Day Tripper

I'm calling it my flamenco doubleheader, but it was really like an all-day flamenco festival....I ventured up to New York yesterday to catch the Noche Flamenca matinee (does that make it Tarde Flamenca?) as well as Neli Tirado's evening show. It was heaven.

First of all, just to see performances of this caliber is beyond excellent. With the Noche Flamenca show, in addition to Chupete who is one of my all time faves, there were two very special guest dancers - Rebeca "La Tomasita" and Sol "la Argentinita." These two ladies are not only some of the sweetest people I've ever met, but they are superbly talented dancers who were invited to dance with Noche Flamenca after taking part in the intensive at Jacob's Pillow. I've met them both when they've come to Philly to dance with Pasion y Arte but could hardly contain my excitement to see them sharing the stage with Soledad Barrio, Alejandro Granados and el Chupete. It was a great show - even the lady in front of me agreed. At the beginning of the show, she had on a baseball cap which she pulled down to shield her face from the dreaded "sweat castoff" that plagues flamenco aficionados sitting in front rows of theaters everywhere.....by the end of the show the hat was off and she was on her feet, applauding loudly as part of the the well deserved standing ovation after the fin de fiesta. After the show, I joined the girls for lunch along with singer Emilio Florido. Not only can that man sing, but he is skilled in the use of chopsticks!

Later, I made it over to the Joyce Soho just in time to catch Neli's show. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that I walked past the theater entrance at least 5 times before finally seeing the tiny sign next to the door. Thankfully, the theater was quite comfy and air conditioned and I found a great seat. Again, I was beyond excited about this show. Neli Tirado ain't no joke. She owns that stage. Her dance is deep down, real life, mother earth, don't mess with me, dignified, elegant, cut the B.S. flamenco. In keeping with the intimate setting, her solo pieces were personal, authentic and exposed. She took my breath away. I've seen her dance before, but not like this. She is a phenomenon. and her chemistry with Keko was magnificent.

Here's another story: Rafael del Pino - aka "Keko de Cordoba"- came to Philly last weekend to give a workshop. I had signed up for the workshop sort of reluctantly. I didn't know who he was, I've just started a new job which puts me on my feet all day and leaves me wiped out by the end of the day, blah blah blah a million excuses.....but the time came and I suited up and showed up and this man made the experience magical. He was very precise about the technique - at one point he came over and adjusted my arms and I argued "but that really hurts" to which he replied - "then you're doing it right" but the mood of the class was pure levity and fun! It was just a joy to learn the choreography, have him sing, watch him dance and get a tiny peek at his talent. He really brought out the best in all of us. One beginner student had gotten discouraged half way through the class and had walked over to the side to sit it out. After the class, he went over to her and put his arm around her and gave her a pep talk. You don't see that in every workshop, certainly not with dancers of his caliber. He's the total package. and as he proved in the show, he's a BRILLIANT performer. By the end of his Alegrias, my face hurt from smiling and I wanted to jump up on stage and give him a high 5. Outstanding.

The fin de fiesta was extra enjoyable as the dancers and all musicians took turns doing pata's. What some people lack in technical skills, they make up for in aire! What a treat.

I would have liked to stay for Neli's juerga at Roy Arias studios, but I needed to get back home. I was able to call a flamenco friend of mine and tell him about the day's adventures on my way home. Sometimes I'll do that as a strategy to stay awake for the drive home, but yesterday I was so revved up, I must have laid in bed for 2 hours before I fell asleep.

One of the great things about having this blog is satisfying my need to "tell somebody" about all these experiences I have in the world of flamenco, partially out of excitement, partially because I don't ever want to forget these moments, these experiences. And yesterday's adventure is one I won't soon forget.

The Evolution of Creation

Last weekend, I got to take part in something truly remarkable. My flamenco teacher decided to produce a 3-day performance event featuring flamenco artists from the Americas. Our student recital was incorporated into the 2 shows on the last day. Specifically for this event, musicians, dancers and a singer came together and created something uniquely theirs. Let me explain my own experience with the process.

Learning a new piece of choreography is always hard work. There is so much information to remember - which foot to start on, when to turn, which line to create, try not to bump into your neighbor. But when we learn (or create!) a new piece in flamenco, it has to incorporate all the different elements of the form, not the least of which is fidelity to the compás. So in addition to the movement, choreography incorporates the musical element, aka “soniquete.”

By the time rehearsals in the actual theater started, we had practiced the choreography for hours and hours and it had shaped up to be quite a solid piece. But with the added presence and contributions of the guitarist, the percussionist and the singer, it evolved into something so much greater! As is the case in many flamenco shows or even juergas, the singer had never met the musicians before and none of them had ever met the dancers before. Yet as we performed together, it was truly a unified effort. One of the things that I love so much about flamenco is that it has these certain conventions which allow everyone to communicate with each other. Generally speaking, if you pay attention to the tone the guitarist is playing, you can tell where he is in the compás. Depending on the rise or fall of the cante, you can tell which line of the letra the singer is singing. And the dancer can “mandar” a rise in tempo or signal for the cante to come in just as clearly. The communication is what makes it dynamic.

As part of the cuadro of performers, the dancer interprets the cante with movement and also creates music and percussion with footwork. I was awestruck at what a totally different experience it was performing the piece with such dazzling music. It all came together so beautifully. What a rush! All of us brought our own unique element to the piece and the whole was so much more than the sum of its parts.

Last weekend, I got to take part in something truly remarkable; creating art.

(photo courtesy of Mike Hurwitz)

Out of Synch...

Philadelphians often comment how our fair city is really a "small town." Considering that the flamenco community is an even smaller town, I don't know how I missed a fabulous flamenco event, right here in my back yard!!!

This morning I was flipping through the "City Paper" that I grabbed last night on my way back to my car after dinner with some friends and I saw an ad for a concert at the Kimmel Center. There among the ads for Roller Derby and Goth Fetish Toddler Day at some nightclub, I noticed the announcement for a "multi-cultural quartet" including musicians from the worlds of Jazz, Brazilian, Middle-Eastern and Flamenco at the Kimmel Center. Woo-hoo, flamenco at the Kimmel! Cool beans!

As the listing described , the Flamenco guitarist was originally scheduled to be none other than Gerardo Nunyez (who was replaced at the last minute by Boston-based Juanito Pascual, because he was "waylaid by a recent car accident;" speedy recovery, Gerardo!) The ensemble, it explained, is joined by "a flamenco dancer to accentuate the tones and sounds of Western European Jazz." Excellent! And just as I thought to myself, "oh, I hope I can make it," I noticed that the concert happened YESTERDAY!!!!!!!!!! Ugh.

Not only would I have gone, but I would have loved to spread the word to the flamenco community by announcing the show on my webpage, but apparently my research skills are a little out-of-synch with the timing of the Kimmel Center. D'oh! Oh, well - if anyone reading this blog did attend the show, please let me know how it went!