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Miguelito's Photo Diary and BlogOctober 15, 2005 - October 26, 2005
Wednesday with Miguelito October 26, 2005 It's 3:46pm pm Wednesday as I type these words. Just got back from lunch after a rehearsal with a dancer at DC Dance Collective. I took an antihistamine which put me in a slightly drowsy state so I'm really really mellow. Kinda cool though. With the overcast sky and nippy weather I'm in one of those pensive states of mind. Doesn't look like much, but an empty dance studio inspires me. I get filled with anticipation thinking about what musical ideas will materialize as I rehearse with the dancer. 
October 26, 2005 1:21pm We started off by a little warm-up. I asked the dancer to do some stretches at will as I improvised on tarantas complementing her every move. It was a good mental warm-up for me. It's very inspiring for both of us! 
October 26, 2005 1:22pm 
October 26, 2005 1:46pm I'm supposed to work on some computer stuff for my clients (yeah I do flamenco-related web development) but instead I'm going out again to see a movie and come back to my computer later when the antihistamine drowsiness wears off so I can do some serious work. Ciao for now. 
October 26, 2005 10:34pm 
October 26, 2005 10:34pm 
October 26, 2005 10:34pm 
October 26, 2005 10:38pm Tuesday with Miguelito October 25, 2005 I spent a leisurely day with a friend from out of town. After a few hours lingering over coffee at Borders, we ended up hanging out in the internet lounge at Juliana's place. It's kinda cool sitting at the same desk where Juliana sits when she visits my website. It's as if I'm coming full-circle. The ambience of this place put me in a very productive mood, so I caught up on email and did some web surfing. 
Being productive in the lounge. October 25, 2005 5:09pm 
Something about overcast days puts me in a contemplative state of mind. October 25, 2005 5:11pm 
Lost in my thoughts as I respond to an email. October 25, 2005 5:23pm It was a slow night at Las Tapas, but I still enjoyed myself. The dancers were Anna Menendez and Edwin Aparicio. Someone in the audience came up to me to compliment me on my work promoting flamenco through my website--that made my night. :-) 
October 25, 2005 10:01pm I left early for a change, so I could get a good night's rest and get rid of this cold once and for all. When I got home a little after 11:00pm, I got a telephone call from a dancer friend as I walked in the door. We caught up on each other's day. Nice way to end the evening as I drifted off to sleep. Cafe Citron October 24, 2005 It was a decent night but it got better when my friend Marsha showed up with her boyfriend Gerry. Monday is my favorite night of flamenco and I was glad that they were able to experience first-hand why I love performing at Cafe Citron. As usual, I didn't know who the dancer would be until she arrived. It turned out to be Debra Belo whom I haven't worked with for several months it seems. Didn't matter. I'm one of those guitarists who excels at performing without rehearsal. In fact I intentionally told Debra not to tell me what palo she was doing until a moment before she was about to begin dancing. Risky perhaps, but I love the thrill of the challenge of coming up with music on the spot. There's nothing like the energy of spontaneity that you almost never get in over-rehearsed performances. 
October 24, 2005 8:23pm (photo by Marsha Bonet) 
October 24, 2005 8:32pm (photo by Marsha Bonet) 
October 24, 2005 8:33pm (photo by Marsha Bonet) 
October 24, 2005 8:34pm (photo by Marsha Bonet) Despite the lack of rehearsal, we put on a very good energy-filled performance. Debra's a very good performer, she knows how to "go with the flow" of the moment. Marsha's not a shy person. She wanted to get a better view so she did not hesitate in asking his couple if she could join them at their table next to the stage. Their names are Keith and Cheza. They're from Seattle. 
October 24, 2005 8:35pm (photo by Marsha Bonet) 
October 24, 2005 8:37pm (photo by Marsha Bonet) 
Nice shot of Gerard. October 24, 2005 9:29pm (photo by Marsha Bonet) 
Nice shot of Miguelito. I'm in a calm and focused state. October 24, 2005 9:30pm (photo by Marsha Bonet) There was this beautiful blonde girl watching the show. Just seeing her smile the whole time gave me that extra boost of energy to put more into my performance. Knowing that she was enjoying herself made me want do more. See? flamenco is an interactive art form! 
October 24, 2005 9:32pm (photo by Marsha Bonet) That's Gerry videotaping our show. Maybe I'll publish a video clip later. 
October 24, 2005 9:33pm (photo by Marsha Bonet) 
Another nice shot of me. Thank you Marsha! October 24, 2005 9:34pm (photo by Marsha Bonet) 
October 24, 2005 9:42pm (photo by Marsha Bonet) 
Lillie and Marsha. October 24, 2005 9:50pm (photo by Gerry) 
Marsha and Gerry, a fellow filipino! October 24, 2005 11:04pm UN Day Celebration at Ballston Commons Mall October 23, 2005 I know you're thinking, "Flamenco in a shopping mall?" Yeah I thought that too. But hey, it's a performance opportunity and a chance to expose a lot of people to this wonderful art form. What I didn't expect was that we would have such a great time performing in this "venue." I got there early to do a soundcheck and work out other technical stuff so that Ginette and I could relax and focus on our show, a 15-minute time slot in the program. 
This is El Coro Infantíl children's chorus. October 23, 2005 Have you ever heard of method acting? You know, it's where you do unusual things to get in the mood for a scene. Well in my performing experience with Ginette, it seems that the days that she arrives at gigs after a long hard day at school (she's a college student), she almost always dances especially well. I think it's because she has some negative energy from demands of school and uses the performance as a way channeling this energy into the art of flamenco. 
Flamenco dancer Ginette Perea. October 23, 2005 (photo by Gina) Ginette agrees with my theory. And I jokingly tell her that because of my theory, I should intentionally provoke her or upset her before a show. :-) 
Flamenco dancer Ginette Perea. October 23, 2005 (photo by Gina) What does this tell us about flamenco and other forms of art? I'm obviously not breaking new ground here: flamenco is very simply a form of self-expression. It's a not demonstration of virtuosic dance or guitar techniques. Yes, it is technically demanding sometimes and being able to execute these techniques is commendable. But technique without emotional content is nothing more than physical exercise. 
Flamenco dancer Ginette Perea. October 23, 2005 (photo by Gina) Years ago, I remember seeing José Greco, Jr make his first entrance onstage in a concert in Rockville. He walked that Spanish walk and stood centerstage for a moment and looked at the audience and expressed more in his gaze than in all the dancing he did the rest of the evening. He obviously reached down inside of himself for such deep emotion and brought it out for a fleeting moment and captured the audience's attention. I'm not saying that Ginette and I rank up there with José Greco, Jr but we do understand the importance of expressing emotion in flamenco. 
October 23, 2005 (photo by Gina) I always tell guitar students that it's better to play a simple falseta well and with alot of feeling than to play something complicated. I love modern flamenco but it just annoys me when guitar students think it's cool to play something by Vicente Amigo or Gerardo Núñez just because they're modern. But because of the requisite technical and musical demands these students still end up butchering the compás. That is so not cool. End of lecture. :-) It's 10:47am on Tuesday and I'm going to spend the day with a friend who's visiting from out of town. It's rainy day so instead of doing the tourist thing we'll probably end up seeing a movie. We'll see. Antonio Vargas Workshop at DC Dance Collective October 23, 2005 It's 9:07am on Monday and I'm out the door to do the Smithsonian tour with some dancer friends. Yay! A nice break from flamenco. I'll add commentary for these pics later. 
October 23, 2005 11:55am 
October 23, 2005 12:01pm 
October 23, 2005 12:23pm 
October 23, 2005 12:29pm 
October 23, 2005 12:37pm 
October 23, 2005 12:39pm 
October 23, 2005 12:39pm 
October 23, 2005 12:44pm 
October 23, 2005 1:16pm Cabanas October 21, 2005 To my surprise, business was especially good on this cold and rainy night. The dining room filled up with lots of people. And Ginette's brother drove three hours coming all the way from James Madison University (she and I did a presentation there last year, remember?). Check it out. Ginette's got yet another new flamenco dress... 
View from the bar. October 21, 2005 10:08pm (photo by Cesar Perea) My friend Jason Vera y Aragón showed up to provide cajón accompaniment. It added so much to the shown as always. Thanks Jason! 
October 21, 2005 10:25pm (photo by Cesar Perea) 
October 21, 2005 10:26pm (photo by Cesar Perea) It's 10:15am on Saturday as I type these words. I got back with just enough time to quickly add the above pics and head out to El Patio and enjoy an Argentinian breakfast before going to dance class at noon. What a stressful life I lead! :-) It's my friend Juliana's birthday today. Happy birthday Juliana! Las Tapas October 20, 2005 It was the second time in about a month that I've subbed here on a Thursday night. Normally, it's difficult to find subs but Behzad happened to be available to cover for at the Andalucía Restaurant in Rockville (thanks Behzad!). Truth is that real flamenco guitarists (i.e. those that can accompany dancers and singers) are hard to find even here in DC. And on top of that, the substitutes that I call need to have a professional sound system to bring to the gig too, so that narrows the number of available guitarists drastically! I'm not complaining. It's actually kinda cool to be stressing out about showbiz-related problems instead of some boring office job! :-) Despite my tight schedule that afternoon, the show went especially well. I didn't arrive home from an afternoon rehearsal until 5:30pm. I left the house around 6:15 and didn't arrive at Las Tapas until 7:35pm--and the show was supposed to start at 7:45pm, yikes! 
View from my chair onstage. October 20, 2005 9:02pm Needless to say, I was a bit distracted. Since I was just outside minutes ago, my fingers were still cold and not as limber as I would have liked them to be. But the show must go on. So I just played my opening guitar solo and I noticed that the crowd wasn't paying attention. Well at least they weren't looking at me. This is not good. I'm supposed to focus on the music not wondering about what the audience thinks of me. Ugh! I just closed my eyes and focused on the beauty of the sound coming from my guitar. I felt the subtle texture of the bass strings as I pressed my fingertips onto the fretboard. I marvelled at the gracefullness of my right hand as I played a continuous rasgueado. It's kind of a mind-trick that I learned from reading the book Inner Game of Music, a book that helped me overcome stage fright while I was majoring in guitar in college.   Thing is that your subconscious if given free rein, will spurt out a stream of negative self-doubting statements, e.g. "Here comes that hard part!" "I don't remember the next chord." "I can't play that falseta in compás." If not kept under control, the subconscious can ruin your concentration. So the trick here is to keep your mind so occupied that the subconscious has no opportunity to butt in and derail your performance, get it? It worked. Despite my cold hands, I played on and was able to emotionally connect with my audience through my music. One sure clue was that as my solo progressed, the audience got more and more quiet. When I strummed the last chord, I had enjoyed myself so much that I didn't really care (well, maybe a little) whether the audience paid attention to me or not. The cool thing was that at this point, I was in the right frame of mind to put on a good show with the dancers as they walked onstage to perform Sevillanas. Athletes talk about this frame of mind, it's called "being in the zone." It's almost ecstatic state where I am so mentally focused that playing flamenco guitar feels natural and very easy. Truth is that I am an accomplished guitarist. I practice a lot. I can do a LOT of cool technical and musical stuff. What often gets in the way is my subconscious derailing my concentration. When I'm "in the zone" that annoying negative subconscious is removed from the equation and I'm free to just play to the best of my abilities of and enjoy myself. Yeah it's a little too much zen for a Friday but it's what on my mind, so that's what you get! :-) It's 12:26pm on Friday. My friend Juliana called while I was writing this blog entry. I talk to her almost everyday about life, flamenco, showbiz and performance-related stuff. Thanks to Juliana and number of other cool friends I've become inspired to get off my butt and add some new content to my main page. First off, I've already met up with a couple of old-timers in the DC flamenco scene including Paco de Málaga, Torcuato Zamora, Natalia Monteleó and Ziva. (I'm not going to be politically correct cuz I've been involved in the scene for 14 years so I'm an old-timer too!) And they've agreed to let me interview them--I'll be adding more interviewees as my work progresses. My goal is to make the community aware of the history of the flamenco scene so that we know where we came from, the things we learned or should've learned from along the way and in the process know where we are going and how to make the most of it. Sound good? Stay tuned! Cafe Bonaparte October 19, 2005 It was a gorgeous day and fortunately I had some free time to get outside and enjoy it. But maybe I enjoyed it a little too much as I was in such a dreamy mood, I managed to misplace my lavalier microphone for my guitar. Yikes!  It's a tiny but nevertheless essential piece of equipment! I didn't realize I was missing the microphone until we arrived at Cafe Bonaparte and started setting up. So I took stock of the microphones we had: 1 Shure SM57 for Behzad's guitar and 1 Shure SM58 for Carlton's vocals. We had a spare SM57 in the car but we didn't have time to go back to the car which was too far away (parking is always bad in Georgetown). 
Behzad and Miguelito. October 19, 2005 9:32pm (photo by Ken McNaughton) Carlton didn't arrive until the second set, so for the first hour I used his microphone for my guitar and it worked out just fine. When Carlton showed up, we miked my guitar and his voice while Behzad played cajón purely acoustically. 
Behzad, Carlton and Miguelito. October 19, 2005 9:42pm (photo by Ken McNaughton) 
View from the back of this very intimate and cozy cafe. October 19, 2005 9:47pm (photo by Ken McNaughton) We had a few flamenco friends in the audience including Ken McNaughton, Cecilia Walcek and Antonio Vargas who provided palmas, jaleo and even danced a little bulerías to bring the show to a climax. 
October 19, 2005 11:14pm (photo by Ken McNaughton) 
October 19, 2005 11:41pm 
John Lawrence and Miguelito. October 19, 2005 11:44pm (photo by Behzad Habibzai) Guitarist John Lawrence caught the tail-end of our show. Hopefully I can get him to come to Las Tapas tonight (Thursday). I'll be accompanying Marta and Sara Jerez. A while back, he performed with dancer Marta Chico Martín in New Orleans and it would be cool if they could meet up again after so many years. 
Antonio Vargas and Ken McNaughton. October 20, 2005 12:01am A loyal supporter of the flamenco scene, Ken came to Cafe Bonaparte for the first time to checkout our show. Although he's recently retired, he is keeping active and pursuing his interest in the performing arts. Just for fun, he got some professional headshots done and has auditioned and made the cut as an extra in a film. Way to go, Ken! :-) 
October 20, 2005 12:04am As is typical of a gathering of friends, it took us forever to say our goodbyes and the party continued out on the street. John did a little patada of bulerías while we all provided palmas. 
October 20, 2005 12:07am I got in Behzad's car and half an hour later, I walked in my house at 12:45am spent but very satisfied. Overall, it was a good night at Bonaparte. Oh yeah, turns out I did have my lavalier microphone all along. It was in the bag for my stage lights. Oh well. Still, it's comforting to know that if I ever forget my lavalier in the future, the show can still go on without a hitch. I can't wait for the next show which will be in two weeks on Wednesday November 2, 2005. Call 202-333-8830 to make your reservation. It's 10:20am on Thursday as I type these words. I got just enough time to chill out for awhile before my ride picks me up for rehearsal sometime after 12pm. I'll get some coffee and read another chapter in a business-related book I just got: Never Eat Alone and Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time by Keith Ferrazzi   Yeah, we full-time artists are notoriously so bad at business. So I promised myself, I'd work on improving this area of my life. My friends Una and Juliana would be so pleased! :-) (OK, I'll take credit for doing well in marketing. My name and website are well-known in the local flamenco community as the central source of information.) Here's a a brief quote from the chapter titled "Don't keep score" It's never simply about getting what you want. It's about getting what you want and making sure that the people who are important to you get what they want, too...There's no need to ponder whether it's their lunch or yours. There's no point in keeping track of favors done and owed. Who cares? Bottom line: it's better to give before you receive. And never keep score. If your interactions are ruled by generosity, your rewards will follow suit. Shooting a commercial at Andalucia/Antonio Vargas and Marsha Bonet October 18, 2005 Jen and I did several dances including soleá, alegrías and sevillanas knowing that the editors would pick only a few seconds of footage for the actual commercial itself. 
Jen. October 18, 2005 12:22pm 
Cameraman setting up. October 18, 2005 12:22pm Knowing that they were going to use a pre-recorded sountrack, it wasn't necessary for me to bring my sound system or even plug in. The last time we shot a commercial they used Vicente Amigo's rumba Tres Notas Para Decir Te Quiero. 
October 18, 2005 12:37pm (photo by Monica) 
October 18, 2005 12:50pm (photo by Monica) 
October 18, 2005 12:51pm (photo by Monica) 
October 18, 2005 12:51pm (photo by Monica) 
October 18, 2005 12:53pm (photo by Monica) The gave us some lunch which I quickly consumed cuz I had to leave as soon as possible to meet up with Marsha in Alexandria who organized a ballroom workshop at Alliance Dance Institute with Antonio Vargas. I arrived too late for the workshop but just in time for lunch with Marsha, Antonio and his guitarist John Lawrence. 
Antonio Vargas and Marsha Bonet aka Rosa la Huracana. October 18, 2005 4:17pm We got a table on the outdoor patio and enjoyed a leisurely lunch talking about everything from flamenco to showbiz to his experience filming Strictly Ballroom. I had to rush off to Las Tapas to setup my sound system in time for my Tuesday night show. It was kind of hectic rushing from one place to the next, but overall a very satisfying flamenco-filled day. Jen will be performing at Andalucía with Behzad tomorrow October 20, 2005. That night I'll be subbing again at Las Tapas in Alexandria accompanying dancers Marta Chico Martín and Sara Jerez. Cafe Citron October 17, 2005 Ugh, it's 10:44am on Tuesday. Yet another day, where I wake up with just enough to time to get dressed and head out the door for an 11:30am appointment. But at least I'm squeezing in a moment to publish a few pics from last night at Cafe Citron with brief commentary. 
Miguelito and Raluca. She's a longtime flamenco fan who stops by Citron every couple of months. Thanks for coming Raluca! October 17, 2005 (photo by Keith) 
Mariya Kostystska with Jason Vera y Aragón on cajón. October 17, 2005 (photo by Keith)  October 17, 2005 (photo by Keith)  October 17, 2005 (photo by Keith)  October 17, 2005 (photo by Keith) 
The fountain by my house puts me in a serene mood after a long day. October 17, 2005 Saturday with Miguelito Lately I've been starting off my Saturdays with a leisurely breakfast at El Patio restaurant in Rockville, an Argentinian Cafe. My guitar student Marty Dow gets there early and practices while enjoying a café cortado. 
October 15, 2005 10:34am 
October 15, 2005 10:55am 
October 15, 2005 11:41am After breakfast, we headed over to American Dance Institute to play for Anna Menendez's dance classes from noon to 2:30pm. Got some lunch and headed over to Strathmore to play for Estela Velez's classes from 3:30 to 6:00pm. 
October 15, 2005 4:37pm 
October 15, 2005 5:41pm 
October 15, 2005 5:15pm Afterwards, I said goodbye to Marty and met up with a friend to go to a birthday party for one of my dancer friends.
Photos taken with the Olympus Stylus 300 Digital Camera
Text and original images ©1996-2006 by . Please do not republish in whole or part without prior written permission. |
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