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PUBLISHED JANUARY, 2009 |
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Year In ReviewVote for your favorite picture of 2009 By Julie Baggenstoss
Showtime!Mark your calendars for Fronteras 2009. By Julie Baggenstoss
Taking the Bull by the HornsSharing the joy --- and fearlessness --- of recent villancicos experiences at Cuerno Restaurant By Erica Poole
"Cuerno was packed and just as I started to sing my first flamenco song ever, in walked Antonio Hidalgo and the cast from the "Navidad Flamenca" show! They all knew the songs "De Gloria" and "Si para vení a Belén" and sang with me. One of Santana's musicians jumped in to accompany me with percussion. It was magical! Later, I did a second set and again, the cast sang along. Hidalgo danced with AIRE Flamenco performer, Julie Baggenstoss, and Rina Menosky sang her heart out to much acclaim; the crowd loved it! Many [in attendance] were also friends and people who had been to the show, so they sang and played tambourines. It was very nice, lots of fun, and one of my favorite gigs ever! I did not feel alone, as guitarist Jean-Pierre Verbist was sitting right next to me, and he was a sweetheart. My husband, Mark, forgot to put a memory card in the camera… so pictures of me with Hidalgo, my friends, and on stage were lost, yet they're in the 'memory card' in my head!" While reading Wanda's commentary, I literally gasped when I read that Vivo Flamenco Carlota Santana had entered at the very moment that Wanda was about to sing! In my estimation, cante student, Wanda Baker, took a "pasada" past that metallic bull by seizing his left horn "sin temor!" ¡Olé! Who grabbed hold of the right horn on December 14? My colleague, Sonia Johnson, and I did! Sonia wanted it known that we are not professional singers, and that statement was professed to the restaurant patrons before we began to sing. After hearing about what had ensued the week prior, I knew that there was no need to try to recreate what Wanda had experienced. That cante magic was rightly all her own! Do I consider myself a "singer?" No. Seville-born cantaora and metro Atlanta resident, Carmen Deal will never be out of a flamenco job in this city! Personally speaking, my singing does not come from my vocal chords, but rather my gut….the very core of my soul that has something to say but not necessarily via discourse. My fellow cantaora, Sonia, even stated, "This was my first time singing villancicos … both songs were unfamiliar to me, however, I enjoyed every minute!" Author Robin Tottin validates this feeling when he explains that "flamenco communicates strong, uninhibited feeling. Flamencos do not even think of their art as music in our sense, but of its getting through to one. They are not interested in beautiful sounds or movement; strength and force of expression are paramount. The most admired singers have hoarse voices that at moments sound strangled by the violence of emotion. This lilt can sound like a cross between gravel and velvet --- flamencos think of it as metallic ('de cobre')"...copper. Thus, Cuerno's metallic bull and my voice had much in common that night! For Wanda, Sonia, and I not to have tried leading villancicos...well, that just would have been plain "bull!"
Christmas en compásLocal artist reflects on her journey through flamenco as related to the essence of this season By Rebecca Money Johnson
I've been taking flamenco on and off for nearly a decade. Through much practice and determination, I finally feel the thunder and can bring it to every part of my being. I danced a letra today, and it was completely mine…en compás and glorious. Author Madeleine L'Engle might call this accomplishment "The Glorious Impossible." I know that is how I would describe my experience with flamenco. Being ambidextrous hasn't always made learning dance easy. It seems my brain would prefer I pick a side to lean on! But that only means I need to practice more. Work harder. I am determined to feel "The Glorious Impossible." After all, "Impossible," it has been said, is often where any great accomplishment begins. During this season, we think of another "Glorious Impossible" --- the one L'Engle was referencing: the time of year that the world was first given the opportunity to be "en compás." We celebrate the appearance of "God with us," Emmanuel. God became a tangible part of our human experience by sending his son, born of human parents who were roaming from another land, finally arriving in a cattle shed. It is easy to understand why the gypsies could identify with Emmanuel in their Christmas bulerías. Feeling the pull of the compás, moving to it, and feeling the drive to unify singer, dancer, guitarist, percussionist, makes me believe the truth of what was written --- that all creation is groaning for its salvation... it's union...it's final destination. Our destination. Our longing. We long to feel connected to something. I think that longing is natural. That is why feeling "en compás" is such a powerful feeling. I think it reflects the innate desire to be connected to our Creator. That is what Emmanuel means. That is what Christmas "en compás" means to me. That is what life "en compás" means to me. I think that is why I love the poem "La Guitarra" by Federico García Lorca. It speaks so clearly of our collective longing. This longing perhaps recognizes the spiritual gypsy in us, if not the actual. And like the flamencos, we are searching for a better place. We may see glimpses of it now in the form of concepts like home, love, and the act of creating --- each containing some vestige of what is to come…some foreshadowing set in us in the form of a longing, as we often crave ideals that have deep intrinsic meaning, though we remain searching for their origin. For me, flamenco has been a conduit for working through these longings. I feel that in all we do now, we are like Lorca's "hot Southern sand, craving white camellias" --- longing for something more that is not yet fully here. Understanding this journey, the Magi, bearing gold, frankincense, and myrrh, set out to find what they longed for: Emmanuel. I feel my longings bring me to the same destination: en compás....whole...glorious. Back
to Top © jaleolé.com 2008
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The date is set for Fronteras, 2009. The fifth-annual flamenco student expo on the big stage will be held at St. Pius X Catholic High School on Saturday, May 2. Flamenco students from across Atlanta are invited to perform, showcasing talent in dance, singing and music. Watch jaleole.com for more information about this exciting presentation. 
