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Miguelito's Photo DiaryMarch 3, 2005 - March 9, 2005
Miguelito pic from Karina March 9, 2005 Nobody takes more digital pictures of the local flamenco scene than I do (averaging about 10 pics a day since the summer of 2000--that's close to 18,000!!!). I have pictures of everyone, even of people I have just met. So it's only fair that people occasionally take pictures of me, right? Here's a good one: 
Karina writes: "This one I took way back when I first met you at cafe citron--summer last year, the best summer in dc so far ;) I'm looking forward to this coming one..." June 28, 2004 (photo courtesy of Karina Valverde) Here are my pics when I first met Karina. I'm also looking forward to warmer weather and can't wait for the summer! Old Town Alexandria March 8, 2005 As usual, I arrived at Las Tapas early to setup my sound equipment and had a little time to chill out for awhile before going onstage. I ventured out into the cold windy streets of Old Town Alexandria and walked down to my favorite Starbucks by the waterfront. The staff is friendly, the coffee's good and they've got a warm fireplace! 
Walking down King St towards the waterfront. March 8, 2005 6:45pm 
Starbucks on Union St. March 8, 2005 6:46pm Normally, I like to get a tall soy caramel macchiato, but it seemed liked a perfect evening for some hot chocolate, so I ordered their newest drink called Chantico. 
I won't get into nutritional details (or lack thereof), but let's just say it's like a liquefied fudge brownie in a cup. :) It's literally dripping with chocolate but not to worry: I limit myself to one Chantico a week. Not that I ever gain weight (don't you hate me?), but it just makes it more special when I don't have too much of a good thing all the time. March 8, 2005 6:48pm Two minutes later: with a steaming cup of Chantico in my right hand and guitar case in my left, I headed over to Olsson's Books and Records next door to spend some time at the CD listening station. Occasionally, I listen to flamenco to get myself in an inspired mood for my show at Las Tapas. But usually, when I have some free time like this evening, I go to Olsson's and randomly pick tracks until I come across something interesting. It's too easy to fall in the trap of limiting myself exclusively to flamenco. And I like to remind myself that there's all kinds of other good music out there. 
March 8, 2005 6:51pm Of course, once I'm on stage, it's the music, the dancers, the audience and everything else in that moment that inspires me. But it doesn't hurt to listen to some other kinds of beautiful music beforehand to get in the mood. This evening one of my guitar students, Ricardo, came to the show at Las Tapas for the first time. (sorry no pics from the show) I met him and his wife at Bambule sometime in September 2004. At the time, I was giving away free promotional tickets for singer Rafael de Utrera's solo concert debut, so that must've given me some credibility as an important person in the local flamenco scene. Despite never hearing me play, he still asked for my contact info so he could start taking lessons. During this evening's show at Las Tapas, I would quickly glance over at his table whenever I was using a technique that I taught him in our last meeting--kind of my way of demonstrating the practical use of this rasgueado or that chord etc. After the first set, I sat down at Ricardo's table and chatted for awhile until Romeo the manager told me it was time for the next show. As I was about to go upstairs to call the dancers, a man I had never met before stopped me and introduced himself handing me a book. "I'd like you to have this..." 
March 8, 2005 His name is David Lehman, a photographer (his work appears in the book) and very good friend of Richard Stover. You probably won't recognize the name Stover unless you are a serious classical guitarist (I was a classical guitar performance major in college). Mr Stover is the ethnomusicologist who, through extensive research, rescued from obscurity an otherwise unknown composer/guitarist from Paraguay named Agustín Barrios Mangoré (1885-1944). Barrios wrote one of the most beautiful compositions for classical guitar: La Catedral--an exquisite three movement suite which I studied and performed in my junior year recital as one of the requirements for a degree in classical guitar performance. David being a guitarist himself came across my wonderful website (and it truly is wonderful because I meet so many interesting people through it) and emailed me a while back. I finally met him in person at Las Tapas last night. And besides giving me the book Six Silver Moonbeams: the Life and Times of Agustín Barrios Mangoré David said he would bring the author Richard Stover to Las Tapas to meet me next month. If it wasn't for Mr Stover, I'd never have come across the music of Barrios who deepened my love for music and for the world's most beautiful instrument: the guitar. In the offchance that I don't get to meet him, I just want to say, "Thank you Richard!" Mr Stover will be performing in DC sometime in April, and I'm hoping that I'll get to hear him play some Barrios and most especially La Catedral. And of course, thanks to David Lehman for seeking me out and giving me the book! Cafe Citron March 7, 2005 In an effort to be efficient, I dropped off my sound system at Cafe Citron early (a little after 4:00pm) and walked a few blocks away to the Dupont Circle branch of Teaism where I was supposed to meet a client at 4:30pm. 
Walking up Connecticut Avenue. March 7, 2005 4:15pm 
Turning left on R St. What a gorgeous day! March 7, 2005 4:19pm 
I arrived early and decided to try the Iced Moroccan Mint Green Tea. Yeah, I said "iced." It was warm enough outside that I didn't even need a jacket and I was in the mood for a cool drink. March 7, 2005 4:20pm The client arrived and we "talked through" the wedding ceremony program which includes some poetry (yay!) by Pablo Neruda which I will have the pleasure accompanying with some improvised flamenco. It was a short meeting (about 10 minutes) and after the client left, I spent a leisurely half hour sipping my tea and enjoying the beautiful, warm sunny weather contemplating what I would play for the different parts of the wedding. (As I type these words at 9:43am on Tuesday it is now snowing!) There was this group of office girls nearby talking about their wild adventures from last night which normally would be interesting for innocent eavesdropping :) but I was trying to think of some questions for an upcoming interview for my website. So I pulled out my mp3 player, put on the earphones and let No Doubt drown out the girls' conversation so I could concentrate. (I'm supporting my fellow alumnae. Did you know that Gwen Stefani went to my school, California State University, Fullerton? She was an art major--mine was music. Just goes to show that you never know...that fellow college student that you pass by everyday on campus could one day become very famous.) 
View from the bench in front of Teaism. March 7, 2005 4:56pm Did a couple of errands, read a magazine at Books-a-Million and headed to Cafe Citron to setup my sound system. 
Walking down Connecticut Avenue. March 7, 2005 6:14pm 
March 7, 2005 6:15pm 
View from the stage. I thought they were going to setup the tablao near the front door--which they typically do on warm days. But there were a LOT of dinner reservations specifically here for our show, so they put us in the back where one could dine and have a decent view of the stage. It kind of feels like a theater. See the drapes along the edges of this photo? March 7, 2005 7:07pm 
Here's an artsy-looking photo with me and my sound system. See the brick wall? Looks good doesn't it? But it's bad for sound when you use a very sensitive condensor microphone like I do. Highly-reflective surfaces like brick contributes to hard-to-control acoustic feedback. Some heavy velvet drapes would do the trick. March 7, 2005 7:10pm 
With time to kill, I went down to the basement for a little privacy and to squeeze in a little warm-up session. (On the weekends, this room is packed wall-to-wall with people.) March 7, 2005 7:16pm 
March 7, 2005 7:17pm 
March 7, 2005 7:19pm 
March 7, 2005 7:21pm 
It's almost time for the first show and all the tables are filled-up. It's going to be a good night for the wait staff! March 7, 2005 7:54pm A little after 8:00pm, we opened up with the usual Sevillanas, did a Gipsy Kings song (I know the chords but not the title), then Sara Candela did an alegrías and we closed the set with a bulerías. 
This is my friend Sonia Sheikh. She's a local flamenco dance student who lately has been very busy with classes at GW. It seems like months since I last saw her here at Citron. (It was good to see you Sonia!) Of course, I enlisted her as my official photographer for the evening. March 7, 2005 9:13pm There also happened to be a professional photographer in the audience taking pics for the Cafe Citron website. 
Another Gipsy Kings rumba. March 7, 2005 9:24pm (photo by Sonia) 
March 7, 2005 9:27pm (photo by Sonia) 
March 7, 2005 9:28pm (photo by Sonia) 
Soleá. March 7, 2005 9:33pm (photo by Sonia) 
Sara is moving to Santiago, Chile sometime later this month. It's going to take a few weeks for the reality to hit me after she's gone, but I'm going to miss Sara--I've known and played for her since 1991 when she was still attending American University studying Spanish. March 7, 2005 9:36pm (photo by Sonia) 
March 7, 2005 9:38pm (photo by Sonia) 
March 7, 2005 9:40pm (photo by Sonia) 
We closed the set with a tangos sung by both Gerard and our good friend José Oretea. March 7, 2005 9:45pm (photo by Sonia) 
During the set, I heard a familiar voice shouting jaleos with my name. It was Jenifer Jaketic! Pictured is Jenifer, Cecilia, Alicia and Miguelito. Jenifer is another good friend I hadn't seen in a while. Last time was for like 5 minutes after one of the Flamenco Festival concerts at Lisner. March 7, 2005 9:51pm (photo by a kind stranger) We made up the lost time. DJ Helio put on some Sevillanas and Jenifer and I did the first and second copla over and over again (her teacher Carmen de Vicente would be so proud!), then salsa and merengue. 
Two-and-a-half hours later, I walked the ladies to their car and said good night. Thanks for the dance lesson Jenifer! March 8, 2005 12:26am On the way back towards Cafe Citron to pick up my guitar, I stopped by Julia's Empanadas for a quick late-night snack. As I savored each flavorful bite of the warm ground beef-filled "sandwich" I thought about another memorable night last summer at Julia's in Adams-Morgan. Cafe Citron has flamenco shows on Monday nights at 8:00pm and 9:00pm. Call 202-530-8844. Jaleo Crystal City March 6, 2005 I can't be everywhere at the same time, so I'm always appreciative when people send me pics. My thanks to Cecilia!  March 6, 2005 (photo courtesy of Cecilia Terrasa)  March 6, 2005 (photo courtesy of Cecilia Terrasa)  March 6, 2005 (photo courtesy of Cecilia Terrasa)  March 6, 2005 (photo courtesy of Cecilia Terrasa)  March 6, 2005 (photo courtesy of Cecilia Terrasa)  March 6, 2005 (photo courtesy of Cecilia Terrasa) Jaleo Crystal City has a Sevillanas floor show on Sunday nights. Call 703-413-8181. Sunday with Miguelito March 6, 2005 Yeah, I still do school shows every now and then. Why? These are opportunities for up and coming students to get some performing experience. Plus it's an opportunity to expose young minds to the art of flamenco. This afternoon, several students from Anna Menendez's class at American Dance Institute performed in the International Fair 2005 at Cold Spring Elementary School in Potomac, Maryland. Behzad Habibzai was originally booked to be guitarist, but something came up at school and he needed someone to fill-in so I volunteered. To complicate things: I was supposed to be at a rehearsal someplace else but I was able to excuse myself. Us real flamenco guitarists (i.e. those who can competently accompany dance) are very very scarce! It's no wonder we get paid the big bucks---NOT!!! :) 
March 6, 2005 1:48pm 
Ah yes, the joys of performing flamenco on a linoleum floor in a typical school auditorium. First lesson for student performers: anticipate the worst conditions and have a solution ready. March 6, 2005 1:50pm Here's a possible solution for bad floors: Dance Mat Direct. Prices start at around $300. Please don't complain to me about the high price. Dancers: the floor is one of your musical instruments. My guitar costs several thousand dollars. My sound system costs about $2000. So by comparison, $300 is nothing if it means the difference between a good show and a bad one. Come to think of it, I might start asking the dancers I work with to bring their own stage lights and my singers to bring their own microphone and stand. :) Anywayz... Actually this is a good reason for you dancers to remember to give your upper body an equal amount of attention in class and when you practice (you do practice, don't you?). If you think you can get by with your dazzling footwork and you show up at a venue where the floor is bad, you are in trouble! There will be a day when you'll have to dance on carpet or when you'll forget your flamenco shoes. And you'll be glad that you worked on your arms, posture, facial expression etc (there is compás in upper body movements)! Don't just be a foot percussionist--that's boring and we may as well replace you with a cajón. You're a dancer. So use your whole body! Watch the opening bulerías in Carlos Saura's movie Flamenco. There's a female dancer in a short skirt who does her bulerías solo with no audible footwork but still has so much aire. 
March 6, 2005 1:55pm While we waited "backstage" the dancers rehearsed a group tientos and a solea solo. This was one of those days where I was so busy playing guitar I forgot to take pictures. 
On the way to the stage entrance. That's Anna in the orange sweater accompanying her students. March 6, 2005 2:42pm We went onstage sometime a little after 3:00pm. Congrats to the students on a job well done! But Anna Menendez had to leave to teach at 4:00pm at DC Dance Collective. Since I had a rehearsal near that dance studio later, I tagged along and offered to accompany her class just for fun. 
Arriving at the DC Dance Collective. March 6, 2005 3:58pm 
March 6, 2005 3:59pm 
The class worked on alegrías. Anna and the students were very pleased to have live music. She took a moment to acknowledge me in front of the class. Thanks Anna! :) March 6, 2005 5:10pm 
March 6, 2005 5:17pm 
Mmmmmm....what's that delicious buttery smell? I don't think the studio receptionist realized that we could smell her freshly made popcorn. It's amazing how that could travel through the ventilation system so strongly. Could be worse. March 6, 2005 5:22pm I had a good time playing for the class. I always enjoy playing for students--they have so much enthusiasm. Even though I have been playing flamenco for 14 years, I always try to remember how exciting flamenco was for me when I first got started. Class let out at 5:30pm and I really wanted to stay for the next one but I had to be somewhere in half an hour. I still spent a few minutes to say hello to some of the dancers waiting for the next class. Anyway, I'm going to try to drop by the DC Dance Collective every now and then this semester. I met Karen Santiago who introduced herself as a fan of my website. She's involved in Philadelphia's upcoming Feria de Sevilla on May 7-8, 2005. If you're interested in being a vendor or setting up a caseta, email me and I'll put you in touch with her.  I had just enough time to grab a quick healthy bite and casually walk to the Pink Flamenco studio for a 6:00pm rehearsal. March 6, 2005 5:40pm  Walking down Willard Ave. March 6, 2005 5:51pm 
The Pink Flamenco studio. I love this place because it's inexpensive, close to metro and available when all the other studios are booked. March 6, 2005 6:00pm 
The floor was just refinished this past weekend. March 6, 2005 6:02pm For comparison, here are some old photos of the studio. Again I was so busy playing for the rehearsal that I didn't get any pics. Guitarist RJ Uebersezig put together a group for an upcoming performance in Richmond in early April including dancers Mariya Kostytska and Shahram Tehranian as well as yours truly on guitar. I had played for Mariya a few times at Las Tapas but that was several years ago. She has gotten much better since then! 
March 6, 2005 7:44pm 
One more time, with feeling. Thank you Mariya! ;-) March 6, 2005 7:44pm LULAC Fundraiser March 5, 2005 LULAC stands for League of United Latin American Citizens. "Its mission is to advance the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, health and civil rights of Latinos in the United States." In 2003, they awarded $17,000 in scholarships to promising Latino high school students. It's a good cause, and I'm glad to support it. The fundraiser took place on the penthouse level of the Key Bridge Marriott in Rosslyn, Virginia. 
Ginette Perea warming-up in the beautiful penthouse level lobby. March 5, 2005 7:53pm 
March 5, 2005 7:54pm (photo by Ginette) Yes, those are some pretty cool wall-mounted aquariums. I love watching the fishies--for some reason, to me it's very calming. But I wonder how the hotel cleans these globe-shaped habitats. Anyone who thinks fish are easy to care for has never cleaned an aquarium! 
Shahram Tehranian and Ginette with José Reyes and Sarah Rubalcaba who performed dances from Veracruz. March 5, 2005 8:31pm According to the schedule our show was supposed to go on at 8:00pm. I should've known the program would start late--it's so latino. (But hey, I can say that cuz with a last name like Pérez and growing up in Los Angeles, I'm at least part latino anyway.) But we're professionals, so we arrived early. It gave us time to hang out and get to know our fellow performers José and Sarah. They recently danced at the grand opening of the new Gala Hispanic Theatre's home at the Tivoli. And next week they'll be at the Mexican Cultural Institute. Just like us flamencos they need a wood floor to dance on. In case you're wondering, yes, there is zapateado in Mexican dancing. In fact, Shahram and José compared shoes and it turns out that they're identical except the Mexican style is looser around the ankle, whereas the flamenco style is more snug. 
I was trying to get José to do some flamenco but didn't get anywhere. A minute later, as José and Sarah practiced bamba I played the Los Lobos version that I learned years ago. March 5, 2005 8:32pm (photo by Ginette) 
Showtime for José and Sarah. March 5, 2005 8:40pm 
Ginette in soleá por bulerías. March 5, 2005 8:47pm (photo by a friend) 
March 5, 2005 8:48pm (photo by a friend) 
Shahram in garrotín. March 5, 2005 8:54pm (photo by a friend) See those tiny white lines of exposed wood in front of Shahram? That's where the thin blocks of darker wood used to be until he started his escobilla. Shahram is known for his very strong footwork and as he progressed through his performance, more and more loose pieces of wood were flying left and right. It was almost comical, but judging by the enthusiastic response of the audience, the "destruction of the floor" added to the drama! NOTE: not to worry. The floor wasn't really destroyed. It must've been an very old floor because even as I gently walked across it before the show, I managed to loosen a few pieces of wood myself. The glue must've weakened over the years. 
March 5, 2005 8:54pm (photo by a friend) 
Fin de fiesta bulerías. March 5, 2005 9:01pm (photo by a friend) Shahram had to leave immediately after the show. I wanted to pack up but we had to wait for the speeches to finish so I could dismantle my sound system. So we hung out with José and Sarah for a little bit and helped ourselves at the dinner buffet and finished off with chocolate-covered strawberries for dessert. Yummy! 
Sarah and Ginette. We'd been talking to Sarah all evening, and it was only just now that she mentioned seeing our performance at James Madison University back in November 2004. You're a sneaky girl, Sarah! :-) March 5, 2005 10:07pm From our table, we had an unbelievably gorgeous skyline view of the Potomac and Georgetown. (Note to self: take pictures of this "gorgeous view" at next year's fundraiser. Sarah and Ginette: please remind me!) 
Ginette and past president of LULAC, Yolanda Smingler--who's been able to persuade me to bring flamenco performers to the annual scholarship fundraiser for three years in a row. March 5, 2005 10:12pm Later in Adams-Morgan, which was especially busy for a cold night (some universities are on Spring Break now), I was bound to run into someone I know. "Hey, I've seen you somewhere...you're that flamenco guitarist!" "Yeah. Where'd you see me? Cafe Citron?" "No, it was at Cafe Bonaparte." "This past Wednesday?" "No, a few months ago." Being the promoter that I am I said, "Well then you should come to my show at Cafe Citron this Monday night. I have a dancer. In fact, it's the only flamenco dance show in DC." "Nah, I like the vibe at Bonaparte. You're good!" That put a smile on my face. I'll gladly take compliments whenever I get them. Thing is that I'm accustomed to hanging out after my shows and watching as people generously shower the dancers with attention which they of course deserve, but it seems to me that most people don't appreciate the important role of the guitarist. (I won't get into this rant right now.) Combining the rush from this evening's good performance with the flu officially being out of my system plus getting a compliment on the street by a total stranger, I was in an especially good mood--a great way to start the night! (I think I passed on the flu to a friend who's been stuck at the House all week. How do you make it up to someone that you made sick?) But around 1:30am, my "conscience" gently nudged me and said, "Mike, you really should go home and study." "Fine. Whatever." It's about 2:30am as I type these words. Well, I do have a mid-term on Lorca coming up this Wednesday anyway. So, good night. Pics from last year's LULAC fundraiser. Andalucía Restaurant March 3, 2005 This place has featured weekly flamenco shows longer than any other restaurant in the DC area since July 1997--and yours truly has been the regular guitarist here all along! (Technically, El Bodegón has the record, but it closed down in 1997) Many student dancers and guitarists have performed here when they were getting started. For example, last year, dancer Ginette Perea made her tablao debut here and since then has been doing a lot of shows and developing her skills as a performer. This year, I'll have the pleasure of working with Jen, who currently studies flamenco with Anna Menendez at the American Dance Institute. 
Jen and Andalucía regular Guadalupe. March 3, 2005 8:27pm 
Guadalupe reviewing her choreography before the second set. March 3, 2005 8:36pm 
Yeah, the bar got a paint job--certainly livens up the place! March 3, 2005 8:37pm 
March 3, 2005 8:39pm 
Check it out! With the new decor, the Andalucía is looking good! March 3, 2005 8:40pm 
March 3, 2005 8:52pm (photo by Monica) 
March 3, 2005 8:53pm (photo by Monica) The Andalucía restaurant features live flamenco on Thursday nights at 8:00pm. Call 301-770-1880.  Photos taken with the Olympus Stylus 300 Digital Camera Text and original images ©1996-2013 by . Please do not republish content from this website, including text and photos, in whole or part without prior written permission. |
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