Flamenco dancers Yolit Yospe (left) and Cecilia Terrasa with guitarist Miguelito at University of Mary Washington's Multicultural Fair. April 14, 2012 (photo by Celinda)

It's 3-something on a Wednesday afternoon as I type the words. I'm happy to report that business is pickin' up for us local performers. Is it the economy? The unseasonably warmer weather? Who knows? The point is to enjoy it while it lasts.

So this past Saturday, I performed at University of Mary Washington's Multicultural Fair with dancers Yolit Yospe and Cecilia Terrasa. If you're a DC local, you know about the weather we've been having: unusually hot and sunny one day, then back to normal cold and windy. Since we were scheduled to perform on the outdoor stage, I was crossing my fingers and hoping for warm and sunny. Mother Nature was kind to us and granted us a beautiful day, thank you!

Yolit dancing tangos. April 14, 2012 (photo by Celinda)

At around 75° F and breezy, it was a bit on the warm side but not quite enough to need my Ten Tips for Outdoor Flamenco Performances in Hot Weather. Although in retrospect, I think wearing sunglasses would've helped. I could see just fine in the sun, but let's be honest, squinting while performing doesn't look good.

Cecilia dancing soleá. April 14, 2012 (photo by Celinda)

For our 40-minute time slot, we opted for a simple program:
Sevillanas
Soleá solo by Cecilia
Tangos solo by Yolit
Bulerías

Interspersed with educational commentary, I gave our audience a crash course in the basics of flamenco history. While we could've easily gotten away with doing the show without a little spiel, I like to do my part in informing the general public the little-known facets of flamenco especially the part about how the guitarist follows the dancer and singer and the "secret" signals to the guitarist known as llamadas.

That almost always seems to impress people about how we can almost go onstage with little or no rehearsal and pull off a performance as if we've performing together for years. The skill of an experienced performer is demonstrated in how clear the dancer communicates what she wants musically through her movements and how the guitarist picks up on these cues and provides suitable accompaniment that musically complements the dancer.

Yolit and Cecilia dancing Sevillanas. April 14, 2012 (photo by Celinda)

It was funny how when I introduced the dancers and myself to the audience, I announced which countries we represent and we got cheers from respective members of the audience. Yolit is from Israel. Cecilia is from Spain. And I have filipino heritage although I was born in LA.

View of the stage after our flamenco performance. April 14, 2012 (self-portrait using my iPod Touch camera)

Thanks to my contact Adriana and the University of Mary Washington for letting us be a part of their Multicultural Fair! Incidentally, this wasn't my first time here. I performed here back in the late 90's with the group Sol y Sombra.

Flashback to the Multicultural Fair in 1996: that's me and dancer Edwin Aparicio with the DC-based group Sol y Sombra. April 1996

Special thanks to Celinda aka my mom for the performance pics! So happens she lives closeby to the University.

VCU Flamenco Festival III poster based on a photo of Ginette and Miguelito taken by Niko Alexandrou. March 24, 2012 (iPad photo by Miguelito)

It's 2-something pm on Wednesday as I type these words, four days after my Saturday night concert at the Third VCU Flamenco Festival which took place in Richmond, Virginia the weekend of March 23-25, 2012.

Lineup for this year's Festival:

• Friday March 23rd—Flamenco Completo, with guitarist Marija Temo and dancer Ulrika Frank
• Saturday March 24th—Flamenco Fiesta, with guitarist Miguelito, dancers Ginette, Sarah Louisa, Pam de Ocampo and singer Carlton Ashton
• Sunday March 25th—Flamenco Finale, with ensembles Sueños Gitanos and Flamenco del Sur

Ideally, I would've also attended the Flamenco Completo and Flamenco Finale concerts, not only as a professional courtesy but just to show my support for flamenco. But it didn't work out for me schedule-wise. Oh well. Kudos to organizers Leah Kruszewski and John Patykula for doing all the hard work behind-the-scenes to make the VCU Flamenco Festival a reality once again!

Come to think of it, this is actually my fourth time to perform here at VCU. The first time was in 1997 with the Ana Martinez Flamenco Dance Company where I played alongside guitarist Paco de Málaga. Then I was invited to perform as a solo performer in 2007, 2010 and now 2012 and each time I had a select group of dancers and singers joining me onstage.

In addition to the concert, I was also invited to give a flamenco guitar masterclass earlier that day...

Guitarist Clarke Hedgepath performing for Miguelito at the 2:00pm masterclass at the James W. Black Music Center Recital Hall. March 24, 2012 (photo by Leah Kruszewski)

If you recall, I majored in classical guitar performance at Cal State Fullerton. So I had taken quite a few master classes back then and had a pretty good idea of what to expect: highly-accomplished artists perform a piece in front of the master and an audience of guitarists and afterwards the master gives (usually) constructive criticism and advice.

Miguelito offering his interpretation of Clarke's music. March 24, 2012 (photo by Leah Kruszewski)

Yikes. I am by no means a master, but I do have close to 20 years of practical experience performing in front of audiences with dancers and singers. And after a long hiatus during which I didn't accept any students, I started to teach guitar again about six months ago. I do have a sincere desire to pass on whatever useful knowledge I have to offer the future generation of flamencos. So I just reminded myself of all of this as I was about to give my first master class!

Clarke applying Miguelito's suggestions. March 24, 2012 (photo by Leah Kruszewski)

Two guitarists performed for me:

• Leah Kruszewski—Paraíso by Oscar Herrero
• Clarke Hedgepath—Chicuelina by Rafael Riqueni

Miguelito teaching basic concepts about flamenco guitar playing to the class. March 24, 2012 (photo by Leah Kruszewski)

Leah and Clarke both played beautifully. My job was to give a critique and offer some suggestions to improve and so I did, but I had the additional challenge of having to turn towards the audience of fifty or so (primarily classical) guitarists and present basic concepts about flamenco guitar technique and theory.

March 24, 2012 (photo by Leah Kruszewski)

I presented basic rasgueado patterns for the palos that I worked on with Leah and Clarke. Fellow flamenco guitarist Charlie Moeser chimed-in from time to time to offer some additional advice to the audience of guitar majors and students from a local high school with a classical guitar program!

March 24, 2012 (photo by Leah Kruszewski)

March 24, 2012 (photo by Leah Kruszewski)

The masterclass was from 2:00pm until 3:30pm. Went well and gave me an extra boost of confidence for the concert I was about to give later that evening. But I was starving. So I grabbed a bite with Festival organizer Leah and chilled for a bit before heading to the theater at 5:00pm for sound-check and run-through with the dancers and singer.

Program for the Saturday night Flamenco Festival concert titled Flamenco Fiesta. March 24, 2012 (iPad photo by Miguelito)

On the day of a major performance at a theater, my demands are simple:

1. Comfortable sturdy non-squeaky chair, check!
2. Wireless connection for my guitar, check!
3. Monitor speaker next to my chair and turned-up loud, check!
4. Not go onstage feeling hungry, check!
5. Need 30 minutes before showtime to chill, check!

As the dancers arrived, we did a quick run-through of their numbers fine-tuning the collaboration with our singer Carlton. I work frequently enough with dance soloists Ginette, Sarah Louisa and Pam that I had a pretty good idea of what to expect, but we always leave a little room to stretch with some inspired improv when the mood strikes. That's the fun part of working with soloists.

House opened at 7:00pm and the concert started a little after 7:30pm.

Sorry, no performance photos. Couldn't get clearance for the photographer understandably. It can be distracting to the performers and some theaters are stricter than others for a good reason.

Being that this festival is part of a guitar series, the first half was focused on moi playing guitar solos:

• Granaínas
• Soleá
• Tarantas
• Farruca
• Bulería

During intermission backstage at the Singleton Center for the Performing Arts with singer Carlton Ashton, dancers Sarah Louisa, Ginette and Pam de Ocampo. March 24, 2012 (iPad photo by Miguelito)

Ten-minute intermission then it was time for the second half: Tablao Flamenco!

• Ginette—Soleá
• Sarah Louisa—Tientos
• Pam de Ocampo—Seguiriyas
• Company—Fin de fiesta bulerías

View from stage-left just before starting the second half of the concert. March 24, 2012 (iPad photo by Miguelito)

Here's another view of the stage by dimjay via Instagram just before we went onstage.

Not going to lie. Despite all the meticulous preparation leading up to a major performance, things don't always go the way you hope they will. But this concert was an exception. Despite the gloomy rainy weather that day that would dampen anyone's mood, there was something in the air that inspired us more than usual. There was a good energy onstage and the audience was very receptive and enthusiastic most especially during the second half.

Kudos to my fellow flamencos who performed with me that night: Ginette, Sarah Louisa, Pam de Ocampo and Carlton Ashton. You guys rock! Special thanks to Curt Blankenship who made us artists look and sound great!

Miguelito at Plaza del Sol February 4, 2012 (photo by Hélène Myko)

It's almost 6pm on Wednesday as I struggle to type these words. As much as I love my iPad, the onscreen keyboard is a pain to use for extended periods. Oh well. So it's official. After a short trial period, the flamenco show at Plaza del Sol Restaurant is now EVERY Saturday.

Yeah flamenco-wise, it's not exactly something new in Bethesda, Maryland. There have been flamenco shows here on and off over the years: Andalucía Restaurant, Thyme Square Café, Jaleo Bethesda (if you count Sevillanas as flamenco), Frascati, Divino Lounge and now Plaza del Sol. And of course, there are the flamenco dance classes at Joy of Motion Bethesda.

Of course I'm thrilled to have yet another fun night of flamenco every week while also making some money. But I'm also thrilled about the opportunity to expose more people to the art of flamenco who might not discover it for themselves unless they happen to walk by Plaza del Sol.

The cool thing is that the "stage" is right by the window. The original intention was to put the show in an area of the restaurant such that the servers wouldn't get in the way of the dancers. But as it turns out, having the show by the window attracts people's attention and hopefully draws them into the restaurant. But there's more to the draw than the flamenco. In the few months that Plaza has been open, they've gotten a rep for excellent food and service. So come for the flamenco but definitely stay and try the food.

Flamenco dancer Ginette with guitarist Miguelito at Plaza del Sol in Bethesda. February 11, 2012 (photo by Steve Johnson)

And of course, a number of my fans and friends in Maryland who have been lamenting for years that venturing out to DC and Virginia is too far to go for flamenco, now have no excuse! Plaza del Sol is located at 4932 St Elmo Ave in the heart of Bethesda conveniently across the street from a multi-level parking garage.

Anyway, today's blog is really about showcasing the work of some of my very talented photographer friends: Hélène Myko and Steve Johnson. Enjoy!

Ginette and Miguelito. February 11, 2012 (photo by Steve Johnson)

Miguelito. February 4, 2012 (photo by Hélène Myko)

Ginette. February 11, 2012 (photo by Steve Johnson)

Ginette. February 11, 2012 (photo by Steve Johnson)

Ginette. February 11, 2012 (photo by Steve Johnson)

Miguelito. February 11, 2012 (photo by Steve Johnson)

Flamenco Night at Plaza del Sol is every Saturday at 7:00pm and 8:00pm. Call 301-215-4199 to make a reservation.

Flamenco dancers Rocío Montoya, Sara Jerez and Pam de Ocampo in bulerías at Jalapeños Restaurant in Annapolis, Maryland. January 26, 2012 (photo by Fran Farkas)

It's almost 1pm on a Tuesday as I type these words. I actually started working on this blog yesterday, but I was shall we say, brain dead. I'm guessing that this past flamenco-filled weekend totally wore me out.

Anywayz, last Thursday I had the pleasure of performing again at Jalapeños Restaurant in Annapolis, Maryland. All the photos are by Fran Farkas with the exception of one courtesy of Pam de Ocampo.

Joining me onstage were a few familiar faces that you've seen in my blog countless times over the years: dancers Pam de Ocampo and Sara Jerez as well as singer Carlton Ashton. It's always a blast working with these people of course, but we also had a special guest all the way from Granada, Spain: dancer Rocío Montoya!

Guitarist Miguelito playing the intro to Rocío's alegrías. January 26, 2012 (photo by Fran Farkas)

Those of you who have gigged with me a lot know how I like to arrive at the venue super early—as in two or three hours early! Trust me on this. I've done enough shows to realize that I need to chill before going onstage. I used to be able to do that: walk in 15 minutes before showtime, quickly setup and start the show. Not anymore.

But of course, life is unpredictable and sure enough on the way to the gig, we hit some major traffic. We factored in some extra travel time just in case of traffic but we had to sacrifice the quick rehearsal with Rocío that we originally planned.

Sara, Pam and Rocío in Sevillanas. January 26, 2012 (photo courtesy of Pam)

Not that we couldn't pull it off without a quick run-through, but it just helps to get a feel for each other before starting the show. You see, it was the first time for me (actually for all of us) to work with Rocío. And the fact that she tours with Riverdance and the Company of Rafaela Carrasco was a tad intimidating, not going to lie.

But as we were pleasantly surprised to discover during the show, she was so friendly, down-to-earth and easygoing!

So we arrived around 6:15pm and the show was scheduled to start at 6:30pm, yikes! Still had to setup the sound system and lights which I completed in a record ten minutes, yay! Five minutes to spare. Can't do much warming-up in five minutes so I elected instead to head to the bar and get myself a nice cold beer to relax.

Sara dancing soleá. January 26, 2012 (photo by Fran Farkas)

A minute before showtime, I headed to the dressing room area to at least say hello to the dancers before going onstage. Before I could make it backstage, the owner catches my attention and gestures me to start the show right now with a guitar solo.

Pam dancing seguiriyas. January 26, 2012 (photo by Fran Farkas)

Fine. But how will the dancers know when to come out? It's not like we have a stage manager reminding them, "Places in five!" But thankfully 5 minutes into my solo, I noticed the one of the dancers in the far corner of the room. With both of my hands occupied playing guitar all I could manage was a quick nod of the head.

You get the idea. Yeah it was stressful but I've done this a million times before and pulled it off just fine. But as for the show itself: it was a lot of fun. We had a very attentive audience and I should add that it was a full-house!

Singer Carlton Ashton performing bulerías. January 26, 2012 (photo by Fran Farkas)

The first set at 6:30pm

• guitar solo
• Sevillanas
• alegrías by Pam
• guajira by Sara
• soleá por bulería by Rocío
• fin de fiesta bulería

Second set at 8:30pm

• Sevillanas
• soleá by Sara
• seguiriyas by Pam
• alegría by Rocío
• fin de fiesta bulería

Rocío Montoya dancing soleá por bulería. January 26, 2012 (photo by Fran Farkas)

By the second set, I finally had time to catch my breath, had a few beers, noshed on some delish guacamole and chips backstage and chatted with a few flamenco friends who came out to support us. I was in a better state of mind to put on a good show, yay!

Not to downplay the fabulous dancing by Pam and Sara, but Rocío's alegría in the second set literally and figuratively took my breath away! With no more than a 10-second onstage discussion of the number of letras etc we jumped right in. It was absolute delight to play for her: intricate but easy to follow footwork, very musical phrasing, graceful braceo. The solo de pies was a lot of fun if not a bit self-indulgent. I think we spent more time jamming in that section than the rest of the dance itself!

In the end, Rocío won over the audience (and myself) as demonstrated by the extended applause and the many people who stopped by our table afterwards to offer compliments.

Rocío. January 26, 2012 (photo by Fran Farkas)

The next flamenco night at Jalapeños is set for Thursday April 5, 2012. And I can almost guarantee it will be sold out yet again so call 410-266-7580 and make your reservation now. With three top-notch dancers, a singer and a guitarist, it's always a fabulous show. I'm hoping that we can book Rocío for this show. I'll have a confirmed lineup of the featured performers soon so stay tuned!

UPDATE: the April 5th show will feature dancers Rocío Montoya, Sara Jerez and Kyoko with singer Carlton Ashton and Miguelito on guitar!

Rocío will be in the DC area until mid-April so it's possible she may appear at other venues, who knows. And yes she is currently teaching at the Arte Flamenco Studio in Laurel, Maryland.

Thanks to my friends Fran Farkas and Pam for the fabulous photos!

It's 7:22am on Tuesday as I type these words. Believe it or not I went to bed before midnight for a change. So I'm up early and it so happens, it's my website's 16th birthday today, yay! It was first launched on January 10, 1996. Hmmmm, how will I celebrate?

Sixteen years is a very long time to be on the Internet, and if you're interested, I pretty much covered the origins of my website in last year's birthday blog. And yeah, while I've definitely had a huge impact on the DC flamenco community as far getting the word out about the local scene, the truth is that DCFlamenco is dying.

Just kidding…I'm being overly dramatic to make a point. Thing is that a few years ago, a website was the center of information. And it still is in a way. You go to Google, type in "flamenco" or "flamenco in DC" and my website consistently shows up in the top results and all the info you need about the DC flamenco scene is still at your fingertips.

But the "game" has changed. Social media is where it's at: consequently, my website has been relegated to being just one of many sources of information that people go to in their search for info about flamenco in DC. The quality of the content in DCFlamenco is still the same of course. What's changed is that people go to social media more than individual websites like mine.

Visitor stats for January 2011-January 2012—more or less steady with an uptick in May for the DC Feria. There was no Lisner Flamenco Festival last year so there was no uptick for February. Compared to previous years however, the overall number of people visiting has gone down.

Facebook is one place where I get a LOT of traffic to my website. And I know this because of the statistics I get from Google Analytics which tells me so much about my website visitors, it's scary.

Anyway, within Facebook, a lot of individuals are promoting flamenco intentionally or unintentionally in their status updates. Of course, you have the performers and artists tooting their own horn and on the other hand you have the flamenco fans raving about the show they just went to or a YouTube video of an artist they like. And if you see a post by me, chances are it's about the flamenco scene with a link usually to my website.

31,000 visited DCFlamenco in the past year. Most of the search traffic was from Google and most of the referral traffic was from Facebook.

If you're like most Facebook users, you probably skim the Newsfeed and click on individual posts that interest you (as opposed to regularly visiting individual Facebook profiles). And if that post is about a flamenco artist or event then that's probably what will drive you to visit that artist or event's website or Facebook profile. Of course, I don't have the statistics on user behavior to back that up, but you can't deny the fact that I get a significant number of visitors through Facebook.

So what does this all mean? Well, it's not really that the DCFlamenco website is dying. Visits to the DCFlamenco.com website have gone down for sure. But the reality is just that my visitors are spending more time Facebook, Twitter and other social media. And to keep up with this shift of attention, over the past few years, I've focused my efforts on building a presence of DCFlamenco.com primarily in Facebook and Twitter.

In essence, the DCFlamenco website lives on through individual posts on Facebook and Twitter. And if I get some website traffic as a result of the posts, great. But more importantly, if more people are made aware about a flamenco artist or event (whether they visit my website or not), then my mission is accomplished!

As far as a celebration, in honor of 16 years of hard work, I'll just pat myself on the back and do an extra shot of Stoli before going onstage for my show tonight at Las Tapas. And if DCFlamenco.com is still around in 2016 for its 20th birthday, I'll have a big party then!

Who knows what the future will bring? For now, you can keep up with me on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and of course on DCFlamenco.com!

And yeah, I am working on a mobile version of DCFlamenco for iPhone, Android and Blackberry. I was going to release it today, but it's taking longer than I expected. Stay tuned!

Flamenco singer Esperanza Fernández and Furia Flamenca director Estela Velez at Born 2 Dance studio in Vienna, Virginia. December 4, 2011 (photo by Stan Peters)

It's almost 8pm on Sunday as I type these words. And yeah I know this workshop took place a month ago, so it is kind of old news, but I so much wanted to document it here. And on top of that, these photos were already published in FaceBook and lots of people "liked" them and posted many positive comments. So why do I bother to publishing this blog entry?

Well, my DCFlamenco.com website (which hosts this blog) will be turning 16 years old this Tuesday January 10th. Without a doubt, it has been and continues to be THE online source to go to when you want find out what is going on in the DC Flamenco scene currently as well as what was going on many years back. Who knows? In 2022, when FaceBook eventually gets replaced by some other social network, DCFlamenco will very likely still be around (knock on wood) as it has been for the past 16 years to document the history of flamenco in DC.

I know you how you all adore my conversational writing style. However, today I have the pleasure of letting two guest contributors say a few words about flamenco singer Esperanza Fernández's cante workshop which took place way back on December 4th, 2011. Estela Velez organized the workshop and Behzad Habibzai provided accompaniment on guitar. I yield the floor to my esteemed colleagues:

Esperanza accompanied by flamenco guitarist Behzad Habibzai. December 4, 2011 (photo by Stan Peters)

Behzad Habibzai: I had played for the Ana González workshop hosted by Emily Mazzotti, where I was approached by Estela to see if I was interested in playing for the Esperanza Fernández workshop. It was a definite yes from me, as I try to play for as many workshops as I can (even for the Ana González workshop, I asked Emily if she would allow me to play. I remind people that I don't want or expect any money from these opportunities, so there is a hesitation to ask me. But I try to take as many opportunities as I can. It is such a great learning experience).

I had the opportunity to meet Esperanza after her performance with Ricardo Marlow at the National Gallery, she was very nice and delighted to hear that she was going to have a guitarist for the workshop.

The workshop was in good attendance, old faces and new. As far as I know, people as far as Philadelphia had traveled to attend the workshop. A bunch of people came straight from Edwin's Sunday Matinee show 'Flamenco Men' at Gala Theatre. No one knew what to expect for the workshop.

December 4, 2011 (photo by Stan Peters)

It was open for everyone, yet dancers did not know whether to wear their flamenco gear or not. The format ended up being a straight up cante workshop. Everyone received a copy of the letras being used, and everyone participated—meaning, everyone sang! Esperanza did not just perform for everyone, she actually made everyone participate. The workshop was on alegrías.

Esperanza taught alegrías from the perspective of a dance number. So, there was the salida ("tirititran"), a letra, a second macho letra, a castellana, and I believe a bulería de Cádiz (I remember she sang it, can't remember if it was taught). Esperanza danced the whole time! Her dancing was very good, she was making up choreographies on the spot.

At times, she pretended to have a mantón and even did high kicks appropriate for manipulating the bata de cola. She improvised really nice escobillas. Even though escobillas have nothing to do with cante directly, there was a palmas component, so everyone was expected to keep the palmas while she did some cool escobillas involving contras.

December 4, 2011 (photo by Stan Peters)

She taught things really slow, making sure that everyone got it, and then applied it to her dancing, up to speed; she made sure everyone was on the same page. She was very humble, very nice, very inviting. Overall, she is very genuine and a great teacher!

What your readers may or may not understand is that Esperanza Fernández is über-famous. She is a living legend. When listing the most famous cantaoras of our day, you can only go through a few names at best before you get to Esperanza's name. It was truly an honor and amazing experience playing for her workshop. Thanks to Estela for putting this together and for having me. I also hope that Esperanza graces us again in the very near future!

December 4, 2011 (photo by Stan Peters)

Estela Velez: A few weeks ago I had the honor and pleasure of hosting Esperanza Fernández in what ended up being a truly unforgettable evening. When the idea of a cante workshop with Esperanza came up, little did I know that what we would all end up getting would be so much more than just cante. As a flamenco dancer, your flamenco education must not just be restricted to dance but must include the music and singing. So, while there are not that many flamenco singers in the DC area, the thought was that a cante workshop would still be very useful and so it was.

I was overjoyed when Esperanza agreed to make the time out of her busy schedule for a master class. Just being in the room with Esperanza was an amazing experience. Her joy for the art of flamenco is contagious. And, while the workshop started focusing on the cante, it quickly became a class in all aspects of flamenco. Esperanza incorporated a palmas rhythm lesson and perhaps what was most unexpected, she provided a dance demonstration. Indeed, Esperanza spent the entire workshop singing and dancing.

Esperanza with some of the workshop attendees. December 4, 2011 (photo by Stan Peters)

Focusing on alegrías, in just a little over an hour she walked us through all the sections of the palo, we all sang, learned how to give palmas and sing at the same time, and were shown how the dance fits into it all. Esperanza was completely engaging as a teacher. While being a good performer does not automatically translate into being a good teacher, Esperanza proved to be excellent in both aspects.

Those of us who were able to attend her performances, got to experience first hand her amazing artistry. Those of us who were able to attend the workshop were also able to learn from a master in flamenco, someone who proved to be very giving as a teacher and very humble as a person.

Perhaps one of the most memorable moments of the workshop was when Esperanza thanked US for being interested in flamenco and for helping in keeping flamenco alive outside of Spain. The consensus from those who attended the class was that we all wish it could have been longer. But, considering how busy her schedule was, we consider ourselves very lucky to have experienced this opportunity.

Esperanza and Estela. December 4, 2011 (photo by Stan Peters)

For me, as I got to know Esperanza more personally and spend time with her during the course of her week here, I can truly say I met one of the most gifted artists in flamenco, but most importantly, I met one of the most humble, caring and just plain best human beings I have met in a long time. For now, I am staying in close contact with Esperanza and we are already working on her return to the DC area.

[Editor's Note: My thanks again to Estela and Behzad for taking the time to write some commentary for my blog. And of course thanks also to my longtime photographer friend Stan Peters for contributing the photos you see here.]

Café Bonaparte in Georgetown, Washington DC. January 4, 2012

It's 2:30 in the morning on Thursday as I type these words. Last night (Wednesday) I was at Café Bonaparte for the return (yet again) of their popular Flamenco Night featuring guitarist Behzad Habibzai and singer Carlton Ashton. The show has been on and off over the years since as far back as 2004 and has gone through so many different combinations of artists that I've lost track:

• Behzad and Gerard in 2004
• Behzad, Gerard and Miguelito in 2004
• Behzad, Miguelito and Carlton in 2005
• Miguelito, Carlton and Richard in 2005
• Behzad and Carlton in 2008
• Ramin and José in 2009

The above list of combinations is by no means complete. OK…so what's different this time around is that, for the first time ever, there's no Gipsy Kings-style rumba repertoire in the set list—just flamenco palos like farruca, tientos, fandangos de Huelva, soleá por bulerías, guajiras, soleá, alegrías, bulerías etc. You get the idea.

Flamenco Night at Café Bonaparte (1522 Wisconsin Ave NW in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington DC) takes place on the first and third Wednesdays of the month. Behzad and Carlton do three sets starting at around 7:00pm and ending around 10:00pm. Seating is very limited so reservations are a must. Call 202-333-8830.

There almost always are local flamencos in the audience who usually get invited to join in the show which sometimes leads to a juerga afterwards. You never know. Internationally-known artists passing through DC have been known to drop by: dancer Antonio Vargas, singer Jesús Montoya and even percussionist Rubem Dantas!

I took about a 100 photos last night. Here's a random selection to give you an idea of what you missed. Enjoy!

Flamenco Night at Café Bonaparte. January 4, 2012

Flamenco singer Carlton Ashton and guitarist Behzad Habibzai at Café Bonaparte. January 4, 2012.

Carlton. January 4, 2012

Carlton and Behzad. January 4, 2012

Behzad. January 4, 2012

Carlton and Behzad. January 4, 2012

Carlton and Behzad. January 4, 2012

Carlton and Behzad. January 4, 2012

Carlton and Behzad. January 4, 2012

Carlton sometimes gets up to dance a little bit of bulerías during the last set. January 4, 2012

The next "Flamenco Night" at Café Bonaparte will be on Wednesday January 18, 2012. See you there!

Flamenco dancer Sarah Louisa with guitarist Miguelito at Plaza del Sol in Bethesda. December 23, 2011 (photo by Hélène Lozina)

It's 1pm on Wednesday as I type these words. For a change, I'm working on my blog in the upstairs WiFi lounge of the National Portrait Gallery. Unlike Starbucks, my usual "office," there's no coffee here, but at least it is pretty quiet with the added bonus of being surrounded by inspiring art!

So this past Friday was the second time flamenco dancer Sarah Louisa and I performed at the recently opened Plaza del Sol in Bethesda, Maryland. We're loving it so far. The food is pretty good, the staff is friendly and attentive and general manager Gerber González treats us performers like royalty.

Miguelito. December 23, 2011 (photo by Hélène Lozina)

Not going to lie. As expected for a restaurant gig, our stage is rather small. But being the experienced artists we are, Sarah and I are so accustomed to arriving at a venue and adapting quickly to the quirks of the performance space without breaking a sweat. Let's face it. Restaurants and clubs are not theatres by any stretch of the imagination so it's up to us performers to transform our little corner into a stage of some sort.

One thing I noticed on our first night performing here was that the mess of all my electrical cords was exposed for all the world to see. Couldn't help it. I arrived late to the gig and didn't have enough time to set things up as orderly as I would have liked. Not that I'm neat freak or anything, but I'd rather have the audience paying attention to my show and not be distracted by why my stage looks like the chaotic cable octopus of a home theater system!

So the following week as I was rushing out the door on my way to the gig, an idea popped into my head. It occurred to me that I could use my black laundry bag as a backdrop by placing my mixer on top of it letting it drape down from the table and beautifully hide the cable mess. Problem solved! And yeah in case you're wondering, I do toss my laundry bag into the wash too, so it's always clean.

Anyway, that was just a temporary make-shift solution. I'm going to stop by a fabric store later today and buy some black backdrop material to keep handy in my gig bag for the future!

Sarah Louisa. December 23, 2011 (photo by Hélène Lozina)

So about the show itself. The format is one dancer with one guitarist. We perform at about 7:00pm and 8:00pm for about 20-25 minutes each set. Besides the usual Sevillanas and bulerías, Sarah likes to perform soleá and tientos. Anyway, after the holidays are over, we'll start up again on Saturday January 14, 2012 and it will be a weekly show. Very likely, I'll have different dancers alternating from week to week or month to month. Still working out the details.

Not to worry…as January 14th approaches, I will remind you of the date by doing my usual relentless PR on FaceBook, Twitter and my flamenco website etc. So when you get my FaceBook event invitation, it's not that I expect everyone to come. That would be nice if everyone did, but I just don't want my friends to say, "I wish I knew about your show!"

Miguelito. December 23, 2011 (photo by Hélène Lozina)

About the photos: these were shot by a young talented photographer named Hélène Lozina. I met her last week at a rehearsal at Groovetown Studios in Adams-Morgan where she was taking video and photos of us musicians hard-at-work. I approached her about the idea of photographing my flamenco show and she gladly accepted the job. Over the course of the half-hour show, she probably took a few hundred pics of Sarah and I in performance. This is just a small sample of her photographic work. Enjoy!

Miguelito. December 23, 2011 (photo by Hélène Lozina)

Miguelito. December 23, 2011 (photo by Hélène Lozina)

Miguelito. December 23, 2011 (photo by Hélène Lozina)

Sarah Louisa. December 23, 2011 (photo by Hélène Lozina)

Plaza del Sol is located at 4932 St Elmo Ave in Bethesda, Maryland very conveniently located across the street from a parking garage and a 10-minute walk from the Bethesda metro on the Red Line. Call 301-215-4199 to make your reservation. Next show will be on Saturday January 14, 2012.

Dancer Carlos Menchaca in soleá por bulerías. December 3, 2011 (photo by Daniel Martínez)

It's 11am-ish on Monday as I type these words, a little more than a week since I attended the Friday December 2nd world premiere of Edwin Aparicio's "Flamenco Men" at GALA Theatre in Washington DC.

Showcasing an all-male cast is nothing new of course, but it's something that's not done very often. So for someone like me who sees flamenco shows all the time, I'm always in the mood for something a little different.

Aside from the all-male cast, there was no gimmicky storyline or special costuming to tie the show together. Wasn't necessary. It was simply a program featuring soloists who could easily headline a concert on their own. I have to give credit to Edwin for taking that risk. Of course one would want to put together a cast of high-calibre artists for the sake of presenting a high-quality show. At the same time one runs the risk that the guest artists could possibly upstage the star of the show.

The "Flamenco Men" included:

• Edwin Aparicio, the well-known internationally-acclaimed dancer based here in Washington DC
• Sergio Aranda, from Málaga, Spain making his Washington DC debut
• Norberto Chamizo, born in Germany, based in Madrid, Spain. He has performed in DC many times as a guest of Edwin Aparicio
• Carlos Menchaca, from New Mexico where he studied at the Conservatory of Flamenco Arts

The musicians of course were equally outstanding, but I'll mention them at the end. Let's talk about the program...

Dancers Norberto Chamizo and Edwin Aparicio in seguiriyas. December 3, 2011 (photo by Paulo Andrés Montenegro)

The opening number was Jaleos Extremeños with singer Francisco Orozco "El Yiyi" (also accompanying on cajón and djembe), guitarist Richard Marlow and pianist Gonzalo Grau setting the mood before the dancers made their entrance one by one beginning with Carlos and ending with Edwin giving us a little taste of what was to come later in the program for the full-fledged solos. Carlos, the youngest of the guest artists, in particular coaxed gasps of excitement as he beautifully executed three or four (I lost count) consecutive turns called quebradas…dancers please correct me on this terminology.

For Edwin's entrance, we hear singer Amparo Heredia "La Repompilla" for the first time. Not to take away from the raw power and grittiness of Yiyi's voice, but I have to say that La Repompilla could have easily performed without a microphone…yes, that's how powerful she was and even then it seemed she still had more in reserve.

There were many times during the evening when I was so emotionally drawn-in by the music that I found myself watching and intently listening to the musicians as much as I watched the dancers.

Dancer Sergio Aranda in alegrías. December 3, 2011 (photo by Paulo Andrés Montenegro)

Sorry, I'm going to have to stop here. Why? I know personally know most of the artists. And while I enjoyed the show immensely and felt it was one of Edwin's best, my opinion is extremely biased.

So I'm going to leave it up to you my readers to post some comments below. What did you like about the show? What didn't you like?

Dancer Sergio Aranda in alegrías. December 3, 2011 (photo by Paulo Andrés Montenegro)

The program:

• Jaleos Extremeños choreographed by Edwin Aparicio. Danced by the Company
• Soleá por bulerías danced and choreographed by Carlos Menchaca
• Seguiriyas danced and choreographed by Edwin Aparicio and Norberto Chamizo
• Alegrías danced and choreographed by Sergio Aranda
• Soleá danced and choreographed by Norberto Chamizo
• Juanito guitar solo composed by Richard Marlow
• Farruca choreography by Tomás de Madrid, arranged by Edwin Aparicio and Norberto Chamizo Danced by Norberto Chamizo and Carlos Menchaca
• Taranto danced and choreographed by Edwin Aparicio
• Fin de Fiesta danced by the Company

Dancer Norberto Chamizo in soleá. December 3, 2011 (photo by Paulo Andrés Montenegro)

Dancer Edwin Aparicio in taranto. December 3, 2011 (photo by Daniel Martínez)

Dancer Edwin Aparicio. December 3, 2011 (photo by Paulo Andrés Montenegro)

Edwin Aparicio (photo by Paulo Andrés Montenegro)

It's me Miguelito, yet again keeping you up-to-date on what's going on in the DC flamenco scene. However, I failed you my readers. I meant to write an article about Edwin Aparicio's upcoming latest production "Flamenco Men" but just never got around to it—hey, please remember that I don't just write blogs, I'm a busy flamenco guitarist myself! Anywayz, at the very least, here's the press release with some photos to give you an idea of what to expect. "Flamenco Men" opens at GALA Theatre tomorrow Friday December 2, 2011 and continues through Sunday.

From the press release:
GALA's crowd-pleasing and acclaimed flamenco festival is here for its seventh year with Honorary Producers Lynne and Joseph Horning! Fuego Flamenco VII is an exploration of the diversity and depth of flamenco and its contemporary expressions. The festival is made possible with generous support from Lynne and Joseph Horning, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Embassy of Spain in Washington, DC, and Spain’s Ministry of Culture.

The third and final weekend of Fuego Flamenco VII presents the world premiere of "Flamenco Men," choreographed, directed, and performed by Edwin Aparicio with featured artists Sergio Aranda from Málaga, Spain, Norberto Chamizo from Granada, Spain and Carlos Menchaca from San Antonio, Texas. Performances are on Friday, December 2nd and Saturday, December 3rd at 8pm and Sunday, December 4th at 3pm.

"Flamenco Men" explores the masculine energy and style of flamenco and features the unique qualities and stylistic range of the four accomplished flamenco male artists who are featured. With their fiery footwork and muscular grace, Aparicio, Aranda, Chamizo and Menchaca promise to raise the roof at GALA Theatre.

Other artists performing in "Flamenco Men" are singer Amparo Heredia "La Repompilla" from Málaga, Spain; singer Javier Orozco "Yiyi" from Barcelona, Spain; guitarist Richard Marlow from Washington, DC; and cellist Gonzalo Grau from Caracas, Venezuela.

Edwin Aparicio (photo by Paulo Andrés Montenegro)

Edwin Aparicio (Dancer/Choreographer) who is the co-founder and Artistic Manager of GALA's Fuego Flamenco Festival, was featured in Dance Magazine’s annual "25 Artists to Watch" list in 2009 and has been described by critics as "the most amazing dancer seen in years" with his "hellfire footwork." An internationally acclaimed artist, he has shared the stage with renowned dancers such as Carmela Greco, Chuscales, and Silverio Herédia, among others. Mr Aparicio studied flamenco in Spain with La Tati and Tomás de Madrid, and in 2001 made his flamenco debut at Casa Patas in Madrid. He performed with the Washington National Opera under the direction of Plácido Domingo at the Kennedy Center, and with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Marion Alsop. Mr Aparicio toured the United States with Reynaldo Rincón's Romería Flamenca, was the featured artist in 2002 and 2005 at the Chicago Flamenco Festival, and appeared at the 2004 and 2005 Flamenco in the Sun Annual Festival in Miami with renowned artists Belén Maya, Pastora Galván, Pedro Cortés, and José Luís Rodríguez. In 2005, he also performed with "Jóvenes Flamenco" as a soloist and a company member at the Centro Cultural de San Blás in Madrid, and was the choreographer for "Yerma" by Federico García Lorca, GALA's premiere production at its new theater. Mr Aparicio has directed and choreographed for several national productions, including Íntimo with Carmela Greco and Entresueño featuring La Truco. Mr Aparicio is a faculty member of the Washington School of Ballet and regularly conducts flamenco classes throughout the country. He was nominated for the 2010 Metro DC Dance Award for Outstanding Individual Performance.

Sergio Aranda

Sergio Aranda (Dancer) is appearing for the first time in Washington DC. A native of Málaga, Spain, he appeared at the Bienal de Flamenco in a production directed by Paco Mora, at the Cumbre Flamenco Festival in Madrid with El Grillo, and in Dos Generations with Chano Lobato, La Cañeta de Málaga, and El Carrete. He also has toured with María Juncal to Holland and appeared in Málaga en Flamenco Show at the Sadlers Wells Theatre in London.

Norberto Chamizo

Norberto Chamizo (Dancer) has performed as a soloist with the Compañía Flamenca Tomás de Madrid, with which he toured extensively throughout Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and the Baltic States. He also performed in Greece, Italy, Egypt, and Portugal as a soloist with Compañía de Madrid. In 2002, Mr Chamizo formed his own company debuting with Jaleo, his first work as a director and choreographer. Mr Chamizo also has performed at the legendary tablaos Casa Patas with the Carmela Greco and Café de Chinitas with Pepa Carrasco.

Carlos Menchaca

Carlos Menchaca (Dancer) was a member of the Guadalupe Dance Company in San Antonio and has worked with Yjastros: the American Flamenco Repertory Company in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He studied flamenco, Mexican folk and Spanish classical dance in San Antonio. He later studied at the Conservatory of Flamenco Arts in New Mexico, where he is currently an instructor.

"Flamenco Men" is on stage at GALA Theatre, 3333 14th St NW. Single tickets are $30, and Student and Senior Tickets are $18. A Discount Festival Ticket is $50. Press Night for Flamenco Aparicio Dance Company is Saturday, December 3rd. For ticekts call 202-234-7174 or 800-494-8497 or visit www.galatheatre.org.

UPDATE: Here's an article by Doug Rule in MetroWeekly. Flamenco Male Call: Edwin Aparicio puts the focus on men in flamenco.