4 amigos

Care packaged

How much am I loved...let me count thy ways (& say thank you):

1. Peeps from my peeps (& Olive) in LA - so cute Aurora - thank you!

2. My card. Thanks Aurora, Verity, Sarah & my 7-11 boys. They all sent the best well wishes! Teresa & I loved it. The boys were super cute in the card.

3. A real barking dog security guarding thing from my mom - thanks mom I'll try it.

4. A great book from mi hermanita - thanks VT, it looks really good.

5. And BATTER BLASTER - my favorite! Whoever thought of this is a genius...they even remembered the maple syrup. It was such a GREAT surprise.

Bj ha llegado!

After only 4 hours of sleep Teresa & Chusman took me to get BJ from the airport this morning so she's here! While she showers I will post our agenda.

1. SHOPPING

That's it.

Since I've been here I have lost my fashion identity (I'm having a fashion identity crisis so to say - I live in stupid crosstrainers - YUCK!) and I need BJ to help me find it again.

And she says I need a haircut so maybe we do have a numero 2 - HAIRCUT.

Ayer

All of my class with Luisa

USA, France, Spain, Canada, France, France, Switzerland, Spain, Spain & Israel

Then after that most of us (& few more) went for food.

It's a great group of people!

Viva mi VISA!

Officially (& finally!) I get to stay in Spain until 2011.

Presento mi visado!

Mrs. & Mr. T visited

Mrs. & Mr. T came to visit last month - my 1st visitors! And I haven't blogged it because I had to prepare things for the blog - but now it's ready!

Here is the exact list of 'Things to do' my dear friend Mrs. T prepared and sent to me before their arrival:

1) Hang out with Justine! YAY!
2) Size-up Justine's boyfriend
3) Mr.T and I wanted to visit the two UNESCO World heritage sites (alcazar and seville Catherdral)
4) Maybe visit this place La Carboneria. Have you been? I hear mixed reviews.
5) El Garlochi? It's a bar they mentioned on trip advisor
6) see flamenco (I'd love to see you dance. I have never seen you dance!) but i know that might not be possible. If there is flamenco someplace that might be fun.
7) enjoy spanish cuisine. Any recommendations?
8) enjoy spanish libations mmm yes!
9) visit a market (are there any good markets on the weekends?

AND WE ACCOMPLISHED - 1,2,3,4,6,7,8 & 9!

And here are the details & photos:

Numero 1 y 2:

Here we all are - Me, Josh (my boyfriend) and Mr & Mrs T - so clearly we hung out and I think they liked Josh...Mr. T called him my little Antonio Banderas

Numero 3:

Sunday we accomplished both the Alcazar and the Sevilla Catedral.

All of us at the Alcazar

Me & Mrs. T outside the Catedral

Me & Mr. T outside the Alcazar

Numero 4 & 6:

I love La Carboneria so I was so glad we made it there. That was the first time I've been there since I moved here and hopefully not the last...that place is so fun.

Lots of drink specials...

and free flamenco dancing!

LOOK HOW PACKED IT GETS!

Numero 7, 8 & 9:

Lastly, lots of food, drinks (of course - this is Spain!) and a market.

CIEN MONTADITOS - 100 Sandwiches - they loved it!

Their 1st beer.

Tapas!

Raimundo - my favorite restaurant - right by my house.

We had tea & candies at the market.

YEAH!

To MRS. & MR. T - I want to tell you one thing - Gracias por su visita!

My Solea

Today I danced my ass off! The Solea that Rafa taught us is so great. I didn't expect to love it so much, but I do. Estoy loca de contenta that I know a full Solea por bulerias - two letras and then the bulerias ending.

Anahi - I'm going to get the words for us to learn so you can sing it while I dance it...if you want to. I could even teach the dance to you and we could trade off singing and dancing - jajja - if you'll put up with my singing!!!

Anyways, it's really great - I still have a lot to work on - but I felt really good today. On Monday I'm going to try and videotape it with music to show everyone; Monday is when my flamenco exams start...YIKES!

Julie de la Frontera

I don't know if I mentioned it but I'd been at the Flamenco Festival in Jerez de la Frontera the last two weeks, thanks to my friend Julie. This is where I've been seeing all the great flamenco shows. I love Jerez and I love the woman who let me stay with her so I'm going to list the top 10 things about Julie & Jerez that made the last two weeks so great:

1. Julie! She's the best! We danced together when I was a teenager but now she lives in Switzerland so the only time we get to see each other is in Jerez; we've been in Jerez together 3 times now! She's knows a lot of stuff about a lot of flamenco things and she's loving, generous & funny. I'm trying to convince her to start a flamenco blog - AURORA, help me think of a name for Julie's flamenco blog!

2010

2009

2008

2. Jerez reunited me with Julie in 2008. We randomly met on the street after not seeing each other for over a decade...thanks Jerez!

3. Flamenco is a huge part of Jerez (they say flamenco singing started here.) Some of my favorite dancers have come from Jerez like Mercedes Ruiz, Joaquin Grilo & Andres Pena, and I've seen them all dance at the festival. For someone who loves flamenco, Jerez is great place with a great festival.

4. My friend XM! I'm using her initials because I can't spell her name. Julie introduced me to her and she's a salsa/flamenco dancing language genius who loves good food. So Julie, XM & I have a lot of fun together running around meeting all the cute waiters in all the delicious restaurants here.

Thankfully she has already started a blog for me about flamenco - it's called: 'Flamenco tidbits' and it's address is: http://justforjustine.blogspot.com/ (how cute is that?!) Thanks XM!

5. Jerez is famous for Sherry. During the muslim occupation of Iberia the city was called Xeres or Xerez, pronounced 'sherish', and this is where the word 'sherry' comes from. Anyways, there's a white sherry here they call 'fino' and I love it! (Julie introduced me to it.) This is me and XM enjoying our sherries.

6. I got a new pair of pink flamenco shoes from Julie for 25 Euros. They're not actually new but they're new for me. And I bought myself a new pair of dark teal ones - I HAD TO MOM! - they were so pretty.

7. Chiguagua is a Mexican restaurant in Jerez. It's actually sort of Mexican & Spanish fusion and it's really good. Julie, XM & I eat here every time we come to Jerez. BJ, Aurora & Hali all loved it too when they came. This is us at Chiguagua with our friend Carmen:

8. Speaking of Bj & Aurora - my beautiful friends from home - Jerez reminds me of them. We had the best week here last year. We ate great food, we saw great flamenco, we made fabulous memories in the streets with our camera and we met cute boys from famous 80's spanish rock bands. When the taxi was driving me to Julie's apartment, from the train station, I saw the street we took our beatles-like photo at, and all my wonderful memories of them came flooding back to me. It felt like I was being welcomed back by a place that loves me. Here's me, BJ & Aurora outside Chiguagua last year:

9. Chocolate balls - remember these BJ & AURORA?

10. Revuelto de la Flamenca: Julie & I discovered it at a restaurant here. I only ordered it because it's named after my favorite thing. But it turned out to be really good. Julie calls it Spanish comfort food. I have a feeling it's special to that particular restaurant so I think the only time I will ever get to eat it is when I'm with Julie, & in Jerez. But that's also ultimately what adds to making it so special...comfort food with comfort people in comfort places...perfect.

Rafael Campallo

IT WAS BEAUTIFUL! It was just what I needed. Not just because he's my teacher and I've personally grown fond of him but because he's an extremely proficient dancer. He was on stage with HIS SISTER Adella, and 4 other dancers. Their costumes were beautiful and the choreographies were creative. No story connecting everything, no subtext or symbolism - just rhythm, momentum, and emotion. I really wanted a show like this and Rafa's was perfect. Thanks for coming through profesor! Although the critics didn't think it was daring enough - FUCK YOU SENOR CRITIC! You didn't even get Belen...just sit back and enjoy sometimes asshole.

Here the photo from the paper:

Belen Maya

Belen's show was about being a lesbian. Although the review in the paper didn't mention it at all. They didn't mention any sort of gender issue. They said she was brave, but what do they think she was being brave about, I would ask them? For dancing closely with another woman (Olga Pericet, who kicked more butt than Belen), coming out on stage drenched in water, for drenching an expensive bata de cola (which is probably why it didn't fit her properly), using a bata de cola as if it were a burden, then (while dancing with Olga) as if it were a clitoris, pretending her fan was an erect penis and making muscle arms over it, or for wearing a white dress with the back laced up with actual ropes as if she were tied to the man who sang to her? How are they avoiding the subject when it's so obvious?! Are they not mentioning it because they don't think the issues are controversial or because they didn't get it?

This year a lot of the shows have been very subjective & experimental...and now I'm officially tired of them. There is too much acting in my flamenco. Now I just want some beautiful dancing with pretty costumes executed superbly.

Here are photos from the paper:

Belen on the left and Olga on the right - the pink costume is the one that gets drenched at the end.

The whole back of the dress below was laced up with thick ropes. For every show so far the reviews have mentioned the costumes, except this one - WTF?!

Joaquin Grilo

I thought I'd seen the greatest show but now I've seen another one...

Joaquin Grilo's 'Leyenda Personal'

Both he and Andres Marin showcased masterpieces this week. They both produced very personal one-man shows with a lot of drama, skill and art - BUT in two totally different styles. Joaquin walked us through his personal history with flamenco more literally. He was born into it, his frustration with making money at it, his passionate love of it, how it nurtures & comforts him, how the spirit of flamenco moves him, how he creates with it and, ultimately, how thankful he is for all of it. I was really moved by this man...I think I fell in love with him. He manages to be a big, tall, macho, manly-man that is strong & powerful who is also able to show his emotional struggles & vulnerability - it was really moving. He was beautiful. It was great. Here's photos I took of the photos from the paper:

Girly fruit & manly fruit

In spanish, fruit is a feminine word - las frutas - until you dry the fruits!

Then they change & become masculine - los frutos secos!

So many things to remember.

In the words of Gwen Stefani...this sh!@#t is Bananas!

Me dancing before I left

I'm working really hard trying to learn spanish & flamenco and still sometimes I feel like I haven't improved at all. Sometimes I even feel like I'm worse than before I left at both of them. I'm not depressed or anything, I know to keep going forward - work hard and just trust that it's absorbing - but recently I've had these thoughts and sometimes I just feel slow & inadequate. So, when a video of a dance I did back in November showed up a few days ago on facebook, it couldn't have been better timing. The video is fantastic, our class performed beautifully, and it reminded me that I came to Spain with some proficiency and I can only go up (right?!) Also, it reminded me how much fun dancing is - it was almost as much fun to watch!

Anyways, I want to share the video and here it is:

La Macanita

I went to see Maria del Mar Moreno's show and a woman sang 'Adios Tristeza' - one of my favorite songs! I was thinking while I was watching her that she was doing a fantastic job of it & afterwards I found out IT WAS LA MACANITA!!! I feel so lucky to have seen her. Here's the cool photo of the show from the paper the next day:

Andres Marin

THIS WAS BY FAR THE GREATEST SHOW!

Andres Marin is innovative, daring & crazy talented. I thought a riot was going to break out in the audience because his show was so bizzarre! Someone actually yelled out something like, "This is shit!" and the audience erupted with "SHHHHHH!" (Hahaha - I thought I was going to witness another fight at another show!) But he's strong enough of a dancer to carry a distinctly unique show like this.

Andres danced to a xylaphone for his 1st dance. It was like he was dancing out his crazy thoughts.

Then he had a very traditional bulerias with dancer Concha Vargas - who is revered here and considered pure Jerez flamenco. They danced to something that looked like a tuba but smaller - a euphonium. They danced together and it was a frenzy; she always produces a frenzy.

Then - the wildest one! - lit candles came out from both sides of the stage. There was a flamenco guitarist, a drummer like the little drummer boy, a clarinet player and then the euphonium - they were like a parade but standing still. He stepped out wearing white flamenco pants (the kind that ride up real high and have suspender straps attached) and no shirt and, lastly, he wore the Semana Santa penance hat - the one that looks like a dunce cap. He was revealing himself by showing literally more of himself, and he referenced his getting penance for his sins (they wear those kkk looking outfits here during Semana Santa to hide their identities when they ask for penance.) The final thing he did was use crash cymbals while he danced, like those vintage wind up monkeys with cymbals. It was so good. Here's a photo from the show that was in the paper:

As his final act of the whole show he hammered on an anvil and then slowly carried the heavy thing across the stage as the lights faded out.

WOULD YOU BELIEVE HE RECEIVED A STANDING OVATION?! I was so glad but shocked. He is hands down the coolest guy in flamenco.

This show was so artistic - it made you think - and it was extremely personal and revealing. Also it was a gorgeous theatrical show - perfect for a theater of that size. I LOVED IT and Andres Marin remains the most progressive and exciting flamenco dancer of our time...in my humble opinion.

My 1st piece of mail arrived today!

Look what I found in my apartado?!

Inside was this year's official Girls' Club roster!

I was so happy to get it & now it's hanging on my wall.

THANK YOU DYLAN - Auntie Steenie loves it!!!

Maria Bermudez

Maria's show on Tuesday (this is a photo of the photo in the paper) was so different than anything I've seen in Spain. It was sort of a one-woman show - WHICH I'M TOTALLY INTO BECAUSE I WANT TO DO ONE! And, like the one-woman show I want to do, Maria showcased all her talents and literally spoke to her audience. She flamenco danced one song and then she would step up to a microphone at the front of the stage and sing a song. She sang American jazz standards mostly, like "Summertime and the living's easy" and "I put a spell on you". I've known of her since I was 20 & I had no idea she could even sing. And her voice was incredible. I think she could have pursued singing instead of dancing if she'd wanted to. Maria was born in California to Mexican parents and then she married a singer from Jerez (whose band was popular in the 90's I think) and so she'd lived in Spain for a decade or so...maybe longer, I don't really know, but a significant amount of time. So her show was about all of this, about her, who she is - an American, a Chicana and a gypsy. She even sang a song she wrote that was very Mexican-oriented. She included words like 'lowrider', 'tequila', 'chiles' & 'East LA'. And she danced with a huge mariachi hat and a silk shawl that looked like a poncho - it was my favorite number of the night. At the end of it I think her actual husband walked her off the stage with his arm around her waist. They held the hat up to their heads as if they were kissing behind it...it was so adorable. It was a good experience for me to see it and next time I see her I'm going to tell her how much I loved it.

Footnote: As I'm typing this I'm having spanish breakfast as my merienda! Tostada with butter and honey...it's my favorite so far. If they can make their breakfast look like afternoon snacks then my afternoon snacks can be breakfast - hahaha!

Farruquito

I saw him perform yesterday and he was so good (this is a photo of the photo in the paper the next morning.) Only 3 dances and they were great. For the finale they brought up a kid from the audience that looked about 10 years old and exactly like Farruquito. They ended together doing the same choreography - the kid was like Farruquito's Mini-me.

Here's video of him...if you want to see what I saw this is one of the dances he did.

Photos from California in February

Photos this month were so fun!

(You're all so special to me)

Hali turned 21 !!!

At the Fling

Look what someone made for Dee Dee

DISNEYLAND!

Cooking classes

Filipino baby tricks

Happy Birthday Joey!

Auntie Maggie & Uncle Knut

Daddy's shoes

The Quinones Family

Mom & Dad

ahhhh...

Jace & Uncle Roland

Princess #1

Princess #2

Crow with the Lama

Gil's art, obviously

Aurora & Olive

Sleeping Beauty & Snow White love cupcakes

HAHHA!