryland.
Daniel Paredez at Born 2 Dance in Vienna, Virginia.
Edwin Aparicio at DC Dance Collective in Friendship Heights, DC.
Marija Temo is offering her usual Flamenco Communication workshop on January 17th and 24th in Vienna, Virginia.
There are more teachers who start new classes this month. For a more complete list of teachers visit my directory.
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