Hello out there in TV Land...
Regarding Flamenco Dance, Music and Song, I'm back!!!
I attended the University of New Mexico's Flamenco Festival in Albuquerque a couple of weeks ago. They cancelled last year because of monetary reasons. This year they came back strong, so let's hope they made money with the workshops and the shows.
They brought Legendary Flamenco Dancer Manuela Carrasco to head the performances and workshops. I took her workshop. To be in the same room with her was simply awesome. On Stage, she's a menacing powerhouse. Off stage she's as gentle as a lamb! Carmen Amaya was the same way... I've had the honor of seeing and meeting them both! Ole!!!
Manuel Lin~ian, Pilar Ogalla, Andres Pen~a, El Torombo, Rafael De Carmen, La Chata,
Ana Romero... All awesome Flamenco Dancers. Plus great guitarists and singers, all from the Mother Country. It was a great festival, even if it did falter the first two days. I hope they made their expenses. Bringing all that talent from Spain is not an easy thing. You are totally responsible for them, financially and legally.
Show wise, I enjoyed the shows at the initmate theatre at the University Campus rather than the big venue they used for the Saturday nite shows... The Saturday nite shows were just repeats of the solos of the individual artists. Good stuff, but expensive, and you've seen the performance during the week.
In my humble opinion, the Manuel Lin~nian company was the best. Andres Pen~a and Pilar Ogalla, a close second. Manuela Carrasco I would judge to be in third place.. She was awesome, but somehow a tad dated. The other groups were very up to snuff on all the latest Flamenco steps, Music and Singing. Manuela is powerful and an awesome performer, but I expected more from her.
Took her workshop. Simple stuff, but effective. Her daughter helped do the class, so we had some "mother and daughter" moments... LOL.. We, the lowly students just waited them out! I think Manuela was surprised to see that some of us really knew what we were doing!
Also took Rafael De Carmen's class.. He's not a patient teacher, but his material is great if you understand the Flamenco Guitar and Song. He weaves in and out of the 12 beat rhythm of Solea like a basket ball player trying to score... He's awesome... Yes, we do use a twelve beat rhythm!
The problem with some of these teachers from Spain is that they're used to a higher level of Intermediate and advanced students. We're at a lower level here, and when they find that out, they sometimes can't gear down. If they explained the steps in relation to the rhythm correctly, there would be no problems... But in Spain, they just do the steps and you have to catch them or decipher them out on your own!
So, what's happening in Flamenco in L.A.??? Nada... The usual Flamenco at the Usual haunts...But it's good! Well, some of it is... LOL!
So take care out there in TV Land... Gotta watch that bloody Vampire show on HBO! It's awesome... Love the way they click those teeth on and off! They sound like castanets! LOL
