|
|
Miguelito's Photo DiaryMarch 9, 2005 - March 13,, 2005
Miguelito in the "office" March 13, 2005 One of my fans has been bugging me for weeks to publish a picture of myself in the "office" where I work on DCFLAMENCO.COM 
March 13, 2005 9:14pm (photo by) So here you go. The view isn't bad--but I have to go outside if I want to see the Washington Monument in the horizon. This is where I spend many hours editing photos and writing about my flamenco-filled life as well as keep up with email (or at least try to) and chat online with friends all over the world. Not to worry, I do get out of the house to enjoy the day--when the weather gets warm I like to walk to nearby Georgetown Harbour and practice. Yeah I have two computers--the one on the left is a laptop. Just makes life easier for me to have one for surfing the net and the other for editing photos and webpages. There are some web technologies that I'd like to explore (like PHP and MySQL) but don't have the time at the moment. Wait a minute! It's Spring Break this week which means I do have some extra free time--although I really should catch up on reading Lorca...hmmm, let me think about it. :-) (I'm a little distracted right now...thinking about Spring Break reminds me of my last trip to Cancún in 2003. This is the view from my balcony on the 11th floor of the Ríu Cancún Hotel. Here's another looking straight down at the beach in the morning.) Arte Flamenco rehearsal March 13, 2005 Arte Flamenco has a show coming up this Saturday March 19, 2005 at 7:30pm at Montgomery College's Takoma Park campus. Accompanying are guitarists Henry Jova, Quique and Miguelito. Interestingly, it's a concert that features collaborations with a Middle Eastern dance group called Ancient Rhythms, led by Najwah, an instructor at the DC Dance Collective. (Remember how I mentioned earlier that I should checkout the local belly dance scene?) Note: I overheard Najwah mentioning that the show has been sold out for two weeks--there are only 100 seats. I can't promise anything, but it doesn't hurt to get on the waiting list if you're absolutely dying to see our show. 
Upon seeing this man for the first time, you'd think you just walked into a classy restaurant, no? :-) It's none other than Javier Bustamante. No flamenco party is complete without him. And likewise, no rehearsal is ever dull when he's around. Oh yeah, he happens to be the singer for this show and he's got a website too. March 13, 2005 1:31pm We drank a little bit of wine to loosen up. But please, don't get me wrong. I'm not encouraging drinking here. But whether you like it or not, alcohol is a part of flamenco. For some of my friends, flamenco music is intoxicating on its own anyway--no need for alcohol. 
Quique warming up. March 13, 2005 1:33pm 
Natalia Cuesta, who volunteered to run the rehearsal, checks the time. Director Natalia Monteleon was out of town. March 13, 2005 1:34pm 
From left: Alex, Natalia, Julie, Fausti, Pam and Sarah preparing to dance alegrías. March 13, 2005 1:53pm 
Silencio section. March 13, 2005 2:02pm 
March 13, 2005 2:03pm 
March 13, 2005 2:09pm 
The belly dancers have arrived. Time for a break! March 13, 2005 2:11pm 
What a sight! All these beautiful dancers in a classic flamenco pose. :-) March 13, 2005 2:13pm 
That's the head of my guitar on the bottom right. You can always tell cuz I have a bracelet (that a friend made for me) with the name Miguelito on it. :-) March 13, 2005 2:27pm 
March 13, 2005 2:31pm 
March 13, 2005 2:37pm 
March 13, 2005 2:38pm 
Sarah and Pam--a fellow filipino. March 13, 2005 2:39pm This is my favorite photo gallery from 2003 featuring some of the dancers from today's rehearsal. For more information about Arte Flamenco's performances and classes, visit their website. Saturday with Miguelito March 12, 2005 This morning I had my usual dance class marathon from 11:00am until 2:30pm at American Dance Institute. Except, today I didn't have my amplifier--I left it at Casablanca cuz I wanted to go to Las Tapas without dragging my sound equipment along. I asked my friend, guitarist Marty Dow, to bring his amp so I could plug in. But we never turned the amp on. As we played for the class we were able to get by without it. Think about it. In the 1850's, they didn't have amplifiers in the Cafe Cantantes. So today was an exercise in getting the most sound out of our guitars while pacing ourselves so that we didn't push our hands to the point of fatigue. 
After class, I caught the metro and headed to the Cleveland Park station to visit Paco de Malaga's Guitar Gallery. March 12, 2005 3:42pm 
Going up the escalator at Cleveland Park. Looks like a sunny day doesn't it? Don't be fooled...it's still very very cold. March 12, 2005 4:17pm 
March 12, 2005 4:22pm 
I stop by here every couple of months to say hello and catch up with my longtime friend Paco de Malaga who's given me a few guitar lessons and business and personal advice over the years---kind of like a flamenco father. Hmmm that reminds me, I'm supposed to interview him for my website. In fact, there are so many interviews I have to do--if you're waiting for me, I'll get to you eventually...you know who you are! :-) March 12, 2005 4:23pm (I looked for a full-size shawl for a dancer friend of mine, but didn't see any. Oh well, now I have a good excuse to go to New York and visit Menkes--in fact I'm going there on Sunday March 27th--and coming back Monday in time for my show at Citron--to hang out with my dad, my brother and some of my other relatives. One of my nephews, a saxophonist, is making his debut at Carnegie Hall. I'm so proud of my artistic family!) Still, if you ever need some shoes, castanets, small shawls etc, call 202-244-4200, the Guitar Gallery might have what you need. Afterwards, I decided to take a walk and visit some friends in nearby Adams-Morgan with the intent of dragging a few of them along to Cafe Citron in time to checkout the belly dance show around 9:00pm. 
Four hours later, arriving at those familiar doors to many good times. March 12, 2005 8:51pm I saw a lot of friends--many of whom also come to my show on Monday nights--including Karina Valverde, a local dance student whom I haven't seen for a while, but seem to running into a lot lately. :-) First thing I did was checkout the pre-show belly dance class downstairs. There were about 12 girls learning a basic routine. Cool thing is that the basement has mirrors that are perfect for a dance class. In fact the wood floor is perfect even for flamenco dancers to practice on. (sorry no pics) 
It's only 9pm-ish and the place is filling-up. That's the belly dancer at the bottom center with her arm raised up. Imagine three times the people and you'll have a picture of the typical Citron crowd after midnight! March 12, 2005 9:25pm 
March 12, 2005 9:32pm As Cafe Citron got more crowded (and warmer) later in the evening, I hung up my jacket, but forgot to remove the camera from the pocket...so no more pics, sorry! :-) Since I'm going to participating in an advisory panel on promoting dance, I might as well checkout the shows that are somehow related to flamenco--including the belly dance scene. I know at least a few flamenco dancers, like Yasmina and Raven, who are also professional belly dancers. Next on the list: kathak. Hey Aru! Know any places where I can see classical Indian dance? :-) Friday with Miguelito March 11, 2005 This school show at Las Tapas was postponed two weeks ago. Cecilia Terrasa and Mariya were kind enough to answer my call for dancers at the last minute. They showed up on time, but the school had to cancel "due to snow." We got paid anyway, but the least I could do for Cecilia and Mariya when the school rescheduled the show is call them again. 
The show was scheduled to start at 11:45am but my equipment was already setup, so I could afford to arrive close to showtime. March 11, 2005 11:21am 
I passed through this door hundreds of times over the years, but I've had so many good times here, it almost always puts a smile on my face when I see it. March 11, 2005 11:22am 
Students from Grace E. Metz Middle School (Manassas) completely filled-up the main dining room. We began with Sevillanas. March 11, 2005 11:59am (photo by Heidi Rios) 
Cecilia and Mariya may look like they're doing the exactly the same choreography, but they studied with different teachers and there are slight differences. March 11, 2005 12:00pm (photo by Heidi Rios) 
March 11, 2005 12:01pm (photo by Heidi Rios) 
March 11, 2005 12:02pm (photo by Heidi Rios) 
Here I am explaining a little about the history of flamenco. Usually, when I ask dancers if they'd like to speak, they refuse. But I was pleasantly surprised when Cecilia enthusiastically volunteered! March 11, 2005 12:03pm (photo by Heidi Rios) Speaking of speaking...recently, someone from a national arts organization called me to tell me how "eloquently" I spoke about flamenco at the First Night Alexandria show with Ginette Perea and Shahram Tehranian. So she invited me to join her advisory panel on promoting dance in Washington DC! 
Mariya in soleá. March 11, 2005 12:08pm (photo by Heidi Rios) 
March 11, 2005 12:09pm (photo by Heidi Rios) 
March 11, 2005 12:11pm (photo by Heidi Rios) 
Cecilia in tangos. March 11, 2005 12:21pm (photo by Heidi Rios) 
March 11, 2005 12:22pm (photo by Heidi Rios) 
March 11, 2005 12:23pm (photo by Heidi Rios) 
An hour later, the students are gone and it's very very quiet. March 11, 2005 1:26pm Since I was doing a show at Casablanca in the evening, I went ahead and packed up my sound equipment and walked eight blocks to this Moroccan restaurant drop it off early. 
Six hours later, I'm at Casablanca playing a guitar solo to open the show. March 11, 2005 7:40pm (photo by Robert Arrieta) My new friend Robert drove all the way from North Carolina to checkout the DC flamenco scene. He's a flamenco guitar student and a fan of website considering moving up here. Of course, I asked him to take pictures for me. Thanks Robert! 
Sara Candela in Guajiras. March 11, 2005 7:46pm (photo by Robert Arrieta) 
March 11, 2005 7:47pm (photo by Robert Arrieta) 
March 11, 2005 7:48pm (photo by Robert Arrieta) 
Anna Menendez in soleá. March 11, 2005 7:54pm (photo by Robert Arrieta) 
March 11, 2005 7:56pm (photo by Robert Arrieta) 
March 11, 2005 8:02pm (photo by Robert Arrieta) 
Fin de fiesta bulerías with the girl scouts sitting at the foot of the stage. The stage looks dark doesn't it? March 11, 2005 8:05pm (photo by Robert Arrieta) Well, my stage lights went out during the climax of the bulerías--so did the sound. But being the professionals that we are, we kept on going without missing a beat, without losing the compás. Some people were impressed thinking it was part of "our act" to have the lights and sound go out. :-) Thing is, normally I use a dimmer for the stage lights. But I accidentally dropped the dimmer and it stopped working, so my lights had only two settings: off or full-on. The lights require a lot of power and I believe that as I the music got louder towards the end the amp was working harder and taking in more electricity, so together with the full-on lights the fuse went out in my power strip. For the next show, I just reset the fuse breaker in my power strip and we were back to normal again. Lesson learned: plug stage lights in a separate outlet (or even better, a separate circuit) and use a power stip with a push-button reset for the for the fuse. 
This evening the restaurant was packed! There was a large group of beautiful girls that looked like dancers--don't ask me how I know, I work with dancers all the time and I just know instinctively. Turns out that just like in the local flamenco shows, local bellydance students come to check out their teachers in performance. March 11, 2005 10:08pm At DC area flamenco shows, teachers usually invite their students to dance Sevillanas or bulerías. Well, when the belly dancer comes around and does short dances for individual tables, she sometimes pulls up her students to dance a short duet. After the belly dancer, we went on again for our second set. This time the lights didn't go out, thank God! Note to self: buy a dimmer switch this week. Anyway, I wanted to show my friend Robert the guitaristic talents of Duende Camaron. So I grabbed a quick bite of tasty Moroccan cuisine and afterwards, we headed to Las Tapas. 
Guitarist Cesar Oretea and his very proud mom. March 11, 2005 11:51pm 
Jose y su mamá. March 11, 2005 11:57pm 
Armand, Jose and Cesar as they began their last set for the evening. March 12, 2005 12:00am 
Dancer Debra Belo stopped by after her show at El Ranchero. March 12, 2005 12:01am 
Cesar playing a melody. March 12, 2005 12:10am 
March 12, 2005 12:12am 
March 12, 2005 12:13am 
March 12, 2005 12:14am 
March 12, 2005 12:15am 
March 12, 2005 12:16am 
Yours truly with local singer Indira Terraza. She performs at Guarapo on Tuesday nights. March 12, 2005 12:26am 
March 12, 2005 12:27am 
March 12, 2005 12:31am Andalucía March 10, 2005 This is the second week in a row that Jen has performed with us. She's currently studying with Anna Menendez at the American Institute of Dance here in Rockville. 
Sevillanas. March 10, 2005 8:12pm (photo by Monica) 
March 10, 2005 8:13pm (photo by Monica) 
Jen preparing to dance alegrías. March 10, 2005 8:18pm (photo by Monica) 
Guadalupe dancing farruca. March 10, 2005 8:31pm (photo by Monica) The restaurant is filled-up almost to capacity for the second week in a row! Business has been getting better. Is it the new chef (from Málaga), new decor, new hostess, new tablao, new second dancer or what? The Andalucía is definitely making some great improvements and it's making a difference. There would have been more photos, but the camera battery was getting weak. I managed to get a few more pics before it completely died: 
Guadalupe and Jen reviewing their performance. March 10, 2005 8:48pm 
Practicing palmas. March 10, 2005 8:49pm 
March 10, 2005 8:50pm Later: after dropping off my sound equipment and guitar at home, I made it to Guarapo around 11:30pm and hung out with Jenifer, José, Cesar and Armand until closing time. (sorry no pics) Day off March 9, 2005 No gigs, no rehearsals today. Time to catch up with my friends, especially the ones outside of my flamenco circle. One of them IM'ed me at lunch and said, "Stop by. I have a present for you." Hmmm....interesting (it's not my birthday anytime soon--not until July). But I'm not complaining. :-) So I stopped by my friend's place and was handed an attractively-wrapped little box that weighed next to nothing. As soon as I tore away the paper, I instantly knew what it was... 
It's an Ipod Shuffle! March 9, 2005 What's an Ipod Shuffle? It's a very compact digital music player that holds a gigabyte's worth of audio files or about 20 hours of music. You plug in the headphones, press play and can listen all day long. The rechargeable battery supposedly lasts 12 hours. There is no display however. The name "Shuffle" reflects the manufacturer's assumption that you would listen to music purely as background without regard for order of the tracks, so the Ipod randomly chooses the order of the tracks for you--kind of like an automated radio station with a computerized DJ. You never know what song comes next. The reason for the gift? It's personal, but I'll partially quote the card: "Just because..." Of course, besides the coolness-factor of the Apple brand name, it's a very practical tool for a professional musician like me. I love it! It's just what I needed cuz my old mp3 player only held 128 megabytes (12.8% the capacity of the Ipod Shuffle) and it was about time to upgrade. I've used digital music players like the Ipod Shuffle to play pre-recorded background flamenco music between sets at some of my gigs. It adds a professional touch when you have the appropriate music playing before the show starts--to get the crowd into a flamenco frame-of-mind. Now the hard part: filling it up with 20 hours worth of music. :-)  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. |
|
