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Miguelito's Photo Diary/BlogMay 14, 2005 - May 21, 2005
Furia Flamenca rehearsal at Strathmore May 21, 2005 The DC Feria is the one time each year when you'll see several of the local competing dance companies perform on the same stage in one afternoon. It's not unusual to find many of the same guitarists playing for all the groups. Let's face it, the number of real flamenco guitarists who can accompany dancers are rare. But it's not a totally spontaneous jam session. We actually do have to rehearse at least once. Last night, I went to the dance studios at Strathmore to rehearse with guitarist Torcuato Zamora and Furia Flamenca. 
With a beautiful view like this, you can't avoid being inspired. May 21, 2005 6:12pm 
The dancers arrive. May 21, 2005 6:13pm 
Torcuato tunes up his guitar. May 21, 2005 6:28pm Considering that it's been a long time since I played together with Torcuato, it was a challenge to match his distinctive style of playing and pay attention to the dancers at the same time. It's actually harder in some ways to be the second guitarist because you have to accompany both the dancer AND the first guitarist! 
Director Estela Velez and members of Furia Flamenca. May 21, 2005 6:28pm 
Estela rehearsing her solo. May 21, 2005 7:09pm 
May 21, 2005 7:54pm 
May 21, 2005 7:55pm Yeah, I know...for a two-hour rehearsal, I didn't get that many pics cuz I actually had to play guitar most of the time. :-) Usually after rehearsal, I'm pumped up and inspired, but it didn't seem like the dancers were going out afterwards. Fortunately, my friend Aru was having a big party at the International Student House in Dupont Circle. The theme was Arabic night so they had Arabic dance music of course plus hookahs, wine and food (well there was food before I got there). 
Hostess Aru doing her job getting everyone up and dancing. May 21, 2005 10:08pm A few of the guests recognized me from my show here a few months ago.  May 21, 2005 10:49pm With the warm weather, it was the perfect night for a backyard party. Afterwards, I pulled out my guitar and jammed with one of the residents for a while and was pleasantly surprised when one of the guests requested I play some alegrias. But most of the people wanted to dance some more, so after my guitar solo, the party migrated to the house next door. Andalucía May 19, 2005 Years ago, we used to regularly have, two, three and sometimes even four dancers in the show at Andalucía! One of the former dancers from back then was Renata Lukasiewicz who dropped by last night to say hello. 
Guadalupe Cerritos, Thomas, Renata and Miguelito. May 19, 2005 (photo by John Lukasiewicz) Practice session May 19, 2005 Being able to dance perfectly with a recording doesn't prepare you completely for working with a guitarist. Neither does performing a group dance with a guitarist. Ultimately, you, as an individual, have to understand the music and be able to communicate solely through the language of dance. The only way to learn is to practice and perform with a guitarist. Yesterday, I met up with two dancers and spent the afternoon working on their solos in a home studio. They both had all afternoon open, so we practiced on and on. Between dances, we enjoyed some olives, cheese and Red Bull! :-) Later, we had a big lunch and I almost fell asleep on the couch. Not that I expect this royal treatment whenever I practice with dancers, but I decided to take advantage. I was busy playing guitar the whole time, so this as the only pic. (Where is my personal photographer?!?)  May 19, 2005 2:44pm Carmela Greco workshop May 15, 2005 I haven't been able to stop by this workshop since I've been busy just about every night (need money for my upcoming vacation). Fortunately, workshop organizer Edwin Aparicio sent me some photos. Thanks Edwin! Looks like Sunday's workshop session was well-attended!  May 15, 2005 (photo courtesy of Edwin Aparicio)  May 15, 2005 (photo courtesy of Edwin Aparicio)  May 15, 2005 (photo courtesy of Edwin Aparicio)  May 15, 2005 (photo courtesy of Edwin Aparicio) Première at El Manantial in Reston May 18, 2005 When you see us guitarists "working" onstage, it seems like it's easy and fun--actually it is. But the part where we do the real work is before and after the show when we setup and breakdown the sound equipment etc. This was especially evident today when I met up with guitarist RJ Uebersezig at 4:00pm. I was thinking "Our show is at 8:00pm. What are we going to be doing for 4 hours?' Since this was our première here at El Manantial (in English: the oasis), we wanted to make sure everything went well from the sound, the stage lighting, the stage and oh yeah, the performance too. 
May 18, 2005 5:00pm RJ arrived earlier to setup his sound system which was a definite plus for me. All I had to do was show up, plug in my microphone and set my levels and I was ready! But what about the stage? RJ had that covered, too. Over the past few weeks, he went out and bought the materials out of his own pocket and built a stage, applied wood stain to give it an attractive color and put on several coats of lacquer. (Experienced performers know that exposed wood tablaos are not suitable for restaurants--when they wear down, splinters of wood could fly off as dancers do their footwork. Where do the splinters go? Think about it.) 
RJ adjusts the stage lights for maximum effect. May 18, 2005 5:32pm 
May 18, 2005 5:32pm 
Sound is so important and each venue requires a different setup. Mixers are complex devices. You gotta know what you're doing. May 18, 2005 5:33pm True story: RJ and I grabbed a bite at Turcuisine (571-323-3330) in nearby Herndon while we had some time to kill. When the cute Turkish waitress asked us if we were musicians, we said we played flamenco. She smiled and said, "Ooooooh! Let me give you my card." The woman at the table next to us said, "Did you say you play flamenco? My husband is hooked on it. Where did you say you play?" RJ said, "El Manantial. You should go to Miguelito's website. It's DCFLAMENCO.COM." She immediately retorted, "OK, I already know that site." Nothing more needed to be said. End of conversation. 
Seating capacity: about 100. Every table was occupied! The restaurant manager was very pleased! May 18, 2005 8:29pm I'm probably going to get in trouble for saying this, but out of all the places I perform, El Manantial is the classiest. Why? When the show begins, the food service stops. The maitre d' insisted we do it this way. It's about time! When it was time to begin, RJ switched on the stage lights, and the maitre d' dimmed the house and I began to play a guitar solo to set the mood. I knew in my mind I was in a restaurant but with spotlight on me, it almost felt like performing in a theatre. In other restaurants, I'm accustomed to having servers walk in front of the stage during the show, but here at El Manantial that's not the case. I love it! [Photo removed for privacy]
[Name removed for privacy] and Mariya in Sevillanas. May 18, 2005 8:39pm (photo by Linette) Notice the Trompe l'oeil murals. Gives the effect of a warm night on the Mediterranean. 
May 18, 2005 8:46pm (photo by Linette) 
May 18, 2005 9:12pm (photo by Linette) (Shameless self-promotion...Admit it. You love how I bring you to all the DC area flamenco events through the magic of the Internet. There's so much going on in DC that would go unnoticed without my website. Who else does this for you? You DC flamencos are sooooo fortunate to have me! Yeah, it's fun and altruistic but still I work my butt off, so I gotta congratulate myself sometimes.) 
May 18, 2005 9:13pm (photo by Linette) It was a great night, but two things stand out:
Congrats to RJ on setting up this fun gig and building and delivering the stage. Congrats to [Name removed for privacy], Mariya and RJ (and yours truly) for a energetic show--it was easy with such a great audience. Thanks to maitre d' for letting us artists "do our thing" without the servers getting in the way.
Requiebros at the OAS May 15, 2005 I wish I knew about the Food Festival of the Americas which took place at the Organization of American States this past Sunday. Then again I was busy anyway. My friend Jenifer was kind enough to let me publish some of her pics. Carmen de Vicente's group Requiebros was one of several groups that performed at the Festival. Jenifer writes: 
Maribel, Katy, Pili, Lola. May 15, 2005 (photo courtesy of Jenifer) 
Paella from the Spain booth. May 15, 2005 (photo courtesy of Jenifer) Cafe Citron May 16, 2005 My friend José Reyes showed up. He's a Mexican folkorico dancer. You may remember him from a couple of months ago, when I did a fundraiser at the Marriott in Rosslyn. He gladly volunteered to take pics for me. Thanks José! 
Miguelito and Gerard Moreno in Sevillanas. May 16, 2005 9:17pm (photo by José Reyes) 
Miguelito, Gerard and Sara Jerez. May 16, 2005 9:19pm (photo by José Reyes) 
Sara in Guajiras. May 16, 2005 9:28pm (photo by José Reyes) 
May 16, 2005 9:29pm (photo by José Reyes) 
Sara in Tangos. May 16, 2005 9:38pm (photo by José Reyes) 
Miguelito, Gerard and Sara. May 16, 2005 9:40pm (photo by José Reyes) 
May 16, 2005 9:41pm (photo by José Reyes) Several friends called or emailed me telling me they were coming to Citron tonight. Sarika and José were the only ones who kept their promise. Anyway, the cool news is that Sarika just started taking flamenco classes about a month ago with Estela Velez. With her previous training in Kathak (north Indian style of classical dance, characterized by rhythmic footwork) hopefully she'll progress quickly and I can get her to dance Sevillanas at Cafe Citron sometime soon. ;-) 
Miguelito and Sarika. May 16, 2005 10:20pm (photo by José Reyes) American Dance Institute May 15, 2005 It was that time of the year: the end-of-semester student recital at American Dance Institute (ADI). All the student divisions from ballet to jazz to flamenco performed a sample of what they had been working on all semester. Anna Menendez's teen students had been working on a short Farruca and the first two coplas of Sevillanas. The performance wasn't until 2:00pm but we had to do a run through and a brief tech rehearsal at noon. I got there a little late. 
Entrance to the American Dance Institute in Rockville. May 15, 2005 12:24pm The facilities here are well-kept and beautifully designed in soothing colors and spaciousness--very inspiring! 
Usually when I come here to play for dance classes on Saturdays I walk down this hall. The double doors on the left lead to the flamenco studio. May 15, 2005 12:25pm 
This is a view through the mirrored window into the studio. Usually I sit beside the piano. May 15, 2005 12:25pm OK, I killed enough time giving a tour. It's time for our tech. This the entrance to the studio theatre. 
May 15, 2005 12:31pm Of course I was busy playing guitar so I could only sneak in one quick photo from where I was sitting. They provided a wireless lavalier microphone for the guitar. Very professional! 
Isn't this cool how I give you sneak peeks from the performer's point of view? May 15, 2005 12:36pm An hour later, we did another run-through without the lights. That's Anna standing in front of the seats carefully scrutinizing the lines and spacing of her student group. 
May 15, 2005 1:25pm The student recital began promptly at 2:00pm. In the meantime, I kept myself entertained taking self-portraits and peeking in the door at the other student groups as they performed. 
May 15, 2005 2:10pm 
Quietly warming up. We go on in about 10 minutes. May 15, 2005 2:20pm Aside from my guitar being slightly out of tune (an unavoidable hazard in the presence of hot stage lights), the performance went well. Congrats to the student dancers and their teacher Anna Menendez on a great job! Around 2:40pm, I had to rush off to Arlington to meet my brother Kevin to celebrate his birthday with family and friends. My brother like myself is a full-time artist. His specialty is graphic design and over the years, he's given me lots of tips on using Photoshop, a photo-editing program which I use everyday when producing this photo diary. Anyway, he deserves special mention here for that reason. Happy birthday, Kevin! Private party May 14, 2005 After a playing guitar for classes all day at American Dance Institute, I had just enough time to come home to drop off my instrument and get out and enjoy the warm weather for a short while before my ride picked me up for tonight's gig. 
This pic is pretty good for a camera phone, don't you agree? May 14, 2005 6:50pm (photo by Ginette) Since we factored in the stormy weather, traffic etc, we arrived at the gig quite early. It gave us time to chill out for awhile and mingle with the guests. 
This is a good sign. The birthday "boy" loves guitar. I want a cake like this! But make sure you have the right number of strings! May 14, 2005 8:22pm (photo by Gina) After the birthday song, we got the show started with Sevillanas, then I introduced the artists and gave a brief background about flamenco and talked about the dances we were about to perform. 
Ginette in soleá por bulerías. May 14, 2005 8:41pm (photo by Gina) 
May 14, 2005 8:41pm (photo by Gina) 
May 14, 2005 8:42pm (photo by Gina) [Photo removed for privacy]
May 14, 2005 8:43pm (photo by Gina) 
May 14, 2005 8:43pm (photo by Gina) This particular room was perfect for flamenco with an intimate crowd of about 30 or so people. A number of them commented afterwards that they had never before seen a flamenco show up close and didn't realize how powerful it could be. In this form of self-expression, the imaginary boundary between the audience and performer disappears--this is a paraphrase of something Lorca wrote. Us artists feed off the energy of the audience. There was a good vibe going and it contributed to a great performance. [Photo removed for privacy]
May 14, 2005 8:43pm (photo by Gina) You can't tell from these pics because of the flash, but I had the hostess darken the room as I turned on the stage lights. With the warm glow of the red and blue stage lights, the audience could also see the shadow play of the dancer's moves on the walls and ceiling. [Photo removed for privacy]
[Name removed for privacy] in Garrotín. May 14, 2005 8:49pm (photo by Gina) [Photo removed for privacy]
May 14, 2005 8:51pm (photo by Gina) [Photo removed for privacy]
Miguelito playing an introduction for bulerías before Ginette and [Name removed for privacy] each got up dance a little solo to end the show. May 14, 2005 8:56pm (photo by Gina) [Photo removed for privacy]
May 14, 2005 8:59pm (photo by Gina) [Photo removed for privacy]
May 14, 2005 8:59pm (photo by Gina) 
May 14, 2005 9:00pm (photo by Gina) Just like last year, Ginette ended up working on her birthday. At least it was a flamenco job and it was fun and she was among friends (and her mom was there too). Over the past few years, I've enjoyed seeing her grow as a dancer, artist and a person. Happy birthday, Ginette! We made quite an impression on tonight's audience and I had many requests for my business card afterwards, but I had run out (bad bad bad!). Fortunately, I have an excellent website with an easy to remember name, so in lieu of a card, I told my future clients to just memorize my URL. TIP: if your website address is difficult to memorize or spell, it's not a good address. Catching up May 14, 2005 Yeah, I know it's been a few days since I last updated the photo diary. I've been busy of course, and I just haven't been taking pics. On one hand, I'd like to share the fun flamenco moments through photos. But sometimes taking pictures of my flamenco-filled life does prevent me from fully enjoying myself. I did receive an email that really made my day: "...you are a very important person. i may not know you like your friends but i know about you (from your blog) enough to say that you are a very cool talented person..." Little by little, I'm getting to know the author of the above message via email, but have yet to meet this "mystery girl." Since I'm out performing almost everyday, I'm always wondering if she is out there somewhere in the audience. It's actually kind of fun! :-) I know I'm a very important person in the local flamenco community and that the service I provide through my website is invaluable. But I still appreciate the positive feedback. Constructive criticism is good too. Another person wrote: "The site is very informative. Nice layout. I found my teacher via this site. Having said that, some parts of the site look like it is Miguelito's personal site rather than a community site. If the site is organized into 2 sections so that there is a logical separation between two that will be great. However, Miguelito is doing a great service of running this." If we're talking about the photo diary, then I have to say it's my site AND the community's site. I just happened to be so busy and involved with the local flamenco community. I'll admit, I do digress every now and then, but my point in doing that is to remind my readers to get some balance in their life. Enjoy flamenco to your heart's content but do get out there and sample other art forms. You may come back to flamenco with a fresh perspective. Last night I was at Casablanca performing with [Name removed for privacy] and Ginette . Both sets went well (but the second was better than the first--it almost always happens that way). I have to say that besides being good dancers, [Name removed for privacy] and especially Ginette (since she's a newcomer) have really developed as performers. It's a different skill. I've seen good dancers choke onstage cuz their performance skills were a bit lacking. There are books you can read and workshops you can take, but ultimately to develop your performance skills, you have to just get out there and get some experience. Trust me on this. I have a private gig (with [Name removed for privacy] and Ginette) tonight and a student recital tomorrow (Sunday). Hopefully I'll have some updates for the photo diary. Thanks for listening.
Photos taken with the Olympus Stylus 300 Digital Camera
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