The Flamencophile Chronicles

Ode to 2011

2011-12-31T20:27:00.010-05:00

Ok, so it's New Year's Eve 2011. Like many people across the world are doing, I'm looking back and thinking about this year's ups and downs. One of the high points for me has been that I've had more and more opportunities to dance. Tablao shows, theater shows and a run of school shows, for all of which I am immensely grateful. Every time I set foot on stage, it's another chance to gain experience and to do something I really love. There is one show in particular I will never forget.

It was in early April, right after my birthday. The show was up in Monmouth, New Jersey - about 90 miles away. Monica and I had allowed two and a half hours for the drive up, and left early enough to be at the theater an hour before the show was scheduled to start. Between an accident on the turnpike, taking the wrong exit and getting lost finding the theater, we got there about 15 minutes before we had to go on. We met up with the musicians and other dancer in the dressing room and it was a mad dash to do hair and makeup and a quick warm-up before the show. Doing my hair was particularly tricky because I had just gotten my semi-annual haircut and the length was barely enough to make a ponytail. In order to look "traditional," Monica let me borrow her hair extension "fake bun" which I bobby pinned like a pincushion, covered with a hairnet and adorned with a flower. Costume, shoes, first number - boom! I was so relieved to have gotten there with no time to spare, just in time for the show.

But the real fun started during my solo. My Tientos starts with a lyrical salida, followed by a little build into my llamada. As I was snapping my head during the turn in my llamada, my fake bun fell off!!! Oh, no, it didn't just drop - it was dangling down my back still attached by the hairnet. OMG!!!!!!!!! what was I supposed to do? Would it be better to reach back and rip the damn thing off, or should I just keep going? I chose the latter, and danced the entire first letra and escobilla with a fake bun pendulum behind me. Every time I moved my head to the side, I could feel it swinging across my back. Every time I did a turn, the thing smacked me it the face. I just kept going, trying my hardest to keep concentrating and not lose it on stage.

During the second llamada -the hairnet finally came loose and the fake hair dropped to the ground. The musicians and other dancers all shouted "Ole!"

Seriously, that was my favorite moment of 2011.

Take what you like and leave the rest....

2010-10-05T17:18:00.008-05:00

For about the past 6 months, I've been a little unsettled with flamenco. Classes didn't quite feel right. Workshops seemed like a lot of stress for little return. I couldn't really explain it, but somehow, what I had been doing just wasn't working for me.

And then it occurred to me, I need to make my own way. No one else is going to make me happy and deliver the perfect class at my feet; I need to go at my own pace, focus on what I enjoy and do what feels right for me. So I decided to revisit a piece of choreography I really love; the Tientos from a few years ago. This time I wanted to include the 2nd letra that la Meira gave us when she came to town for a workshop. It's been a blast. I've been studying privately with my teacher to really nail down the choreography, changing things here and there and the piece is coming along really nicely. She has the patience of a saint and practice has been a place where I can not only learn the steps that were taught, but customize things to make it more personal. Monica has really encouraged my creativity and input; she always teases me that I can do any given step a bajillion different ways but still make it fit the compas. What I lack in memory, I make up for in rhythm I guess...

My friend Behzad is a DC-based musician who sometimes writes CD reviews for the webpage. I often think I wished that we lived closer so I could just hang out and goof around with him. Aside from being a talented musician who knows so much about flamenco, he's hilariously funny. So again, I took it upon myself to get together with him and hash out the Tientos. It was a good excuse to hang out for a while and an even better opportunity to go over things with a fresh set of eyes.

As helpful as it is to practice alone, there is no comparison to practicing with a real live musician. I learned so much just in the 2 hours we practiced together. Another great thing about him is that he's not only a guitarist but a percussionist as well. In addition to practicing the ins and outs of the piece itself, he gave me drills to strengthen the sound of my feet, to individuate beats so that nothing gets lost and the accented beats are clearly distinguished. Man, were my feet sore the next day; I feel sorry for his students....

The icing on the cake was going over his friends' house (the fabulous Boulets, whose freshly baked break and assortment of musical instruments deserve their own blog entry) to record the music (including guitar, palmas and cajon) customized to the choreography. Granted, no two performances are ever alike; even the same guitarist will do things slightly differently each time s/he plays, but having the music gives me the structure and tones of the tientos to use as landmarks as I make my way through the dancing.

When I did practice last night, I had a new way to approach the piece and bring it to the next level. This might not work for everyone, but it works for me. Ultimately, I'm dancing for myself, so I get to take what I like and leave the rest.

This One Time at Flamenco Camp.....

2010-02-19T21:43:00.005-05:00

I'm not sure exactly when it was (maybe 2002?), but at some point during the summer following my first flamenco class I had the good fortune to head out west for a week-long flamenco camp hosted by California-based artist "La Tania."

It was held in an old CCC camp outside Mendocino, California, equipped with rustic redwood cabins, a variety of outbuildings and unspoiled nature. The official program included classes in Technique/Choreography (por Solea), palmas and cante (por Tangos). The unofficial educational component included survival skills for camping in the Redwoods, campfire juergas, and an introduction to tribal belly dancing. In addition to La Tania, instructors that year included "Cristobal" (who somehow talked me into paying 20 bucks to have him sing a letra of alegrias into a tape recorder...ok - it was a REALLY pretty letra....), Cadiz born bailaor "el Junco" (who also taught the cajon class) and Huelva-native guitar MONSTER Jose Luiz Rodriguez (who was truly one of the most down to earth people I've ever had the pleasure to meet). I met the greatest people, including LA-based dancer Timo Nunez, Austin, TX based Virginia (who taught me some really bad words in sign-language) as well as a bunch of super-great folks from Chicago whom I ended up visiting the following year.

Every now and then I actually hear myself saying "this one time at Flamenco camp....." and know that it was an experience I'll never forget.

Day by Day

2009-09-05T19:32:00.004-05:00

Once I got settled in Jerez, I developed a daily routine. Mornings were leisurely; coffee, breakfast, check e-mail, call home to check on my dad (who had surgery the day before I left for Spain - he's made a full recovery, thanks!) Go up to the terrace to hang up/take down laundry and get ready to go to class.

Every morning, I'd walk out onto the Plaza Plateros, check out what the Algerian lady had hanging on the racks outside her little variety store. Stroll past the Ayuntamiento; say hi to the cops and the guy selling lotto tickets. Cross the Plaza Arenal and watch them open up the antique Carousel. Head up to the Iglesia de San Miguel. The church is impressive and the surrounding Barrio was quiet, but full of life.

The highlight was always seeing the resident stray cats who'd greet me in front of the church. Further ahead were ladies sweeping the front steps to their houses. Then I'd pop into the little bodega to get a liter of water and chit-chat with the friendly old men who were gracious enough to suffer my lousy Spanish. Then just a few more blocks and I'd arrive at the studio for class.

I'll have to do a separate blog about class. It was a carnival of fun, challenge, frustration, humor, defeat, triumph, silliness with a few cockroaches, Italians and the occasional scent of sewage....

After class was time to run errands, grab a bite and head back home for a siesta. Let me tell you, that siesta is no joke. Certainly, it's hot so you don't want to be schlepping around in the mid-day sun. But if you do find yourself out there, there is NOTHING to do. Everything is closed between 2 and 5. The streets are completely deserted. The only ones out there are tourists and wierdos. So you're pretty much stuck inside the house with nothing to do anyway, so you might as well take a nap....Hey,that's fine with me, you don't have to persuade me to take a nap! It was quite affirming to have my nap-taking habit embraced by entire nation :D

After siesta, it was time to go hang out a bit, maybe grab some coffee, do a little shopping and then head down to the fairy-tale beautiful practice studio to review the material from the day's class. A couple nights a week, we took technique class with the lovely Adriana Maresma (which for me was as intersting and if not more constructive than the choreography workshop). Then a leisurely dinner and relaxing stroll which more often than not included a visit to the little italian woman with her fabulous gelato.

During the time I was there, the sun stayed out well after 9pm, which extended the day. Quite often, we didn't even start dinner until 10pm and most nights I'd stay up watching "Canal Flamenco" until 1 or 2am.

All in all, not a bad way to spend a day.

Sketches of Spain

2009-07-26T03:44:00.002-05:00

Saludos de Espana....

The jet lag is brutal and the words are just not flowing. In short - I'm having a blast! Until I recover my writing mojo, let the photos speak for themselves.

Click on the picture to see the photo album.

Some nerve....

2009-07-19T22:35:00.006-05:00

I'm coming down the home stretch. I leave on Thursday. I'm starting to do nitpicky preparations, like bundling together little packs of my daily vitamins so that I can take them to Spain without schlepping the bottles. I bought a mini pack of wet-ones to keep in my handbag. My mom gave me her travel alarm clock.

Ok, fine, I'll admit it - I'm a nervous wreck. I can't believe I have to work for the next 3 days. How am I supposed to concentrate on anything? I haven't been on vacation since the last time I went to Jerez. Believe me, I need a vacation. But before I go, my 88 year-old father is going in for surgery tomorrow...the guy who is going to be watching my cat is out of town for work until the day after I leave...my flamenco shoes have a wobbly heel.

Argggg.....

On the other hand, the best is yet to come. The pescaito frito at the Freiduria Gallega, the bulerias, the reunion with friends. The plazas, the orange trees and the beach. And I can't think of a better place to get a new pair of flamenco shoes...or costumes! or CDs! I'll get to see live performances in Jerez and Cadiz, hopefully wrangle my way in to a peña or two. I'll be posting pictures and updates here on the blog a well as Facebook (Don't get me started about the Crackbook). and since I'll have my laptop and a piso with wireless internet, I can Skype home every day to check on my Dad. It will be ok. I even bought Dansko sandals (on E-bay of course) to keep my feet happy as I navigate the cobblestone in Jerez.

4 days and counting.....

Dream a Little Dream

2009-06-13T05:22:00.006-05:00

About a year ago, a friend of mine was talking about her "vision map."

As a fellow blogger describes it:
If you haven't heard of Vision Mapping, the idea is simple. You go through a stack of magazines and cut out any pictures or words that appeal to you, without overanalyzing why you have chosen the things you did. The next step is to use those pictures to make a "map" of your future, or to answer a specific question. So, you could make a map thinking about "Where do I want to be in 2 years?", or "how can I make my job more rewarding?"

The most interesting part of Vision Mapping is that once you have committed your ideas to paper they have a knack of coming to fruition. Perhaps it's magic, or perhaps you subconsciously make these things happen after visualizing them. (from the "yogagarden" blog.)

OK, I thought to myself, I wonder if it works for flamenco. So I put my own vision map together. Rather than going through a magazine, I searched my own photo albums as well as google images for shots of flamenco classes, performances as well as Spain. I included personal details, too, such as meeting great people, enjoying the magic of Spain, building my flamenco wardrobe and CHURROS!!!!!!!!!!!!! As you can see, I mounted everything on red poster board and hung it in my room.

The map has been "marinating" there for a few months. It's been great - if I have a bad day I go stand in front of it and picture myself there in those situations represented on the map. It feels good down to the core and helps me see, if even momentarily, the bigger picture - the fullness of life.

So I wonder if it's any coincidence that yesterday I registered for a cursillo in Jerez, booked my flight and confirmed with 2 dear friends (whom I met the last time I was in Spain) that we will all be in Jerez at the same time! I'll be going over with another dear friend, sharing a room, taking classes, vacationing, shopping, and yes - I'm sure there will be churros....;)

I'll keep you posted.....until then, keep dreaming.

Use It or Lose It

2008-12-02T01:33:00.002-05:00

I’ve been working on a solo. Roughly a year ago, La Meira (a great dancer and wonderful teacher) came down from New York to give a workshop and taught us a piece of Tientos choreography. It really spoke to me. The palo itself is slow but really meaty with exquisitely beautiful cante. The choreography was simple, with some really nice interplay with the compàs. I remember really enjoying the workshop, both the actual dancing as well as all the other learning it provided. Just like with anything else in life, choreography is something to which the “use it or lose it” law applies. From time to time, I would ask other friends who had taken the workshop if we could go over the choreography, and I think we might have a few times, but by and large, the piece just kind of sat collecting dust.

A few months ago, I decided to re-approach it. I ran into a local dancer/teacher who actually organized the workshop and had the great foresight to tape it. I began meeting with her a couple times a month to revisit the piece. The learning process is so funny, there are things you know, things you don’t know, things that you know you know, things that you don’t know you know, etc…. All of these possibilities have been coming up, providing outbursts of laughter, grunts of frustration and several “a-ha” moments. In working on the piece, we preserved the framework Meira provided, added a respiro, modified a few turns and re-worked the escobilla. It’s so exciting to feel that I’m really developing my own style, my own sense of what feels right within the letra and to see how each little section fits together and transitions one into the next. It’s also been really exciting to be surprised with what combinations of rhythm and muscle memory just spontaneously find their way to the surface. The other night we were working on the resolve into Tangos and I remembered this random llamada/desplante that I had learned during a workshop I took with La Tati the very first year I was dancing. (It’s really fun – very athletic with lots of clapping and hopping!) So we put it in and the rest of the letra all came together. So cool!

I feel really close to this piece. It’s not just about remembering the steps. It’s funny, I’ve had a few chances to practice it with a singer and I’ve actually gotten so wrapped up in the cante, that I’ve forgotten what the next step is supposed to be….there are certain points within the dance where I am completely still. I remember commenting “I don’t know if I should be making more eye contact with the audience, but I just feel like this is for me.” It’s like writing in a journal (ok, or a blog). I feel like I’m able to express myself, my experience, my feeling. Awesome.

There is an open house at the studio this weekend, and I’ll get a chance to perform the solo as it stands in this point in time. But I get the sense that it’s going to continue to keep evolving and changing right along with me.

Day Tripper

2008-07-20T21:05:00.004-05:00

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

2008-05-31T19:27:00.006-05:00

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...

2008-05-04T07:57:00.006-05:00

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!

Random acts of flamenco...

2008-03-30T20:39:00.007-05:00

When I see a big, open floor, I start dancing across it almost instantaneously! It's completely involuntary. Usually, it just comes over me and I don't even bother to look around to see if anyone else is around. Oh, and if it's a wooden floor, forget about it. It would be a shame to waste such a beautiful space - why not put it to some good use?

I work in a rehab hospital with two beautiful, spacious therapy gyms. Because of my spontaneous flamenco outbursts, all the physical therapists I work with are all into flamenco! Oh sure, they all tease me about "don't come to me for rehab when you have to get your knees replaced!" The podiatrist has even gotten to the point of packing special bandages for me because he doesn't want me to develop "pressure lesions" from my shoes. He also affirmed that the taping technique that a fellow dancer taught me is the best method for supporting the ball of the foot and preventing pain. But I digress.....

Sometimes I'll do an escobilla in the aisle of the grocery store. Or some marcaje while I'm waiting for my coffee to brew. I'll find myself stopped at a red light doing palmas por alegrias. Other times, I'll go to reach for the doorknob and realize in the same motion as I'm reaching, I've done floreo with my hand. I'm dead serious. It's some kind of muscle memory thing! The best is when I'm at a non-flamenco performance and someone will do something impressive and before I even think about it, I'm shouting "Ole! Eso!"

I suppose this is a good thing. The more automatic the movements and the compas become, the less "thinking" I have to do when I am intentionally dancing. Flamenco has found its way into my subconscious. Random acts of flamenco, indeed.

Sonic Youth

2008-02-17T17:37:00.005-05:00

In an effort to satiate my voracious appetite for flamenco (and to make up for all the years I've spent without flamenco), I spend a fair amount of time digging around on YouTube. (my new motto: "YouTube; it's cheaper than airfare...") Just like anything else, there's lots of crap and plenty of oddities but by and large, it is a treasure trove.

Lately, I've been fascinated with a singer called "el Canelita." A flamenco buddy of mine originally turned me onto him. To say that this kid was born to sing wouldn't even scratch the surface. What's even more impressive is the maturity of his voice and, from what I've seen on you tube, his character.

This clip is a fave - he takes you on a little tour of his neighborhood. He comes walking down the street, breaks out in a letra, stops to kiss an old woman and then continues with the next letra. Inside the house, he sings a buleria and tries out a few desplantes. He talks about how all he wants from life is to eat and to sing. Ole, Canelita.

There are over 280 clips of this kid. Clips of him singing at baptisms, juergas, on the street, on stage, with the Farrucos, at weddings. It's phenomenal. He's a phenomenon. As documented in this clip - he had his 18th birthday July 27th of 2007.

As he's gotten older his voice has deepened a bit and sounds even richer. I'll stay tuned.

Wow - what a juerga!

2008-02-05T08:02:00.001-05:00

Our juerga this past Friday was a blast! It all came together and took on a life of it's own. We were all there - all the regular students/friends/family of Pasion y Arte, but we had a few extra-special guests!

Sara Candela whom I had actually met a few years ago in DC at a workshop with "La Tati," is a Philly native now living in Chile. She was stateside visiting family and decided to check out the juerga. In addition to a pataita por bulerias, she threw down a letra or two as well and enough jaleo to keep us all inspired!

We also had some real Sevillanos whose Sevillanas were the most natural, and aire-filled I've ever seen. The whole room stopped and smiled while these folks were dancing. I'm hoping to get video soon. And I hope they come back next month!!!!!

The good news is, we took lots of video. The bad news is, the lighting was really low and the clips are nearly impossible to see.

In any event, Rafael Aviles took some gorgeous "action shots"

You'll also see we had some ballroom dancer guests who performed a "paso doble." and it was Kelli's birthday, so she got a rousing chorus of "happy birthday" along with the chocolatiest cake I've ever seen.

For me one of the highlights was when two of my fellow students and I got to try out some new choreography we've been working on in class. Despite the floor being a little slippery, it went really well. It's funny how you work on something in the studio and have one experience with it, but when you're there with live music, live cante and a crowd of people, it's something completely different. It lives, it breathes. My face hurt from smiling! Wow.

The juerga was held in the headquarters for a non-profit organization called "Casino-Free Philadelphia" By the end of the night - we had dubbed it "el casino libre!"

Thanks to everyone who suited up, showed up and joined in!

Remolino Flamenco

2008-01-31T08:39:00.000-05:00

This NEVER happens!!!! Last weekend, right here in the city of Philadelphia, I actually had to leave one flamenco event early(the phenomenal workshop with Antonio Hidalgo) in order to hustle across town to catch another flamenco event (the Paco Penya show at the Kimmel). I'm telling you, it was heavenly. What a treat.

The workshop was great - In addition to masterfully teaching impeccable technique, Antonio decided to give a piece of choreography to "Rondenyas." He explained that this, along with Verdiales, Fandangos de Lucena (native to Antonio's hometown), Jaberas etc. come from Malaga and are classified as "Cante Abondolaos." The lilt of this palo is extremely catchy and I am still walking around humming it to myself! What pure joy! Hard work that leaves you smiling. Ole!

The show was also a big treat - to see my beloved Arte on the big stage at a packed Kimmel center!I'm so happy that such world-class Flamenco is getting the exposure it deserves among the mainstream theater-going folk. And the show was awesome. High-energy. Pure class.

A flamenco whirlwind, indeed!

WORKshop with Omayra Amaya

2008-01-19T17:04:00.000-05:00

Do you know what word exhaustion means? I mean genuine exhaustion. I've had this feeling before. A few years ago, I moved out of one 2nd floor apartment into another. After about 500 trips up and down the stairs carrying boxes loaded with my earthly possessions, my feet ached, my knees were creaky and my arms trembled with weakness. That's pretty much how I'm feeling today, but this time, I'm actually looking forward to doing it again tomorrow!

I've just completed the 2nd day of a 3-day workshop with Omayra Amaya and I'm having an absolute blast! It is definitely a high-energy class. Friday I just took the intermediate choreography class - solea por bulerias. The llamada alone must be the equivalent of 10 minutes on the elliptical trainer! and today I figured I'd give the beginner class a try to try and work on some technique. It was really exciting actually - there is this one amazing bit of technique that Omayra kept emphasizing which both frees up mobility for the feet (to go really fast!) as well as creating the clean lines and the tell-tale power-stance of flamenco; it involves shifting the weight of the body toward the heels, keeping the hips forward, and elongating the torso so that the shoulders reach back over the heels without arching the back. Ok, that's really technical. Let me see if I can google a picture of that....hmmmmmmmm.......

Anyway - it was really hard work. It was exhausting. It was heaven!

This is my first experience with Omayra. What a lovely teacher. The material is challenging, but within reach. She really understands the dance as well as the human body. The way she breaks the choreography down into chunks makes it easy to learn. Her feedback is clear and constructive. Her choreography is powerful. and she is relentless!!!!!!

As I often say, the best part about the flamenco experience is being in "the zone." For me, especially when I'm learning something new, I have to focus my attention solely on the present moment, the current step. My mind can't wander - if it does, I get lost. It's a kind of surrender, especially with the repetition.

I can't wait until tomorrow!

I'm Down with Flamenco

2007-11-01T14:31:00.000-05:00

I've been feeling down for the past few weeks. I have some agita going on in my personal life that is coinciding with the return of the cold weather and shortened daylight and when I come home from work, I pretty much just want to eat a bowl of soup, wrap myself up in a blankie and sit tight. When I'm in this frame of mind, I don't want anyone to make demands of me, I don't want to have to challenge myself to go further, push harder, grow, expand - forget it!!! So I've been hesitant to show up at flamenco class. I'm not feeling at the top of my game. But this past Tuesday I decided to give it a shot. I couldn't not go. I missed it too much. I decided to bring my body (hoping that the rest of me would follow.) I was a little anti-social, but that was ok. I was really there 100% for me. I had to give myself something that I knew I loved and that was good for me. I had to work up a sweat and feel alive and feel present in my own body. I had to feel connected to something. Solea por Bulerias was the palo of the night and it was just perfect.

I'd love to say that by the end of the class, my mood was miraculously transformed and that I felt joyous and relieved. But that wasn't the case. What I did feel was grounded. I felt real. I felt like flamenco was a tool for me to use to deal with life. In flamenco, the message I get is that it's ok to show up grumpy- just as long as you show up!

Lend a Hand...

2007-08-27T05:38:00.000-05:00

Friday night I had the opportunity to be part of a cuadro. Ben and Emma of “Dos Lunas” flamenco had a gig up in their neck of the woods and with Veronica Polo singing, they thought it would help round things out to have a palmera. So me and palmas obliged.

For as much time and money as I have invested into the art of flamenco, I have not invested much into creating a flamenco wardrobe. So I was a little uncertain as to what to wear. But I figured I couldn’t go wrong with lunares, so I wore my big ruffly skirt. Let me tell you – the place where this gig was held was absolutely magnificent. It was the outdoor garden of a local company that makes high-end Christmas decorations. Granted it was hazy, hot and humid, so the prize-winning roses were a little wilted, but it was a spectacular setting.

You might think that it’s no big deal to sit up there with the guitarist and singer and clap along to the music. But it’s really not like that. Here you have a guitarist playing complex falsettas which are nowhere near square to the rhythm, the singer opening her voice and winding the cante around the compas and the dancer working her way up to contratiempo. Sheesh – it’s a good thing they had me there!

All joking aside, it requires concentration. Also, you have to clap loud enough so that all interested parties can hear, but not so loud that it overpowers anyone. At certain times you clap “clara,” crisp and bright – right in the sweet spot of the palms, and while the guitarist and singer are doing their things, it’s back down to “sorda” which provides a muffled, bass undertone to mark the compas. Granted, I’m new at this, but it’s something I take very seriously. To hold the compas is of the utmost importance, for without it – flamenco does not exist. It is also just as important to be there to support the dancer, the guitarist, the singer as they create art. After a few minutes of clapping, my hands start to hurt, my arms start to itch and my arms start to feel like I’ve been doing push-ups. So a quick shake and back into the moment I go. After all, I ‘m there to lend a hand….

Stage Euphoria

2007-07-04T15:33:00.001-05:00

I have the opposite of stage fright. When I walk out onto a stage, my feet are 10 feet off the ground and I can't stop smiling. Lucky for me, the first piece we did in the recital was an alegrias. I swear, I don't know where it came from, but I was just beaming. Maybe it was the music, the singing, my confidence in the choreography. Maybe it was just the sheer joy of dancing. Whatever it was, wherever it came from, it felt great.

After the alegrias, we did bulerias. Granted, whoever started out the compas must have had one cup too much of coffee, but it was rockin'! After the intermission, we did the farruca. It's amazing how you can practice something in the studio, everyone lined up in front of the mirror and then when you get to the theater and it is blocked out on stage, it makes the dance seem completely different. That definitely happened with the farruca. My feet felt sharper and my arms felt bigger. It's funny how intense I was - looking at the pictures, I look downright pissed. But I was 100% in the zone. And interestingly enough, the moment I lost focus, I messed up. Not so much in the farruca, but in the Siguiriyas. I caught sight of one of my friends and got nosy to see who was sitting next to her...woops. (That's ok, my classmates made it look like my turning one compas after everyone was intentional - way to support me, gals!)

By the time the fin de fiesta Sevillanas came around, I actually felt high. I can't really put it into words howI felt. It was joy, it was accomplishment, belonging, celebration, triumph. All those things. It was flamenco.

Performance Anxiety

2007-06-18T19:57:00.000-05:00

The day has finally come. This coming Friday will be my first full-length performance and as much as I hate to admit it - I'm not sure how I feel about it. Oh, sure - part of me is jumping with joy and anticipation. I've been studying and practicing and exploring flamenco for years and will finally have the chance to make something happen. But honestly - part of me is exhausted and a more than a little nervous. In addition to working full time and just dealing with an generally busy life, I have been practicing like crazy. My classmates and have 4 pieces to perform (and possibly a 5th) Our show is going to run for 3 days. We are still putting finishing touches on choreography. Tomorrow we will be practicing in the actual theater where we will perform.

I am by nature a plan-ahead kind of person. I like to know all the details ahead of time - what I'm doing, what I will need to do to prepare, how long it will take, etc. Well, it seems this experience is not a plan-in-advance kind of deal. It's unfolding as we walk through it and I'm freaking out! Don't even get me started about my recurring foot and knee injuries.... Granted, it's really just a student show, but hey - I'm the student here and this is MY show. Plus, I have an obscene number of people (friends, family, co-workers) who will be paying money to come see me dance. I want to do a good job. These poor folks hear me ramble on about compas and suffer through my lunch time demonstrations of the latest escobilla from yesterday's class. I want to make it worth their while.

One of my favorite prayers goes something like this: "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference. "

The abridged version of the prayer (and without a doubt my mantra for the coming week) is: "Screw it!"

So, screw it - on with the show!

S.O.S.??????

2007-05-20T18:34:00.000-05:00

True Story: I once attended a flamenco tablao performance with an earth person friend of mine (read: non-flamenco). The performers were great and the one dancer was particularly charismatic and talented. People in the audience were going crazy yelling all kinds of encouragement “óle" ¡Así se baila!” At the end of the set, I turned to my friend and asked her impression. She said “that was really great, but why did that guy keep yelling S.O.S…?”

Arggggg. Actually those shouts of inspiration and encouragement (known as “jaleo”) are one of my favorite elements of flamenco. In addition to “eso es” some of the most common jaleos include: “olé”, “ azúcar”, “toma”, “así se canta”, “muy bien dicho”, “vamos allá” and my two personal faves “ása and “agua” As my friend Anna Rubio always says, “Flamenco is an individual artform, but also a group experience.” Really good flamenco moves people to the point of inspiration whether they are officially participating in the performance or not. While performing in Texas, Antonio Hidalgo observed that people yelled, "Yee-haw, yoohoo!" Inspiration is inspiration.

All hyperbole aside, it can border on the spiritual and who knows – maybe it’s no coincidence that “alé” sounds a lot like “allah.”

Some people are so skilled in the art of jaleo that they are hired for live performances and/or recordings. The credits on El Capullo de Jerez’ latest release “Flor y Canela” list a total of four artists who contribute palmas and jaleos (Luis de la Tota, Jesús Flores, Juan Flores y Antonio Flores. OK - I’m partial to El Capullo because we have the same birthday; if I had half his talent I’d be truly dangerous….but I digress).

So the next time you’re lucky enough to be moved by a flamenco performance, go ahead – reach into your bag of tricks and give a shout. It’s a way to acknowledge the performers, but also a way for you to participate in the experience of flamenco.

Philly Feria!

2007-05-06T12:57:00.000-05:00

After a year-long hiatus, the Feria de Sevilla en Philadelphia is upon us again. Next week, Philly's flamenco community will converge on International House to nibble on Jamon Serrano, dance Sevillanas and even catch some performances.

While the actual Feria de Abril isn't really a flamenco festival, it indeed takes place in one flamenco's sacred sites - Sevilla. La Feria de Abril is a huge annual event on the extensive list of festivals taking place in the city. The fair officially begins on Monday at midnight, normally 2 weeks after Semana Santa (Holy Week), and ends with a fireworks display the following Sunday, again, at midnight. It was the poet Byron who referred to Seville as being famous for its oranges and women. Seeing the local girls at the Fair in their colorful flamenco dresses it is easy to understand his attraction. The city is overbooked well in advance for this event as thousand of locals and visitors alike party until dawn. (from spanish-fiestas.com)

The first Philly Feria was in 2004. I was so excited, I went on E-Bay and bought a big poufy Sevillana dress. White eyelet with turqoise polka dots and embroidery. (I'd like to take this opportunity to apologize to anyone who I may have assaulted trying to swing the big heavy skirt around. Sorry!) What a great time that was! That was the first time I met Edwin Aparicio and Miguelito from DC, the first time I heard the barrage of gunfire known as the zapateado of Liliana Ruiz and the first time I strained my voice doing jaleo! Joy had just started the Phillyflamenco website and I remember poring over the photos for the next few weeks, recreating the magic of that night.

And, yes - as you can see in the picture - I was even in the Menkes fashion show, modeling a black dress with yellow polka dots - like a giant flamenco bumble bee...........

Meet me at I-House this weekend, and let's see what adventures the 3rd Philly Feria will bring. I'll be the one in the giant Feria dress, grinning ear to ear!

I could have danced all night....

2007-04-10T07:25:00.000-05:00

This past Friday, Pasión y Arte sponsored its first of what is planned to be monthly juergas in Old City Philadelphia. Finally, a chance to get together with my fellow students, teachers, aficionados and tear it up! There were all levels of experience, from professional dancers to innocent bystanders who happened upon the gathering by chance. My face hurt from smiling! We danced and danced, to the point where beleaguered feet were actually bruised. It was a chance to take risks. A chance to just let go and put ourselves out there. Magnificent. Can’t wait to do it again.

Foot Fetish

2007-04-05T07:22:00.000-05:00

The dogs are barking. My feet, that is. The two smallest toes on each foot have been tingling and on the planta itself, it feels like someone has wedged a tiny peg in between the bones. The podiatrist told me that that I am causing microtrauma to the balls of my feet with every planta I put down and the cumulative irritation is effecting the nerves. He suggested that I get a new hobby. I laughed out loud.

By and large, I have pretty good feet, but this isn’t the first time I’ve had dance-related aches and pains. As a girl, I felt an eerie “pop” in my knee the first time I went up on pointe. After diagnosing me with a torn medial meniscus, the doctor suggested that I find a new hobby. I’ve had other knee problems, shoulder problems and even an achy big toe. But you just freakin’ deal with it. I’ve found stretching, ice, Alleve, arnica gel, even good old-fashioned Ben Gay to all be good remedies to help pull me through. My chiropractor even adjusts my toes when I go in for my monthly tune-ups. You do what you have to do to keep going. Quitting is not an option.

Last year when I was in Jerez, I had this same problem with my feet. It is sometimes referred to as “planta abierta.” The difference there is that I had 5 hours of class everyday and had to walk everywhere for the remainder of my waking hours, so the dogs weren’t just barking; they were attacking! I hobbled into the pharmacy around the corner from the studio and tried to explain to the lady what was going on. (In Spain, the drugstores are full-service, so if you explain what is bothering you, the pharmacist actually makes recommendations and goes in the back to get a bunch of stuff they she thinks will be helpful; it’s great!) She came out with padded inserts for my shoes, foot spray to put out the fire right after class (I still use it and selectively share it with my classmates here at home – it’s a big hit), a salt soak and soothing cream, and tape for some extra support. The next day in class, a fellow student showed me how to use the tape to reinforce the ball of my foot; it made a huge difference. Eventually my feet recovered and I chalked the whole thing up to over-use made figured that if I limited my dancing to less than 5 hours a day every, I’d be ok. I was mistaken.

This time, I didn’t even notice it in class – it wasn’t until the next day at work when I was zipping around and realized that my toes felt a little crinkly. At least this time I knew what to do, so back with the tape. At this point, I tape ‘em up even if I’m only going to be rehearsing for an hour. It’s a small price to pay compared to permanent injury. Gotta take care of my instrument. A humble offering to the barking dogs………

The Teacher

2007-03-17T10:59:00.000-05:00

I have been studying dance in one form or another since I was 3. I was a preemie, born 6 weeks early and once I learned to walk, my parents discovered that I was horribly uncoordinated. They had the genius idea that maybe ballet lessons would improve my physical coordination, so my mother marched me up to the American Legion Building in my hometown of Kennett Square, PA (Mushroom Capital of the World – complete with the Annual Mushroom Festival) and signed me up for dance class. I’m sure they had no idea what a profound impact this would have on my life. I still can’t walk in a straight line, but put on some music and watch me dance! I still consider my very first dance teacher to be my patron saint. Mrs. Judi Cummings provided me with a model of femininity that was strong, beautiful, disciplined and respectful; one which I still aspire to attain. Throughout the years, I have studied with numerous dance teachers and I still hold Mrs. Cummings up as the ideal. (Wherever you are Judi Cummings, the memory of your sparkly blue eyes makes my heart sing!)

Fast forward to last month when my flamenco teacher asked me to sub for her while she was away…….yikes! I was extremely flattered but admittedly quite nervous. Elba is also a wonderful teacher, not just of technique and choreography but of the process of creating dance. Sometimes in class, she will comment “Look at you, Ladies – you are becoming Dancers!” So to step into her Gallardos, even on a temporary basis, was a responsibility that I did not take lightly.

There were a total of 5 classes per week that I was responsible for (and one class, the one I normally attend, for which I shared the responsibility). Before Elba left, I went to each class and took notes, filmed some video of the choreography, because I wanted to be sure that I got everything down. I rehearsed on my own a bit and when I stepped into the first beginner class that night, felt pretty confident about what I was going to do. Of course, that went right out the window, because with the added elements of adrenaline and real live students, I had to rely on myself and my own experience. Ultimately, that’s all any of us can really authentically share – our own experience. Yes, I stayed true to the structure that Elba had created, but ultimately I passed on what I knew. It was an extremely personal experience. Once again, the Great Guru, Flamenco, taught me invaluable lessons:

You always know more than you give yourself credit for. Yet, there is always more to learn. Every person’s contribution is important and unique. In helping someone else you ultimately help yourself. Teachers are there to teach the students; students are there to teach the teacher. It’s not about mastery; it’s about the learning.

¡Viva el Maestro, Flamenco!

Mulletmania

2007-03-08T10:39:00.000-05:00

Sometimes, a thought or an idea will strike me as funny and I’ll just sit there and laugh to myself…..other times I’ll notice something and theorize about its origins or meaning….lately, the source of much laughter as well as my newest theory has been, well, how do I say this without sounding like a total goofball……..the MULLET!

Just to clarify, a mullet is a hairstyle that is short in the front, on the top, and on the sides, but long in the back. Commonly described as "Business in the front, party in the back!" It was ubiquitous in the 80’s, so much so that I will admit – yes, I wore my hair in a mullet! But I digress……have you ever noticed how popular this hairstyle is in flamenco?!?!?!?

Here’s the evidence – just look at how many great flamenco singers have now or have in the past sported a mullet:

And never one to be outdone by the boys, Mayte Martin.

But perhaps the most supreme mullet (worn by the most supremely talented flamenco singer) of all time, Camaron de la Isla.

Is there a pattern here, or is it just coincidence......

Hmmmm, wanna guess what they call big red cape the bullfighter uses to hide the sword right before he uses it to spear the bull? Anyone? Anyone?

la Muleta!

Boxing Day

2007-02-28T06:57:00.000-05:00

In 2003 I had the pleasure of attending the performance of Manolo Soler at the Flamenco Festival in New York. As one writer puts it, “His dancing was tight and clean, original, dry, intelligent, minimalist long before minimalism became fashionable, and extraordinarily flamenco." This particular piece opened with Mr. Soler alone on stage, seated on the cajon, which he played just as masterfully as he danced. It made an impression on me and piqued my interest in the cajon.

It is an amazingly simple instrument, yet when played properly it can add symphonic depth to any performance. It lends itself well to setting the mood for a piece. Depending upon who’s playing it, the sound of the cajon can range from somber to funky and anywhere in between. Although he is still just a whippersnapper, DC-based Behzad Habibzai (pictured above on the left) has nearly 10 years experience been playing the flamenco cajon. He is a talented percussionist, guitarist and one-man encyclopedia of flamenco knowledge. Who better to tell the history of the cajon and how it found its way into flamenco:

“According to flamenco folklore, around 1976-77, Paco de Lucia and his sextet were performing in Peru, when at an after-party Caitro Soto showed up with a cajon and introduced the instrument to Paco. Sometimes called the 'box drum,' the cajon emerged in Peru, originally in the form of a tomato box or a shipping crate. It has become so popularly associated with Peru that the Peruvian government officially declared the cajon as 'Cultural Patrimony of the Nation.' It became very popular in Cuba as well. Some say Africans originally used it during slave trades when African percussion instruments were forbidden to be used.

So when Caitro Soto, a renowned Afro-Peruvian percussionist came to the party and started playing the cajon, Paco fell in love with it and gave one to his dancer Manolo Soler and his percussionist Rubem Dantas (pictured above on the right). The instrument was immediately adopted into the group’s format, and found its way into recordings with Paco de Lucia and even Camaron de la Isla. Paco's group at the time involved the introduction – or at least the popularity – of the bass guitar (Carlos Benavent), the flute (Jorge Pardo), and percussion (Rubem Dantas). These three went on to form the basis of the new flamenco sound, as recent as touring and recording with Chick Corea.

Many purists did not welcome the cajon’s arrival. But if you ever have a doubt, Paco put it best,

'it's ideal for this music because it has a sound very similar to that of a bailaor's taconeo, to knuckles rapping a rhythm on a table, or to a slap on the soundboard of a guitar. And besides it doesn't give tone like a skin drumhead, like the membranophones. It always sounds good, whatever it's accompanying. It was a great find and an achievement I feel very proud of.'

Rubem Dantas was the perfect candidate to popularize the cajon in flamenco. Originally from Brazil, Rubem was already an established percussionist and member of Paco’s sextet before the cajon came into the picture. He is one of those aboriginal percussionists who can make anything a percussion instrument, and is well versed in many instruments. The most important times for the cajon’s early development involved the live Paco de Lucia shows with the original sextet. Most important was the second or third number in the program, which involved a Bulerias between Paco and Rubem. I personally feel that Paco was intentionally displaying his agenda of integrating the cajon into flamenco at this point in the program. It’s almost like he’s saying, 'check this out' and pointing at Rubem with his guitar. Rubem literally coined the interpretation of how everyone today plays the cajon. In the past 20 years, we have gained a new breed of flamencos: the cajon player. Rubem Dantas, Manolo Soler, Antonio Carmona, Jose Antonio Galicia, Tino di Giraldo, Ramon Porrina, Bandolero, Lucky Losada, Cepillo, Paquito Gonzalez, Antonio Coronel, Jose Carrasco, Chaboli…I feel that Cepillo and Paquito Gonzalez are doing amazing things; they are true artists and are turning cajon playing into a true art. I hope that you follow their unfolding careers as much as I am.

The cajon in flamenco is known as having guitar strings on the inside of the instrument, creating an affect similar to that of a snare drum. This is what we know as the flamenco cajon. Ironically, Rubem Dantas’ cajon does not have a snare system. He gets his sound from how loose the top wood is nailed to the body of the cajon and thus makes more of a snap. Though everyone else uses a snare system, a player should be able to achieve a strong snap as well. As far as the bass tone, there is a huge misconception that it should be “boomy.” This is not good, because from the audience’s perspective, the sound becomes too wet and the accented bass notes melt into one other. The ultimate tone for a cajon is for the bass not to be boomy, but to have 'definition.'

The cajon has quickly become the little child of the flamenco triumvirate, complimenting all combinations of singing, dancing, and the guitar and their venues whether it’s a tablao, a theater, or a recording studio. You get many great players, but also some not so good. If the cajon evolves in flamenco, it needs to be treated like 'the fourth art form.' For anyone reading this, the next time you go to a show, listen to a recording, or watch a video, take the cajon player’s presence into account. These people are masters of compas and great interpreters of textural enhancement.

I have never looked at the cajon as an instrument that must be in flamenco, yet an instrument that should be wanted in flamenco. Without the cajon, flamenco is still in compas. The cajon just adds texture. And with that, it should not be a mindless drone of the same thing over and over, yet a thoughtful interplay with the structure and the moment, adding depth and texture to the music and movement.

I hope this has enlightened you in the history, construction, process, personnel, and elements of flamenco cajon. I hope that I have convinced you to open up that CD insert and look up the name of the cajon player on the CD you are listening to and to listen to the cajon player just as actively as you do the other musicians.

For anyone who wants to learn the instrument please be thoughtful of complimenting the art form we hold so dear. Learn how to accompany the cante, the dancing, the guitar playing. It’s very important to be interactive and make every sound count, even the ones you don’t play. "

One final note about Behzad: the picture you see at the top of this post is actually a picture of him with the Man himself, Rubem Dantas. Behzad had just finished playing the cajon with Rubem in the audience (talk about performing for royalty…). Thanks to Jill Hatzai for the picture.

For more info about the cajon, check out:
http://www.cajondg.com

http://www.flamenco-world.com/magazine/about/cajon/cajon18072005.htm

Flamencophile's Excellent Adventure - Part 2

2007-02-19T21:26:00.000-05:00

After spending the morning going over the NYC subway map with my magic decoder ring, we headed down to Lower Manhattan. It was Silvia’s first time in the US and with her Lonely Planet Guide in hand, she had laid out an itinerary for us. The first stop was Battery Park, where we would be able to walk the promenade, with a view of the harbor and the skyline. As we got about a half-block away from the river bank, a gust of wind kicked up that made shards of ice fall from my eyes and I yelled out “Forget it; it’s too cold – you wanna see Battery Park, go look at a picture….” Fortunately this struck Silvia as funny and she teased me about this for the rest of the weekend…..In a toasty warm East Village Moroccan restaurant, we were able to meet up with my pal Alfonso Cid of “Gazpacho Andalu” and some of his friends from Kentucky – Stuart and Bob of “Alma Gitana.” Alfonso’s kids are already singing ta-ra-ra’s and keeping perfect palmas. Watch out for the next generation of flamencos!

Finally – it was show time. It was my first time seeing Rafaela Carrasco. Different people all have different opinions and going in to see the show, I had some pre-conceived ideas and maybe some expectations. But it’s up to each of us to form an individual opinion, to build our own relationship with the performer and the art. And I have to say – I was wowed. The performance made a big impression on me. Each and every segment of the program was strong. She had not one, but TWO men dancing farruca in bata de cola - óle to her and óle to them. It was flawless, and powerful. Genius! It was as if these guys went over to the closet and dug out the bata that Carmen Amaya had hung up to start a revolution, simply by putting on a pair of pants. I have full respect for people who challenge what is expected of them – especially flamencos whose entire artform continues to evolve from a cultural tradition created for the survival of a people. Who has the right to tell an artist what to do? The most amazing thing to me was the level of skill and grace these men had in working the bata. Extremely well done. My favorite piece was the martinete, when all the musicians came downstage and stood in a line giving palmas as Antonio Campos sang and Rafaela told us a story. So simple. So honest and sincere. That is the thing that I find most compelling and at the same time intimidating in flamenco – there is nowhere to hide. She stood there telling her own story, supported by the cuadro. Brilliant!

I was also very happy to see Nacho Arimany - a one-man percussive wonder, sitting cross-legged and barefoot like a boy on Christmas Day surrounded by his favorite toys. Not only did he play about 5 different instruments including a gigantic cajon, but he also contributed some Indian vocals (forgive me for not knowing the proper name, but it sounded like Sanskrit Scat...). He looks like a hippie Edward Norton with talent as bright and generous as his smile. Olè, Nacho!

Once the lights came up, we high-tailed it down to Alegrias to the 11:00 show. We got there early enough to go downstairs and grab some tapas – I swear to god, they were even better than the tapas I had in Spain! I give the Sardines a la Plancha a big thumbs up. But I digress….as we were sitting there, I noticed this girl standing by the door who looked like she was about 16. She was bundled up head to toe and she caught my eye as I was pulling my coat on to head back outside. We exchanged grins, acknowledging the ritual of layering for warmth…..once upstairs, I ran into some of my NYC flamenco buddies – Carlos Revollar and Gigi Quintana and chit-chatted briefly before the show. The show was great – featuring dancer Raul Ortega and singer Ruben “el Viejo” whose combined age is less than fifty……and that mysterious girl from downstairs re-appeared – it was Fuensanta La Moneta! What a sweetheart. She said that she’s enjoyed the US tour, but was looking forward to heading home. She successfully convinced me that I must go to Granada the next time I’m in Spain – and she promised that it was much warmer there! Singer Jose Valencia was also there and he got very shy once the juerga broke out! Dancer Oscar Valero was the instigator – he grabbed a cajon and started banging out some bulerias. Before long Oscar, Raul and Ruben were trading letras and everyone in the place made a big circle. What a blast!!!!!!! We finally left around 3am…having had a very full day of flamenco in New York!

Flamencophile's Excellent Adventure - Part 1

2007-02-18T18:28:00.000-05:00

Why does it always get freezing, bitter cold right around the time of the flamenco festival?? I navigated the subway without too much trouble but once I came up onto the street I felt like I was standing in front of a sadistic air conditioner. Holy Mother of God it was cold. I would imagine that even if they had the time, the performers didn’t get to do much sight-seeing….well once I found my way to the hotel, and re-connected with my pal Silvia, we only had a few hours to catch up before it was time for the show.

The house was packed of course. And because I was late in getting my tickets, our seats were in the nosebleed section…..still – it was worth it. I don’t know where to begin. The Gala Bienal was so exciting. One powerful performance after another. Part One of the program featured the trio of Pericet, Liñan and Flores who simply radiated with youth and vitality. But as wonderful as the other two were, it was Manuel Liñan who really blew me away. My God that man can dance. And the music was superb. There was a singer there named Emilio Florido who I first saw with Noche Flamenca a while back at Joe’s Pub. He is young and was awaiting the birth of his first child back in Cadiz. Not only was his singing impressive, but he did a pataita for fin-de-fiesta that I’m still smiling about. I wish I had half his talent. ¡Olè, Emilio!

The second half of the program featured Fuensanta la Moneta, Isabel Bayón and Joaquin Grilo – three very different dancers with very different styles. La Moneta was straight-up gitana. Isabel Bayón’s seguiriya was more subtle, quite impressive. And Grilo has a style all his own. It reminds me of Charlie Chaplin the way his bones seem to be made of rubber bands. It wasn’t his solo (solea) but it was his bulerias that I really loved. Slapstick bulerias. Silly, cheeky, gravity-defying!

We were hoping to stick around after the show to see if we could meet any of the performers, but we were very rudely informed that only people who payed for the Reception could remain in the theater after the show. Even the ushers were rude “hello, we wanna go home, people…let’s move it!” Fine, fine. We braved the cold and got a bite, then headed back to the room.

It's the most wonderful time of the year.....

2007-02-07T18:22:00.000-05:00

No, I'm DEFINITELY not talking about the weather; I'm talking about that marvel of modern magic known as Flamenco Festival USA. The bad news is, the tour doesn't stop in Philly, but the good news is, Philly is between New York and Washington, DC - two of the tour's planned destinations. We have options! The festival officially kicked off on Saturday February 3rd with the stunningly talented Estrella Morente making her stateside debut; word has it that she was phenomenal. Did anyone expect anything less?!?!?!?!

In the past I have "commuted" to the festival in NY and this year I wasn't even sure about going... But out of the blue, one of the Italian dancers I met in Jerez last year e-mailed me that she was coming to New York just for the festival and wanted to know what my plans were, so I decided to make a mini-vacation out of it! We have tickets for the Thursday Night Gala de la Bienal de Sevilla featuring Joaquin Grilo, Isabel Bayon, La Moneta, Manuel Linan, Marco Flores and Olga Pericet as well as for the Friday performance of Compania Rafaela Carrasco. Who knows, maybe we'll even take some classes. Hopefully, it will warm up a little. In addition to the official shows of the festival, I'm looking forward to checking out some of New York's tablaos as well.

A word to the wise; if you are planning to go and have not done so already - call ahead to get your tickets. These shows do sell out and you do not want to have the nightmare experience of driving all the way up there, brimming with enthusiasm over the show only to have the "SOLD OUT" sign greet you at the theater.......

See you at the show!

Fiesta Flamenca

2007-01-31T18:48:00.000-05:00

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!

Video Bargainville

2007-01-28T16:53:00.000-05:00

For those of us flamencophiles who can’t be in two places at the same time, the fact that there is an abundance of videotaped flamenco performances floating around in the universe is a good thing.

The place that has the broadest assortment of top-level important flamencos is flamenco-world The wonderful news is that that have an extensive library back of that starts in the year 2000 and is kept very current. The bad news is, the clips are short and quite often are a torturous tease that leave you wanting more….. ; ) The most recent come up first and then there is a side panel over to the left where you can go through archives of guitarra, baile, cante and “other.” I swear, I spend hours browsing through the clips, endlessly fascinated by the talent and arte.

Another option is to visit the website of your favorite performer and go to the multimedia section…flamenkos.com gives you access to bunch of artists’ websites in one fell swoop. Check out my personal faves, Israel Galvan, Manolete and the Jovenes Flamencos featuring the magnificent Choni Perez dancing quite masterfully with her bata de cola.

Another source for free video footage is youtube. Granted, it’s like a box of chocolates in that you never know what you’ll get….everything is mixed together – everything from professional performances from the likes of Eva Yerbabuena to the bizarre farruca-dancing rhinoceros (I’m not kidding). But if you patiently page through all the results, you will certainly some gems.

Finally worth mentioning is the Vistas Flamencas subscription service. For something like 12 dollars a month you receive a new DVD containing footage of current performances around Spain such as the Festival de Bulerias from Jerez, and the Summer Performance Series in Sevilla, etc. Each disc has about 8-10 performances on it covering baile, toque and cante and comes with a sheet of paper listing the performers and respective palos. There is also usually a little mini-tour through a neighborhood that is just enough to make you insanely jealous that you weren’t there to see the performances in person!

So even if you can’t physically go to an actual live performance every night, you can still watch live flamenco footage through the marvel of technology!

Bag it!

2007-01-21T20:03:00.000-05:00

Today as I was leaving the last of La China's weekend workshops , my friend Clarisa said "Carol, you're dripping..." It turns out my water bottle had tipped over into my dance bag, had soaked through and was then dripping out of the bottom. So when I got home I had to dump everything out to let it dry. I was amazed at how much I had accumulated.

The actual contents of my dance bag (in no particular order) :

tape recorder
2 pairs of flamenco shoes
2 practice skirts
camera
knee highs
capri tights
castanets
half of a power bar wrapper
coconut lime body spray
3 pair of matching peds
1 mismatched pair of peds
athletic tape
foot spray
callous pads
batteries
3 hair ties
1 head band
1 bottle of alleve
1 bottle of water

So that's why it's so heavy!

Change your palo, change your life….

2007-01-18T09:47:00.000-05:00

For the longest time, I had a love/hate relationship with Alegrías…I loved to watch other people dance to it, but dreaded doing it myself. Don’t get me wrong, it is a supremely gorgeous palo –proud, dignified, melancholy, regal, playful – all those things. But I just never felt at home in it.

I always thought myself more of a bulerías person - cheeky, irreverent, athletic and maybe even a little jaded. And admittedly, my tendency in flamenco (as in life) is to barrel through everything forcefully, to pound it home and fight it out…

But few weeks ago, my friend Veronica came and sang for our Tuesday night class, and it literally changed my life. We’ve been working on a number of palos in the class – Siguiriyas, Farruca, Bulerías, but it was during the Alegrías that I had an epiphany of sorts…there’s a part where the musical tone of the letra ascends and it was perfectly in synch with the choreography. I felt something inside me shift. All of a sudden I felt lighter, more natural. And without knowing, I burst out in a huge smile. I was so moved, I think I even blurted out ¡olé! in the middle of a phrase. It’s not all a battle. Sometimes it’s just about beauty, joy, grace; about the lightness of the moment, about the dance of life. It occurred to me that even though everything around me might not be perfect, there is still value and purpose in joy. And furthermore, I “got” that in flamenco, just as in life, it’s that it's all about communication: singer, guitarist, palmista, dancer, audience—all together, one to another. It’s the expression of the human experience. As one dancer puts it, “the palo is the recipe; we are the ingredients.”

I swear, flamenco is so much more than just an art form…..for me, it’s a hotline to the voice of god.

To further explore the innumerable palos flamencos, visit these links:

World Music Central

Guía telmática del Flamenco

Old School Flamenco

2007-01-11T18:54:00.000-05:00

Do you have any idea how fortunate we are to have "la China" coming to teach in Philly? No, really. Do you have any idea? This woman is a giant. Not only has she performed professionally with such flamenco royalty as Camarón, Manolete and Manolo Soler, but she has trained generations of flamenco dancers. For the past 10 years, she has been teaching at Amor de Dios in Madrid, as one blogger calls it "the Harvard of Flamenco." Suffice it to say, she is the real thing.

Right. So why would an uncoordinated schlubb like me dare to set foot in one of her classes? (I asked myself this same question when she came here in 2004......) Because her classes are phenomenal! She gets you to do things you never imagined you could do. Her sense of compás is original and surprising. You'll find yourself singing the steps the next day in the grocery store. Sure, it's a lot of hard work (read: you will sweat more than you can possibly imagine), but it's also a lot of fun. And it's a rite of passage of sorts - a chance to participate in flamenco history. Plus, it's a lot cheaper than flying to Madrid for the weekend!

I will offer one word of caution: if you are a very brand new beginner, you might find la China's class a little over your head. Keep in mind, "Beginner" in Spain is what we would consider intermediate here. On the other hand, once she teaches the choreography , she has you repeat everything hundreds of times. This is a chance for the people who have it to perfect it, and for the people who are a little behind to catch up. One thing is for sure; I'll be there.

For further information contact Monica Herrera at 267-307-5354 or mnh928@yahoo.com

Not a bad way to spend a weekend...

2007-01-08T19:20:00.000-05:00

A couple years ago I learned a costly lesson....I had a black bag with my brand new Arte FyL shoes - worn about 7 times- along with my castanets stashed under the seat in my car. Someone broke the window and took the bag. Note to self: don't leave ridiculously expensive dance gear in the car.

Point taken. Since then I've gone through a few more pairs of shoes, but sort of gave up hope on the castanets. I had gotten them during my first month of classes with Julia Lopez, and was learning the basics of playing them, mainly for Sevillanas. I ended up switching to a different teacher who wasn't teaching Sevillanas at the time and well, once they got stolen I never replaced them. But since the word on the street is, Eva Arriaga is going to teach Sevillanas with castanets at Pasión y Arte Studio, I have to be prepared.

As Joy, aka "Asturnut" talks about on Phillyflamenco, those of us flamencos living in the US have limited options as far as finding flamenco apparel/accessories. You can go to the Menkes store in New York, or order over the internet. I have had 2 pairs of Menkes shoes and just plain don't like them. They actually give me knee problems......so they're not really a viable option for me. Granted, I just got a new pair of Don Flamenco shoes when I was in Spain last spring and about a month ago I was right in the middle of a final cierre when the right heel went flying across the room. What drama! I was able to take them to the shoemaker who was able to fix them, but since these shoes are so gorgeous, I want to save them for "special occasions." So I figure I needed to get a new pair for practice. I could have ordered another pair over the internet, sent the pair I have back, blah blah blah, but I just didn't want the hassle.

One other options that not many Philly folks might know about is Paco de Malaga's in Washington. Granted, it's really a guitar store (and what a wonderland of guitars it is...) but he does have shoes, costumes and accessories. I figured since I was headed down to DC for class on Saturday anyway, I 'd give him a shot. His store even has it's own parking lot! Although the selection of shoes is not the most comprehnsive, I got lucky - he had my size (37 1/2) ! I decided to try a new brand - "Osuna," made in Malaga. They're very comfy and sound great. I grabbed new pair of castanets and thanks to Mapquest, I was able to plan out the trip in time to head over to ADI for class with the fabulously talented Anna Menendez.

I had to wait to try out the new shoes because as is quite often the case, shoes that come directly from the factory don't have pre-punched holes in the strap; they are customized to fit the dancer's foot. I definitely customized them - with my chef's knife - once I got them home. Sunday morning I called up a classmate to take her up on her previous offer of getting together to to practice for a bit. It was a gorgeous, sunny day. We cleared up some choreography details from the alegrias we've been working on in class and the new shoes were great. All in all, not a bad way to spend a weekend.

Pasión y Arte Flamenco Conservatory to open in Philadelphia!

2007-01-04T08:57:00.000-05:00

Elba Hevia y Vaca co-founder and artistic director of Pasión y Arte Flamenco Company has established the Pasión y Arte Flamenco Conservatory as one of their many programs, due to open its doors on the January 13th, 2007. The conservatory has been created to preserve, strengthen and disseminate our rich and diverse artistic Spanish/Latino heritage as expressed through music, dance, visual arts and other art forms as they relate to the New World.

The Conservatory will be offering various levels of Flamenco, Sevillanas and Classical dance classes. In addition, it will be offering music (guitar, cajon) classes, master classes from visiting artists and lectures with guest "Flamencologos" on the theory and history of Flamenco in these two locations:

Overbrook Studio: Pasión y Arte Garage Studio, 6411 Overbrook Ave. , Philadelphia, PA 19151
Old City Studio: Philadelphia Dance Academy, 232 South 4th St., (corner of 4th & Locust) Philadelphia, PA 19106

Dance Classes:
BEGINNER FLAMENCO
Overbrook 11-12:30 Saturday
Old City 7:30-9pm Wednesday

INTERMEDIATE FLAMENCO
Overbrook 1:30-3pm Saturday
Overbrook 7:30-9pm Tuesday

SEVILLANAS
Overbrook 12:30-1:30pm Saturday
Overbrook 7-7:30pm Tuesday
Old City 7-7:30pm Wednesday

Guitar Classes:
BEGINNER FLAMENCO GUITAR
Overbrook 3-4:15pm Saturday

TUITION
FLAMENCO CLASSES and GUITAR CLASSES
$15 per class or $78 for class card of 6 classes
SEVILLANAS
1/2 hour $5 1 hour $10

For more information and registration contact Elba Hevia y Vaca at 267-235-5685 or by Email at:lorca121@aol.com and/or visit web site www.pasiónyarte.com

About Beginning Flamenco Guitar:
This class is designed to introduce the technique and style of Flamenco Guitar to students who already play guitar and are ready to explore a new genre, and also to those who may not have any experience learning guitar. Reading music is not necessary. Students will learn a variety of flamenco rhythms, from the traditional Solea to the new-world-inspired Rumba, and they will learn how flamenco chords and melodies fit into the rhythm. Flamenco Guitar is a lively, constantly evolving music form, that originates from the ancient rhythm and song of the cante jondo.

This class will bring to light the connection between the music and the culture that forms it.

Guitar Instructor: Ben Phipps
Ben graduated from the Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle in 2001, where he was a student of their classical guitar program. While at Cornish he began playing flamenco in addition to his classes and since 1999 has been playing guitar for dancers and classes.

While living in Madrid, he studied guitar with Pepe Maya, Flavio Rodriques, and was a student in the Conservatorio Flamenco Casa Patas. While in Seattle Ben played as rhythm guitarist for Gypsy swing group The Rez Trio, and has performed as a dance accompanist for numerous flamenco shows in Seattle and Madison, Wisconsin. He and his wife Emma, a flamenco dancer, have performed at restaurants, cultural fairs and community arts centers, as well as given workshops and performances in the University of Wisconsin, Edgewood College, and New York University in their Madrid campus.

Ben and his wife have recently moved to Doylestown, Bucks County. Ben made his Philadelphia-area premiere in December 2006 with a solo recital at the Doylestown Community Conservatory. Ben and Emma recently gave a flamenco presentation at The Solebury School in New Hope, PA. Ben regularly accompanies Elba in her dance classes at Pasión y Arte Garage Studio.

Tuesday Class at Pasión y Arte Garage Studio

2007-01-03T06:30:00.000-05:00

There's no better remedy for carb-loading than 2 straight hours of dancing. And that's exactly what my classmates and I did last night in Elba's class. With the essential elements of cante (courtesy of Valenciana Veronica Polo) and guitar (courtesy of Seattle native Ben Phipps) the studio was bursting with energy.

I've been studying with Elba for about a year now and I have to say, her classes are truly spiritual experiences. Her studio is a safe, non-competitve place. Elba is masterful at teaching not only the technique, the choreography and the intentions behind the movements, but she challenges her students to take risks; to extend beyond our comfort zone and to dance from the center - not from our heads (where I tend to live).

Elba's classes are growing, such that the garage studio is often crowded. In conjunction with the announcement of the schedule for winter session classes, Elba has established the "Pasión y Arte Flamenco Conservatory" which will offer regular classes as well as workshops/master classes in dance, music, compás, etc. More on this to follow.

Quite often we practice along to a "Solo Compás" CD. But last night - the live music amped up the energy level 10 million, gajillion times. Wow. There is only one way to truly describe the difference. "Shut up and dance."

How long have you been dancing flamingo?!?!?!

2006-12-31T11:04:00.000-05:00

The other day I found this photo-sharing website. There was this one section that had some shots from the Asian-American Expo in Pomona, California. Gorgeous, gorgeous shots of a dancer with a mantón, in mid-vuelta. Very impressive until I read the caption "FLAMINGO DANCER." Ouch.

I have lost track of the number of times I've been asked "so do you have a partner?" or "what clubs do you go to?" or my personal favorite "how long have you been dancing flamingo???"

For the record, I've been studying flamenco foralmost 5 years now, but I digress. Why do people always mistake flamenco for something else? Is this an American phenomenon? Could you imagine someone going up to Michael Flatley and asking him "so how long have you been clogging?!?!?!?!"

Well, chalk it up to the mystery of flamenco. If it weren't for the classic movies of Carmen Amaya and José Greco, flamenco probably wouldn't have found its way across the ocean to the US anyway. But thank God it did. And those of us who have been hypnotized by the siren song of the cante jondo have all been charged with a sacred mission- to keep this precious artform alive!

I invite you to share about experiences you may have had where flamenco was confused with something else. Let's have a laugh!

Lunares, lunares everywhere!

2006-12-29T19:59:00.000-05:00

Take a look through any flamenco's closet and there’s one pattern that’s bound to catch your eye; lunares (polka dots). I’m not sure if it’s a cause or effect of my love of flamenco, but I admit to having my own collection of shirts, scarves, skirts, even socks with lunares. It got me wondering, is this a tradition or coincidence?

So I decided to do a little research. Here’s what I came up with. As with flamenco itself, it seems to have all started with the Rom. The Kalbeliya Gypsies of India are the tribe from whom the Rom are descended. This tribe used charms to ward off the evil eye through the use of small mirror-disks. (In fact, you can still find Indian clothing today with small mirrors that are sewn, braided or crocheted into the fabric; especially wedding garments.) Although there’s no way of knowing for sure, it’s not that much of a stretch to surmise that through wandering, adaptation and simple economics, these mirrored disks were replaced by lunares. From a discrete panuelo tied around the neck to a no-holds-barred bata de cola, lunares are everywhere in flamenco. Even the famous Café de Chinitas tablao in Madrid bears the name of the ladybug whose red wings are flecked with black lunares.

So it might not come as a surprise that while browsing through the available templates to use for this blog, I was instantly drawn to this one. With this many lunares, we’re bound to have good luck!

A Love Affair....

2006-12-28T09:42:00.000-05:00

It all started in High School. My junior year, I was an awesome Spanish student (if I do say so myself...) and was very excited to meet the exchange student from Spain. He was a 4-foot- 9 chain-smoking moreno from Huelva. And we had a "date" to go see this new movie called "Carmen" by Carlos Saura. I had no idea what hit me. I fell in love with Antonio Gades the moment I first laid eyes on him, and all of a sudden, ballet seemed so fluffy. I had been studying ballet, tap and jazz since I was 3, but it seemed like jumping in a mud puddle compared to what I had witnessed on that screen (my apologies to Gene Kelly).

I begged my parents to let me be an exchange student to Sevilla where I could learn to dance like that - learn to feel like that. Oh, please oh please.........Unfortunately, the Philadelphia Inquirer had just published an article in the travel section about the dangers of drive-by moped muggings in Sevilla and my parents all but laughed in my face. No way were they sending their baby girl into the pack of wolves.....sheepishly, I put the dream in a box and stuffed it away in the attic. I ended up being an "exchange student" at Rosemont College where instead of studying Spanish, I studied German literature. Almost proportionately, the more German I studied, the more Spanish I forgot. I did end up studying abroad after all, in Heidelberg. I forgot all about flamenco, forgot about Spain. I got into mountain biking, moved to rural Ohio, went to graduate school, studied Linguistics, became a Speech-Language Pathologist. Nothing even remotely resembling Flamenco.

Until one day, I was home visiting my parents and felt the urge to go see a movie at the Ritz. Again - this Carlos Saura character.....the movie was "Flamenco." Hmmmmm, that sounds familiar. I still had the tourist-y castanets my high school Huelvan had sent me. What the hey - I gave it a shot. It was so overwhelming. Almost too much info to take in. It was like a dream, and when I left the theater it was like I was waking up. There was this whole other world, waiting for me. Where was it? How could I find it......I mean I was in Grad School in rural Ohio; not exactly the hub of Flamenco.......well, when I got back to the computer lab, I connected to this new thing called "the world wide web" and feverishly looked for flamenco teachers in the US. The closest one was in Cleveland - a full 3 hours away from where I was in Athens, OH. Aggggghhhhh! But just out of curiosity, I searched PA and found Julia Lopez in Philly. Fast forward 5 years, after I had moved back to Philly and there I was in front of the mirror doing my first golpe. Who knew???? What an adventure....

Since then, I have studied with Anna Rubio, Liliana Ruiz and currently with Elba Hevia y Vaca in Philadelphia as well as Anna Menendez in Washington, DC. I have participated in Workshops and Master Classes with such flamenco notables as “La China,” “La Tati,” Alejandro Granados, Soledad Barrios, Antonio Hidalgo, Nelida Tirado, “el Chupete,” and Edwin Aparicio in the US and with “Chiqui de Jerez” and Inmaculada Aguilar as part of the Festival de Jerez in Spain. I have had the pleasure to dance Sevillanas and patadas por Bulerias at tablaos and festivals from Philadelphia to San Francisco to Jerez and back again. I finally made it to Sevilla! Flamenco was there waiting for me the whole time. I guess I was finally ready for it.

When the student is ready, the teacher appears. !Viva mi Maestro, Flamenco!

Creating Community

2006-12-28T08:01:00.000-05:00

So I finally did it. I've been threatening to start my own Flamencoblog for a while now. Frustrated by the fragmentation of the flamenco community in Philadephia, my goal is to create community. Inspired by my pal Miguelito in Washington, I selfishly, selfishly want this blog to be a means for bringing us all together. United we stand, divided we fall kinda thing. There is absolutely no reason that in a city the size of Philadelphia, we flamencos can't stand up and be counted. I'm tired of having to go to Washington for juergas and performances (although it is well worth it, gas is expensive!)

Flamenco is not just some hobby or exotic folk art - it is absolutely necessary; for my sanity, for my joy, for my self-expression, as a means of connecting with others, a way to learn from others, a way to learn about myself. It is a microcosm of life. Flamenco itself is a teacher. Let's open our hearts and minds to learn her lessons.

So welcome - and keep coming back. Great things to come!