Miguelito's Photo Diary/Blog

July 10, 2005 - July 15, 2005

• Joy of Motion-Friendship Heights July 10, 2005
• Flamenco Shack in Fort Washington July 10, 2005
• Cafe Citron July 11, 2005
• Red Maple July 12, 2005
• Cafe Bonaparte/Agua Ardiente July 13, 2005
• Andalucía July 14, 2005
• Arlington Community Center/Las Tapas July 15, 2005

Arlington Community Center/Las Tapas July 15, 2005

I was so focused on the rehearsal, that I almost forgot to take a few pics until the very last minute of our studio time. But there wasn't anyone around to take my camera, so instead we took turns taking pics of each other.

Just for fun, I tried out different facial expressions. I don't consciously think about this when I'm performing, but I was just curious to see how I look when I try to emote a certain feeling. I'm sure actors do this all the time.

Me normal. July 15, 2005 5:30pm (photo by Ginette)

Me intense. :-) July 15, 2005 5:30pm (photo by Ginette)

Me lost in my thoughts. July 15, 2005 5:33pm (photo by Ginette)

Ginette. July 15, 2005 5:34pm

July 15, 2005 5:34pm

July 15, 2005 5:36pm

July 15, 2005 5:36pm

When our studio time was up, I had to rush home to pick up my sound equipment and get ready for my show at Casablanca. Sorry no pics. I guess it was one of those days where I was so into whatever it was that I was doing that I forgot to take pics for my photo diary.

When I arrived at Casablanca, I finally met De Kai, the cajón player visiting from Hong Kong. He joined us onstage for our two sets. The dancers were Tamara Sol Flys and Anna Menendez. My friend RJ was in the audience. It was a good performance. One of the audience members came up to us after the show and said something like, "I just wanted to thank you. Your show was so intense, it made me cry." She meant it in a good way. That felt good. It made my night!

Then we enjoyed a fabulous feast of Moroccan cuisine literally stuffing ourselves to the point where it was tempting to just take a nap on the numerous pillows in our dining booth. But Tamara was intent on introducing De Kai to Duende Camarón. So we got up out of our seats and headed down the street to Las Tapas. It was good thing cuz if I did lay down I wouldn't have wanted to get back up! :-)

Actually I promised some friends I'd meet them in Adams-Morgan this evening, but I changed my plans at the last-minute. Oh well. It's not everyday you meet a flamenco from Hong Kong. Plus De Kai mentioned to me that his original summer plan was to vacation in Spain, but this work-related trip brought him to DC instead and he was intent on enjoying as much flamenco as he can in our little community.

De Kai, Tamara and Miguelito at Las Tapas. July 15, 2005 11:15pm (photo by RJ)

Shahram Tehranian, De Kai, Tamara and RJ Uebersezig. July 15, 2005 11:16pm

Anna Menendez and Linette. July 15, 2005 11:20pm

Going home, it was awfully humid outside and when I got on the train, the air-conditioning wasn't working. To top it off they were single-tracking so part of the trip home was spent in an underground tunnel as we waited for the other train to clear the station. I was desperate to feel the rush of cool air when the doors opened.

Got home sometime after 2:00am and tried working on the website for awhile but at some point, I dozed off at the keyboard--which is unusual cuz I usually don't get sleepy until around 3 or 4am.

I had this dream of when I had an office job long ago where I would spend most of the day doing some kind of mindless clerical work that would put me into a daze as I stared at the computer screen. Back then, I used to have these moments throughout the day where I'd repeatedly doze off for a few seconds while sitting at my desk. Didn't like the feeling but I got used to it. This was partly because I was sleep-deprived from spending my nights at flamenco gigs and coming home late to update my website. Oh yeah, and it didn't help that the job was not very stimulating--so eight hours felt like sixteen!

Anyway, at some point in this dream my office phone started ringing and I'd pick up the receiver but there was no one on the line. Just dead silence. But the phone kept on ringing and ringing and wouldn't stop. That's wierd. It took me a few seconds to realize the ringer had an unusual tone. The ringer tone sounded like an instant messenger.

That's the Yahoo Messenger tone! I jolted back to reality and when I opened my eyes I found myself sitting there at my computer at home (yay!). Turns out that one of my friends was online, pressing the buzzer (on Yahoo messenger it's Control-G) repeatedly trying to get my attention. Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Miguelito, are you there?

My friend was so annoyed that I fell asleep on her during our chat, but I didn't care cuz I was just happy to be back in this wonderful reality. :-))

Andalucía July 14, 2005

Didn't get any decent pics from the show--the layout of the restaurant makes it difficult to frame a decent shot. So you'll have to settle for these random pics from before and after the show...

Yours truly warming up by the front door. July 14, 2005 7:44pm

Usually I hang out at the bar, but I was asked move cuz there were customers that wanted to sit. So instead I found a comfy little spot near the front door. I think some of customers were pleasantly surprised to hear some live flamenco guitar as soon as they walked in.

Today's food pic: perfectly-shaped flan. Grab your spoon and carve out a mouthful. Let it sit on your tongue and savor the flavor as it melts away. Repeat until it's all gone. :) Yum!

July 14, 2005 8:59pm

It's so tempting sitting at the bar cuz I get to see the restaurant staff carefully prep the desserts right in front of me! How else could I get this close to the food! :-)

After my show at Casablanca tonight, I'm thinking of going out to Adams-Morgan and getting some freshly-made churros and chocolate at Churrería Madrid. Mmmm!

Guadalupe practicing some new choreography. July 14, 2005 9:04pm

Antonio and Rebecca preparing some desserts. July 14, 2005 9:05pm

Waiting for the train, I asked Rebecca to take a few pics of yours truly...

July 14, 2005 10:34pm (photo by Rebecca)

July 14, 2005 10:35pm (photo by Rebecca)

Starting in August, the performance schedule will change slightly. There will still be live flamenco guitar by yours truly every Thursday. But the dance shows will only be on the first and third Thursday each month. For more info, visit the Andalucía's website.

Cafe Bonaparte/Agua Ardiente July 13, 2005

Usually I would've been performing at El Manantial in Reston this (Wednesday) evening, but the show was moved to another date. Fortunately, a call for a private gig at Cafe Bonaparte came up.

(I need all the gigs I can get this week cuz I'm saving up a little extra cash for my trip to Maine next weekend. I'll be doing a flamenco show at an old-fashioned, family-oriented festival in Harpswell. I'll make sure someone takes pics. Plus I'll have a couple of days to do the tourist thing and relax. Although I'm used to getting by on an artist's budget, I want make sure I get my fill of Maine lobster and other seafood which is probably not going to be that cheap!)

A cozy little European escape on Wisconsin Ave. July 13, 2005 5:59pm

A local business organization rented out the Cafe for a few hours for a private engagement. It was one of those networking parties where everyone stands around with drink-in-hand making small talk and establishing new business contacts. So they cleared away the tables for the party of 50 or so people. And for once, Behzad and actually I had a lot of space and didn't have to worry about accidentally banging someone in the head with our guitars. :-)

Behzad setting up in an unusually spacious Bonaparte. July 13, 2005 6:05pm

Seven minutes to showtime and sound is set up, microphones are set, guitars in tune! July 13, 2005 6:23pm

We played straight through for 90 minutes from 6:30pm until 8:00. At these kinds of gigs, I'm accustomed to taking at least a 15 minute break each hour. So we were really pushing it stamina-wise but I just relaxed, tried to lose myself in the music and the time flew by. Before we knew it, we were already packing up, collecting our cash and heading out the door!

As I walked out with the last piece of sound equipment, one of the customers struggled to say something to me in Spanish, "Buen toque!" I'm not sure if that's correct Spanish, but it was a compliment and I'll take it! :-)

[Editor's note: the next Flamenco Night at Cafe Bonaparte is on Wednesday July 20th. This is place is very intimate (read: very tiny) so reservations are highly recommended. Call 202-333-8830. In the meantime, checkout the pics from the last show.]

Anyway, my friend Juan Martín called to inform me that he and a group of friends were going to Agua Ardiente to see guitarist Torcuato Zamora. I still had to drop off my equipment at home, not to mention get a bite to eat. And I wasn't about to blow all my hard-earned money on expensive bar food that wouldn't fill me up, so Behzad and I went to the Silver Diner in Clarendon to get some real food.

Here's another one of my famous food pics. :-) I got the Aloha burger: "A volcano of flavors! USDA Angus Steak Burger basted in Ginger-Teriyaki sauce topped with Pineapple-Cilantro salsa, lettuce, tomato, swiss cheese and Buttermilk Farm Ranch dressing."

Go ahead and try one of my fries but be careful, they're very hot! :-) July 13, 2005 9:02pm

Sometime after 10:00pm, Behzad and I headed back to DC to visit Agua Ardiente. Fortunately, Torcuato was still playing when we arrived and a bunch of my flamenco friends were in attendance. Some of them were even dancing Sevillanas...

Nora Lopez and Cecilia. July 13, 2005 10:24pm

Guitar dudes: Behzad, Torcuato, Miguelito and Revel (a fellow half-filipino and budding flamenco guitarist). July 13, 2005 11:03pm

Marta Chico Martín (yet another half-filipino flamenco) and Anna Menéndez. July 13, 2005 11:04pm

Can you name another local flamenco who has filipino heritage? (hint: she dances in Natalia Monteleon's Arte Flamenco group.)

Nora, Guillermo, Cecilia and friend. July 13, 2005 11:08pm

Gilbert, Manuel and friends. July 13, 2005 11:08pm

Keith, Sara and Heidi. July 13, 2005 11:09pm

I overheard that club owner Mauricio sold Agua Ardiente to a couple of Spaniards who immediately hired Torcuato to perform here regularly. I usually expect Duende Camaron to be playing here Wednesdays nights, but they may have been replaced. I'll confirm this later--it's 2:39am on Thursday as I type these words--but in the meantime call 202-833-8500.

Here's a cool nighttime shot of the exterior of Agua Ardiente. Standing in front are my friends Juan Martín and Behzad. They're holding a videotape of something related to flamenco I'm sure.

July 14, 2005 12:28am

Another cool nighttime shot as we drove through Georgetown.

July 14, 2005 12:34am

Flamenco Shack in Fort Washington July 10, 2005

A local flamenco scene has to start somehow and it's people like Jamahl and friends that make it happen. They are a group of self-described beginners that meet every Sunday and practice, learn and have fun with flamenco. They call their regular get together "the Flamenco Shack."

Call it what you will, but I admire these guys for doing what they do. Yeah, they could drive all the way to DC and hookup with the local flamencos there. But there are flamencos in Fort Washington too, so why not just do it in Fort Washington outdoors on a beautiful summer day?

Guitarist Stephen and Brandon. July 10, 2005 (photo courtesy of Jamahl)

July 10, 2005 (photo courtesy of Jamahl)

July 10, 2005 (photo courtesy of Jamahl)

Stephen and Jamahl. July 10, 2005 (photo courtesy of Jamahl)

July 10, 2005 (photo courtesy of Jamahl)

The following pics were taken inside the famous "Shack" (connected to Brandon's house in Fort Washington).

July 10, 2005 (photo courtesy of Jamahl)

July 10, 2005 (photo courtesy of Jamahl)

Check out the discussion about the Flamenco Shack in the Message Board.

Red Maple July 12, 2005

Ramin Rad, De Kai and Tamara Sol Flys. July 12, 2005 (photo courtesy of Natalia Cuesta)

De Kai is visiting from Hong Kong for about six weeks. Welcome De Kai! He plays on a Mario Cortés cajón, Universo model.

Fita, Mari Carmen, Jose Luis, and Javier Bustamante. July 12, 2005 (photo courtesy of Natalia Cuesta)

July 12, 2005 (photo courtesy of Natalia Cuesta)

July 12, 2005 (photo courtesy of Natalia Cuesta)

July 12, 2005 (photo courtesy of Natalia Cuesta)

Tamara and Marta Chico Martin. July 12, 2005 (photo courtesy of Natalia Cuesta)

July 12, 2005 (photo courtesy of Natalia Cuesta)

Natalia Cuesta and Tamara. July 12, 2005 (photo courtesy of Natalia Cuesta)

July 12, 2005 (photo courtesy of Natalia Cuesta)

Quique. July 12, 2005 (photo courtesy of Natalia Cuesta)

The following are from a few weeks ago. Thanks for your patience!

José Oretea. June 28, 2005 (photo courtesy of Julie/Overton)

Richard Marlow. June 28, 2005 (photo courtesy of Julie/Overton)

Overton, Javier Bustamante, Marta Chico Martin and Fausti. June 28, 2005 (photo courtesy of Julie/Overton)

Javier, Marta, Fausti and José. June 28, 2005 (photo courtesy of Julie/Overton)

Tamara Sol Flys. June 28, 2005 (photo courtesy of Julie/Overton)

June 28, 2005 (photo courtesy of Julie/Overton)

Natalia. June 28, 2005 (photo courtesy of Julie/Overton)

Red Maple (in Baltimore) features a flamenco show every Tuesday. Call 410-547-0149.

Cafe Citron July 11, 2005

This was one of the best nights I've had this summer (not as good as my vacation Spain though). Why? Lots of friends (old and new), inspired performances, enthusiastic crowd, beautiful summer weather...you get the idea. Enjoy the pics!

Julia writes:
I enjoyed seeing the pictures and reading your blog entry about Cafe Citron! I've always been a fan of checking your website periodically over the years, and I feel flattered to be on it! However, I wanted to clarify that I only danced with Ena up until age 10 (that was about 10 years ago). I then began studying with Ana Martinez, to whom I owe most of my tecnica. I owe my inspiration to start dancing to my aunt Ruth Bolduan and my uncle, Charlie Moeser, who you may remember from past ferias and other events. Now that I'm off at school, I started a little flamenco club which performs around campus and has its own primitive website (it has a link to your site!). [flamenco.stanford.edu] Anyway, enough history... Cheers, Julia

Julia's back home in the DC area on summer break from college and hopes to enjoy the DC flamenco scene as much as she can while she's here. And by the looks of her dance moves, it's obvious she's been keeping up her flamenco skills!

Miguelito. July 11, 2005 8:14pm (photo by Keith)

Miguelito and Lillian Wade. July 11, 2005 8:59pm

Lillian is crazy about flamenco (who isn't?) and comes occasionally to local shows when she can.

Gerard and Keith. July 11, 2005 9:03pm

Yeah, I know Jessie's eyes are closed (sorry Jessie!). But I took like four pics and each time one of the girls had their eyes closed, or something. This is the best one from the bunch. I knew Donna looked familiar. Here's a pic from her first visit to Citron almost two years ago.

July 11, 2005 9:09pm

Sonia and Bill. July 11, 2005 9:14pm

Sonia is also on summer break from college and intends to party as much as she can before September. We talked about the idea of getting a group together from her fellow flamenco students to come to Citron one night and fill the place with people dancing Sevillanas. That would be so cool.

Jeff and Sabrina. July 11, 2005 9:14pm

July 11, 2005 9:38pm (photo by Keith)

This was one of those nights when people passing by would notice the show going on, walk in and crowd the doorway.

During [removed for privacy] silencio, even more people notice the show and walk in.

Fin de fiesta bulerías with guest José Oretea who walked in the door just in time. July 11, 2005 9:54pm (photo by Keith)

After the bulerías we added a few coplas of Sevillanas to extend our little fiesta for other flamenco dancers in the audience including my friend Cecilia.

Julia Cristina and Cecilia. July 11, 2005 10:00pm (photo by Keith)

July 11, 2005 10:00pm (photo by Keith)

July 11, 2005 10:28pm

In case you're wondering, that grey box next to my sound system is not a speaker. It's an air conditioner--and it does get hot in here when Citron gets crowded. I usually turn it off during the show cuz it blows out very cold 62 degree air directly on my right-hand which is not a good thing when I want my muscles to be loose and relaxed for playing guitar.

Lauren and Miguelito. July 11, 2005 10:53pm (photo by Keith)

Usually I'm good at remembering names and faces, but this time I remembered Lauren's face but not her name. Oh well. I met Lauren for the first time more than a month ago after I performed at La Tasca DC's Feria de Sevilla night.

José and I hung out for awhile and decided to grab a quick bite at Julia's Empanadas down the street before heading out to Chi-Cha to hear some live music. (Oh shoot, I forgot to take a pic of my empanada. Anyway I had the chorizo version, yum!)

Goodnight Cafe Citron! July 12, 2005 12:04am

Hello Chi-Cha! July 12, 2005 12:09am

We got a parking space in front of Chi-Cha. Since we could see the car from the window, I decided to leave my guitar in the car for a change.

Kaml and his group Gibraltar. July 12, 2005 12:13am

It was dead but c'mon it's Monday night! July 12, 2005 12:14am

July 12, 2005 12:54am

Kaml demonstrates these castanet-like percussion instruments. July 12, 2005 12:56am

With Kaml's show over and not much else to see or do at this hour on a Monday, we decided to just call it a night and go home.

Driving through Georgetown on the way to Arlington. July 12, 2005 1:14am

José enjoying his new car as he speeds down M St on the way to Key Bridge with the windows rolled down and La Tana's CD playing at full volume. :-) July 12, 2005 1:15am

No traffic at this hour, so I'll be home in five minutes, yay! July 12, 2005 1:16am

The flamenco show at Cafe Citron is every Monday around 8pm and 9pm. If you want a table by the stage, I highly recommend you make a reservation. Call 202-530-8844.

Joy of Motion-Friendship Heights July 10, 2005

Two days in a row of dance classes! It's like the old days. When I first arrived here in DC, I played for dance classes almost everyday.

Actually the reason I was at Joy of Motion today was to coach a guitarist friend of mine, Marty, who wanted to learn to accompany Guajiras and it so happened that's what Estela Velez's Sunday afternoon performance class was working on.

Self-portrait during class. July 10, 2005 2:52pm

I ended up having a good time anyway--who wouldn't enjoy playing beautiful music for beautiful girls? ;-) So I might make this part of my regular Sunday schedule if the teacher doesn't mind. But I'm not completely altruistic--I do have ulterior motives:

1. There's no guarantee, but the guitarists who regularly accompany the dance class usually are the ones who are asked to play guitar in the student performances. And you know how much I love performing with dancers!

2. And as a professional flamenco guitarist, I'm always on the lookout for new dancers to include in my shows. Dance class is the place to find lots of them!

Self-portrait during the after-class rehearsal. July 10, 2005 3:09pm

Afterwards, I stuck around to help the dance students review the choreography and give them a taste of dancing with live music.

Uh-oh, I feel a lecture coming...
Practicing with live music is a very important step for dancers who wish to become performers. Trust me. I've worked with dancers who have studied with well-known teachers but had zero experience with live music and it was very frustrating during the first few rehearsals.

I don't care how advanced a dancer thinks he/she is. A dancer needs to know at least the basic structure of the dance and the sound of the music that corresponds to the different parts of the dance.

If I ask a dancer (who's preparing for a show) "How many letras are there in this dance?" and he/she gives me a blank stare, I already know this is going to be a difficult rehearsal.

The next time your teacher asks the class to demonstrate an exercise or choreography one-by-one with live guitar, take advantage of the opportunity! Also pay attention when the teacher describes the different parts of the choreography with terms like entrada, letra, remate, escobilla, llamada, cierre, coletilla etc.

Just a reminder, Thursday July 28th is Flamenco Guitarist Appreciation Day--just kidding! That's my birthday and it's coming soon! :-)

But seriously, if you know flamenco guitarists that regularly play for dance classes, take the time to express your appreciation for what they do. A simple "thank you" at the end of class will do. Oh yeah, for the record, Estela's students already understand the importance of working with live music and were very thankful for the services provided by Marty and yours truly. End of lecture. :-)

Photos taken with the Olympus Stylus 300 Digital Camera

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