Tuesday July 3, 2007

Finally, classes with Juan again today. My voice is still not that strong, but I held back and sang more softly and loved it. Now Freddie is having his class. I love it. The washing machine is chugging eternally with its load of Gypsy colors inside. Juan called our laundry “muy Gitano”. I am washing my purple with white lunares (polka dot) and red trim apron that I keep here in Spain as well as some of our other normal colors.
We are starting to put together a box of heavy things to mail home. Juan leaves for France early Thursday morning, the day of Lakshmi’s concurso. Juan will return about the time we are leaving for Cadiz, on July 8. I’m not sure when we will return home to Sevilla. We also want to visit Keith and Yvonne in Sanlucar (near Chipiona) and David and Clara and Nandi in Jerez. It will depend on how easy it is to travel for us by train.
It’s been very hot outside, but our apartment has good air conditioning and remains cool and pleasant. We ate at la Giganta again tonight. They had both the mussel paté and the lamb we love. Lakshmi is teaching Freddie food words right now. He is improving and the consistency of ongoing classes is good.
Without Pilar’s Bulerías classes I feel that I am really on vacation, even though we had classes with Juan today.

Friday July 6, 2007

Lakshmi danced at the concurso last night. The performance took place in the patio of the Torres Macarena Peña. The night was summer hot and the place was packed. Lakshmi danced second in each set. Each of the three dancers danced twice and brought their own musicians. Lakshmi’s first dance was the Cantiñas she had just learned from Concha the month before. Concha’s son Curro played a wonderful and responsive guitar, Luis did palmas, and the singer El Tañe (tahnyea), from Jerez, was a man Lakshmi had worked with at the Peñas de Guardia and Casa Badia. His singing was inspiring. Lakshmi’s Cantiñas was wonderful and light hearted with many moves that reminded me of Concha. It was amazing how Lakshmi was able to incorporate all of that into her dance so soon!
Lakshmi’s second dance was the Soleá, which she dedicated to
Angelita Vargas, who was sitting in the second row. Lakshmi learned a lot of the Soleá she did from Angelita and loved studying with her. And Angelita loved her dance. Lakshmi wore the new emerald blue silky costume she had just had made. She had picked it up at 6:30 that evening and it looked like she had been born in it, she moved so beautifully in it. The bottom has lots of tiny ruffles. It is exquisite as was Lakshmi’s dance.
Paco, Pilar and Soleá met us there. Jill came and Jennifer and Inca – we had all (including Lakshmi) been together at a little get together to say goodbye to Lucy on Wednesday evening. Lucy will be in France for two weeks so we might not see her before we leave. The other women wanted to see Lakshmi dance, as they had heard about how good she is. Also at the Peña to see Lakshmi were Diana, Delia and Toshi, and many friends from Pilar’s Flamenco class. Ethan came. Our land-mate James’ guitar student Chris was there. He had just landed in Spain and will be here two weeks.
Afterwards, we went home and stopped at Peregil’s bar with Paco and Pilar and Soleá and ate delicious caracoles. Peregil sang for a few minutes. Then we went up to the apartment and Lakshmi came over and we watched the video that Freddie had taped of her dance. It is good. We don’t know when Lakshmi will find out if she made it to the finals, which take place on July 19, Paco’s birthday and the day before we leave.
Also last night I saw Daliris there. She is the person who organizes the Farrucas’ classes, like Cihtli used to do. She told me that Pilar was raving about me, “estaba loca pa’ ti”. That felt so good to hear because I felt the same way about Pilar and her teaching. And Paco keeps complimenting me on dancing with feeling. Lakshmi says she is not surprised. And I know that Juan is always telling me how much he likes my dancing too. I have finally gotten to the age where I have to “do” it now or never, so I just relax and do it. There is no waiting to get better. I am where I am and I am enjoying it. This is one of the good and freeing things about aging. I wish I didn’t have to get old to learn it, but I am grateful for finally getting the chance to learn it! As they say, it’s better late than never.
Our neighbor complained again last night about our noise. The walls here are paper-thin. Voices carry. I try to be so considerate. I get upset when I fail. I went to bed last night about 3:30 AM, my mind racing with good and bad. It was hard to sleep.

Saturday July 7, 2007

I wrote that Lucy and Juan went to France last Thursday. Juan performed in the Festival de Mont de Marsan, a very magical and prestigious festival in France. It seems to be an artist’s favorite. Juan will be home late today. Lucy will go on to another part of France to visit her sister and niece and niece’s son for two weeks. We already miss her!
Tomorrow morning early we catch the train for Cadiz. We’ll probably visit David, Clara and Nandi in Jerez afterwards, so we’ll be out of e-mail contact for about a week. This will probably be the shortest update to date (if I get it out before we leave)!
Cihtli dances in a concurso in Ubrique tonight. She is a finalist and we wish we could go, but Ubrique is hours away and hard to get to by bus. Even if she doesn’t win, it is an honor to be a finalist and we are proud of her.

SPAIN CHRONICLES 2007

May 8 – 13 Writings
May 15 – 22 Writings
May 24 – 31 Writings
May 31 – June 7 Writings
June 11-14 Writings
June 15 – July 2 Writings
July 3 – 7 Writings
July 7 – 24 Writings
Photo Gallery for Spain 2007