Fiesta Flamenca

I’m not sure exactly how many I’ve gone to, but I have to give the Sala Rociera parties in DC a big thumbs up! This past weekend was particularly great. There was a really nice mix of people on all different levels and all of us danced and danced, taking breaks every now and then to nibble from the assorted trays of manchego and homemade tortilla Española. What a blast!

That’s right – I live in Philly and I go all the way down to DC just so I can go to flamenco parties. Some people may be curious as to what part of driving 2 and ½ hours and walking into a room full of strangers I found attractive????

Aside from the camaraderie, I think it’s for the sheer joy of dancing… I’m not at the level of being able to perform and aside from class, I don’t really have anywhere to simply enjoy dancing flamenco. I can’t really go downtown to some club and request Camarón and expect everyone to clear the floor when I’m in the mood to show off the alegrias we’ve been working on in class….granted, the Sala Rociera is mostly a Sevillanas party; but at a certain point in the evening, when all the musicians have come in from their gigs, the recorded music gets turned off and the juerga begins. People who have been studying certain choreographed pieces in class get to show off their moves. Pretty much all you have to do is ask and the floor is yours. And there’s always the bulerias jam. Although I haven’t mustered the courage to try out any other choreography, I usually do jump up and do a pataita. Wow!

Sometimes I sit back down and silently curse myself for making an a** out of myself, but other times I feel like I did well and can just appreciate the moment. This past weekend, I felt like I actually connected with the cuadro. It helped that they are no longer strangers to me! It also helped that the guy who was singing is one of the most hilarious people I’ve ever met in my life (Mr. Carlton Ashton) and I was trying to get him to laugh while I was dancing so that he would mess up his singing. Hey – that’s not very nice, but if that’s not the spirit of bulerias, I don’t know what is!

I will definitely continue to trek down to DC as long as I am able – it’s so worth it. But what I’m really excited about is that we are going to try having regular juergas in Philly. Starting in March, we are hoping to have our own flamenco parties on the last Friday of each month! To my knowledge, the last juerga we had in Philly was June 25, 2002 (see Miguelito’s archive for the scoop. Hmmm, who is that blurr of black and purple????) so we are long overdue! I am on the juerga-organizing committee so I will pass along the details as soon as I have them. In the meantime, I’m going to keep going to class, keep listening to el Pele, and keep trying to stay in compás!