DCFLAMENCO - Flamenco in Washington DC

Miguelito's Photo Diary

February 18, 2005 - February 24, 2005

Casablanca February 18, 2005
El Ranchero February 19, 2005
International Student House February 20, 2005
Cafe Citron February 21, 2005
Las Tapas February 22, 2005
Arlington Connection February 23, 2005
Andalucía Restaurant February 24, 2005

Andalucía Restaurant February 24, 2005

Unfortunately, the dancer couldn't make it, so I ended up playing guitar solos for the customers. Afterwards, I was still feeling sick so I decided to pack it up and go home early to get some rest, but the manager Monica convinced me to stay and have dinner and she offered to drive me home too, so I couldn't turn that down!

While she went about her managerial duties, I had time to kill, so I took pics of the recently redecorated restaurant.

This is the painting you see when you first enter the Andalucía. February 24, 2005

Looking towards the left upon entering, is the main dining area. February 24, 2005

This is the same kind of situation as Cafe Citron, where you have the intimate feel being so close to the performers. But the drawback is that the view is partially blocked by the tables. February 24, 2005

Yes, it's true! Andalucía finally has a real tablao stage after so many years of just a having flat piece of wood for a stage. Some of the artists who performed here when they were just getting started: dancers Micaela Moreno, Edwin Aparicio, Aleksey Kulikov and guitarist Richard Marlow. February 24, 2005

I know you're wondering about that cape. February 24, 2005

Here's a close up. Is that a religious or royal person depicted here? February 24, 2005

Arlington Connection February 23, 2005

Can you believe it? I've been interviewed by two local newspapers this month so far! First it was in the Washington Post Weekend (February 11, 2005) and today in the Arlington Connection (February 23, 2005).

Yeah, it's definitely an ego-booster for me--so allow me to relish in my 15 minutes of fame. :) Seriously though, in the long run it's good publicity for the DC flamenco community as a whole. Reporter Stefan Cornibert mentioned Arlington venues such as El Ranchero, Gua-Rapo, El Pike, Crystal City Jaleo as well as the Arlington Center for Dance where Susan Woodward teaches flamenco. Susan was also interviewed.

This newspaper box is at the Clarendon Metro where I immediately noticed the familiar object on the cover page. (I can remember three years ago, I was just walking by and noticed dancer Marta Chico Martin on the cover of the November 2002 issue of On Tap.) February 23, 2005 8:09pm

That's my guitar--a Valeriano Bernal. The photographer: Jill Hatzai. February 23, 2005

The photos accompanying the center spread article feature dancers Ginette and Shahram Tehranian as well as yours truly. Photographer Jill Hatzai shot them at the Arlington Center for Dance and the International Student House (DC). Thanks to Nancy Woods and Arunima Dhar respectively for permission to have the photos taken and interviews conducted at these locations. February 23, 2005

Las Tapas February 22, 2005

Yeah, I know. I promised myself I would get more rest, but here I am up at 3:30am editing photos, AGAIN! It was an inspiring night at Las Tapas and I wanted to make sure I published these photos ASAP. How could it not be inspiring with such dancers as Norberto Chamizo, Edwin Aparicio and Anna Menendez all in one show?

It was an honor for me to play for these artists, but it goes both ways. I deserve it. I earned this privilege through all my years of hard work and experience and I enjoyed every minute of it. Coupled with my gig on Sunday at the International Student House, I have to say this has been a great week for me so far!

We artists thrive at night. At about 1:00am I was talking on the phone with a dancer friend about an upcoming gig. Then around 2:30am, a non-flamenco musician friend of mine came online and we chatted about "the music biz" for an hour.

Okay now it's 3:47am and I'll just add some brief commentary to the photos and go to bed. I got poetry class at GWU in less than 6 hours and I want to be awake so I actually can learn something about Lorca.

Don't worry, despite my lack of sleep, I'm going to make sure I don't get sick. I've been loading up on antixodants, drinking lots of OJ, "Pom Wonderful" pomegranate juice and echinacea (never heard of it? google it).

(You may have noticed that recently I've become more chatty and personal in this photo diary. Thing is that I stopped adding to my blog because I realized that my photo diary was really my blog anyway, so why write the same stuff twice?)

Miguelito, Soheila Nassiri, Edwin Aparicio, Kyoko Terada, Roya Bahrami, Norberto Chamizo, Lisa Scott and Debra Belo. February 22, 2005 8:28pm

Anna and Edwin dancing Sevillanas. February 22, 2005 8:56pm

It was another "Men of Flamenco" night at Las Tapas featuring Edwin Aparicio and special guest from Madrid, Norberto Chamizo. Photos by Debra Belo, Lisa Scott, Roya Bahrami and Soheila Nassiri. Not sure which ones are by whom since they just passed camera around. Thanks ladies!

Norberto's solo: soleá por bulerías. This gives you an idea of the performer's point of view of the audience. February 22, 2005 9:00pm

February 22, 2005 9:01pm

It's cool how the stage lights emanating from below produce a dramatic choreography of shadows against shades of reds and yellows on the ceiling as the dancers create their magic. You can even see shadows of my right hand as I execute the rapid rasgueados to keep up with the increasingly fast footwork.

Edwin and Norberto probably won't admit it, but there was a friendly competition going on between them. In certain sections, Edwin was doing his solo de pies much faster than he normally does. I'm sure Norberto kept that in mind as he did his escobilla. It was good to seem them both challenged to perform better than they've performed before. February 22, 2005 9:04pm

Here I am improvising an introduction to an alegrías for Edwin's solo. February 22, 2005 9:13pm

The pics of Edwin were badly out of focus so I didn't publish any. Sorry, Edwin. So let's fast forward to the fin de fiesta bulerías. (Before the bulerías and after I introduced the artists--including myself--I even "plugged" their upcoming show at Strathmore with the Baltimore Symphony. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then you haven't been visiting my website regularly! Tsk tsk tsk. So don't come crying to me that it's sold out! :) Anyway...moving on.)

Making up a falseta por bulerías with palmas accompaniment. February 22, 2005 9:29pm

February 22, 2005 9:31pm

Norberto, Anna and Edwin. February 22, 2005 9:32pm

Cafe Citron February 21, 2005

I got up around 8:00am today (for the fourth day in a row!), uploaded the photos from Sunday's show at International Student House and went back to bed and didn't get up again until mid-afternoon which is unusual for me.

I think that since I've been keeping myself busy every night this past week, I've had lots of opportunities to take pics for my photo diary. Which means that as soon as I get home late at night, I go straight to the computer, transfer the digital photos and edit them--which is a fun but time-consuming process keeping me up for a few hours more.

Lately, I'd start editing, feel sleepy, go to bed, get up around 8:00am, go to the store and buy an energy drink and go back to editing. My guess is that my sleep debt is starting to catch up with me. I'm going to try sleeping in longer and laying off the Red Bull for a few days. We'll see if that works--I can't afford to get sick!

RJ Uebersezig, Ayhan Ozdag and friends. February 21, 2005 (photo courtesy of Ayhan Ozdag)

February 21, 2005 (photo courtesy of Ayhan Ozdag)

View from the table closest to the bar. The velvet curtains give the show a theatrical feel. February 21, 2005 (photo courtesy of Ayhan Ozdag)

February 21, 2005 (photo courtesy of Ayhan Ozdag)

Sara Candela, Edwin Aparicio, Kyoko Terada and Norberto Chamizo. February 21, 2005 10:20pm

It was a slow night at Cafe Citron--not too many people. But fortunately, we had a very appreciative audience. Turns out that many of them came just to see the show. In fact, one group of enthusiastic girls who are fans of my website told me they're also going to Las Tapas tonight (Tuesday) just to see dancer Norberto Chamizo who will be a guest performer. :)

Anyway, since our singer Gerard Moreno is out of town, dancer Kyoko Terada filled-in at the last minute, performing with Sara Candela and I here at Citron. The audience loved her. Thanks Kyoko!

Hopefully, you've bought your tickets for the Baltimore Symphony concert this Friday. Norberto will be performing in Manuel de Falla's El Amor Brujo with Edwin and Kyoko, Anna Menendez and Sara Jerez. In case you missed out, you can always stop by Las Tapas tonight (Tuesday February 22nd) because Norberto will be performing with Anna Menendez and yours truly. You should definitely checkout Norberto while he's still in town: he's a very good dancer that you shouldn't miss!

International Student House February 20, 2005

It's a very cool job being a performer. You go to different places, meet new people, share your art, have a good time and get paid for it!

But this evening was special. We were invited to perform at the International Student House (ISH) in Dupont Circle in the Great Hall--it's the "living room" of this Tudor-style mansion with wood panel-covered walls, high ceilings, tall small-paned windows, faded tapestries, antiquated oil paintings and a roaring ornate sculpted stone fireplace. If it wasn't for the modern amenities like electric lights etc, I could have easily imagined myself being transported back to eighteenth century Europe.

Here I am warming up and taking in the beautiful surroundings. Our hosts went all out and transformed the Great Hall with little hints of Spain: everything from bullfight posters, red and yellow-themed buffet table to authentic tapas prepared by a Spanish resident (I loved the tortilla española and salmorejo) and real flamenco CD's playing in the background (no Ottmar Liebert, thank God). February 20, 2005 6:25pm (photo by Gina)

Miguelito and Ginette chillin' out before showtime. February 20, 2005 6:52pm (photo by Gina)

I was especially inspired as I played my opening guitar solo. Shahram mentioned to me later that it was the best he's ever heard me play. Thanks Shahram! What can I say? When you're inspired, you're inspired! February 20, 2005 7:37pm (photo by Gina)

The Great Hall comfortably accomodates 100, but with all the seats filled, it turned into a standing room only event. The seating was a hodge-podge of couches and upholstered chairs. So even with more than 100 people in the audience it felt like a house party. There were even members of the local press in attendance! I'll announce when the article comes out sometime this week hopefully.

After the Sevillanas, I opened with my usual five-minute introduction about flamenco. (As I mingled with the audience at intermission, some of the Spanish members of the audience were very grateful that I took the time to explain the basic ideas of flamenco.) February 20, 2005 7:50pm (photo by Gina)

I was hoping to have photos of Ginette's solea por bulerías. But Ginette's mom couldn't film the performance and take pictures at the same time. Oh well. I'll ask some of the other photographers in the audience for pics of Ginette. Stay tuned.

For the second half of the program, Shahram performed Garrotin. The crowd absolutely loved him. It wasn't technically perfect I'll admit, but one thing that Shahram can do consistently is captivate the audience with his relentless energy. February 20, 2005 8:29pm (photo by Gina)

February 20, 2005 8:30pm (photo by Gina)

February 20, 2005 8:31pm (photo by Gina)

February 20, 2005 8:32pm (photo by Gina)

February 20, 2005 8:35pm (photo by Gina)

February 20, 2005 8:36pm (photo by Gina)

We closed the show with a fin de fiesta bulerias. February 20, 2005 8:41pm (photo by Gina)

Ginette has made a lot of progress as a performer--it'll be two years that I've been working with her this coming April. She really pays close attention to the music and changes bits and pieces of her choreography spontaneously to fit the rhythm and melody of the moment, most of which I improvise. So it's always fun playing for her because I feel like we're having a musical "conversation." Thanks Ginette! February 20, 2005 8:42pm (photo by Gina)

February 20, 2005 8:42pm (photo by Gina)

February 20, 2005 8:43pm (photo by Gina)

ISH event organizer and friend Aru Dhar, Ginette and Miguelito. February 20, 2005 9:15pm (photo by Gina)

After the show, we headed to Chi-Cha Lounge to top off the evening.

Cesar Oretea, Richard Marlow and Jose Oretea. February 20, 2005 10:13pm

Miguelito with ISH residents. (Sorry, I met so many people this evening and can't remember all the names.)February 20, 2005 10:26pm (photo by Aru)

February 20, 2005 11:14pm

Shahram, Steve Svoboda, Linette and Juan Delgado. February 20, 2005 11:19pm

ISH residents and friends. February 20, 2005 11:21pm

Oh my God! No, we're not making obscene gestures. :) I'm just teaching my friend Aru las flores de las manos. Interestingly, she studied Kathak, a north Indian style of classical dance which has rhythmic (barefoot) footwork and employs hand movements that resemble those found in flamenco. February 20, 2005 11:52pm

February 20, 2005 11:53pm

Dancer Anna Menendez happened to be at Chi-Cha. I was going to bug her to teach Aru some basics, but Anna deserved a relaxing evening. She's been rehearsing just about everyday for her upcoming performance at Strathmore Hall. Anyway, I took it upon myself to be Chi-Cha's resident flamenco dance teacher for the evening. As I was showing Aru and Eva the basic steps of Sevillanas, little did I know that an actual Sevillano was standing there behind me! (see above)

My thanks to Ginette and Shahram Tehranian for their inspired performances, Gina for video, transportation and moral support and special thanks to my friend Aru Dhar for inviting us to International Student House and making this event happen!

El Ranchero February 19, 2005

Of course I'm very grateful to have had such a fun-filled week of flamenco so far. But I also promised myself I would "get away" from flamenco for at least one night. Well, a nicer way to put it, is that I wanted to reconnect with some of my "non-flamenco" friends. :)

Anyway, dancer Nora Lopez told me that they would have tablao built in time for the show this weekend, so I had to go check this out. I arrived at El Ranchero at around 8:00pm, hung out for an hour or so with Debra, Nora and her husband Guillermo, took lots of pics and still left in time to meet some non-flamenco friends at Cafe Citron at 9:45pm.

February 19, 2005

This past week in poetry class, as an exercise, we've been discussing who, among well-known artists, has duende (and who does not) and one point that came up repeatedly was that the artist with duende communicates by breaking the traditional barrier between performer and audience.

February 19, 2005

As an educated musician, I tend to over-analyze the rhythms of the footwork and probably miss the "message" that the dancer is trying to convey. So instead I focused on the movement of the upper body.

What is Nora feeling? What is her message? February 19, 2005

February 19, 2005

Uh-oh, I feel a lecture coming. I just got off the phone with a dancer friend a few minutes ago and now I'm in a talkative mood...

Not to be confused with duende is the idea of a muse, from which artists draw their inspiration from outside "voices." Lorca writes:
"The muse awakes the intelligence, bringing a landscape of columns and a false taste of laurel. But intelligence is often the enemy of poetry, because it limits too much, and it elevates the poet to a sharp-edged throne where he forgets that ants could eat him or that a great arsenic lobster could fall suddenly on his head--things against which the muses that live in monocles and in the lukewarm, lacquered roses of tiny salons are quite helpless.

The muse and angel come from outside us: the angel gives lights, and the muse gives forms (Hesiod learned from her). Loaf of gold or tunic fold: the poet receives norms in his grove of laurel. But one must awaken the duende in the remotest mansions of the blood.

And reject the angel, and give the muse a kick in the seat of the pants, and conquer our fear of the violet smile exhaled by eighteenth-century poetry, and of the great telescope in whose lens the muse, sickened by limits, is sleeping.

The true fight is with the duende."
(translated by Christopher Maurer)

In poetry class, while some of my fellow students were naming artists who have duende, I was getting the impression that they were confusing a good (i.e. technically skilled) artist with being the same thing as an artist with duende.

In his essay Play and Theory of the Duende Lorca writes:
"Years ago, an eighty-year-old woman won first prize at a dance contest in Jerez de la Frontera. She was competing against beautiful women and young girls with waists supple as water, but all she did was raise her arms, throw back her head, and stamp her foot on the floor. In that gathering of muses and angels--beautiful forms and beautiful smiles--who could have won but her moribund duende, sweeping the ground with its wings of rusty knives."
(translated by Christopher Maurer)

Don't get me wrong. I'm not quoting Lorca here as if I'm reciting from the Holy Bible of flamenco. It's still taking me time to digest and understand what Lorca is talking about here. (e.g. what's an arsenic lobster?) If nothing else, it gives us flamencos something to consider. For many of us I imagine we either get so wrapped-up in the technique and execution or on the the other hand, we cloud our minds with such overblown generalized mystical ideas about flamenco that evade any concrete, scientific or even poetic explanation (e.g. duende in flamenco is just raw emotion). Still, reading Lorca's poetry and prose in the original language or even in the English translations is like beautiful music through words--reading it aloud is fun, really! (In fact, I got up early this morning to read Lorca's play Yerma. So far I'm half-way through, but I'm reading it aloud.)

I'm starting to enjoy poetry/prose now. Perhaps in Lorca's metaphors there is some truth to be found regarding duende. But I'm still working on figuring it all out! Not to mention catching up on class homework.

One last thing and then I'll shut up. :) This is one of my favorite Lorca passages from his Deep Song which sounds so beautiful in English:
"Like the primitive Indian musical systems, deep song is a stammer, a wavering emission of the voice, a marvelous buccal undulation that smashes the resonant cells of our tempered scale, eludes the cold, rigid staves of modern music, and makes the tightly closed flowers of the semi-tones blossom into a thousand petals."

Casablanca February 18, 2005

This was the first time in a long time that Sara Candela and I performed together at Casablanca. The last time was sometime in 1996. The only other tablao performers in DC at the time were Paco de Malaga and Ana Martinez and they performed down the street at Costa del Sol (now Las Tapas). I guess that makes Sara and I the "old-timers" among the flamencos performing in DC area tablaos today (we did our first performance together on New Year's Eve 1991!).