The quintet is playing in my living room. They are of course, all nearly professionals, it is unbelievable - so awesome.

I am spoiling my dinner, eating at 7pm. But I ran this afternoon and then danced. And when I got home I discovered I had a sunburn. I am also alternating between a glass of manzanilla and Casera - carbonated lemon drink.

Yesterday I met people - kind of. There was a barbeque and flamenco gathering in the dirt lot outside someone's studio in the complex of rundown buildings where I practice. I don't know, but I judge that for most people, it's not the easiest thing to walk up to a crowd of people you don't know and attempt to hang out, and chat with some of them. I would never, ever do this in Vancouver, but I sauntered up and stood there looking at them. That attempt failed because I'd used up all my nerve just to go nearby and look. But I ended up back there with the help of others. They'd advertised it as something anyone could join, but it was a bunch of amigos, who were the core of the group, playing and taking turns singing bulerias.
I ended up meeting a guy from Chicago who's lived here 10 years and a Japanese guy with whom I had a great discussion. He knows people in Moron - a small town between here and Olvera, with a reputation for its flamenco - for the soul it has, I guess. Tepe (not sure how to write his name) believes, like the purest of the purists, that once a person starts performing flamenco for money, something happens to it. He takes guitar lessons with the nephew of Diego del Gastor, who he sees as being very puro.
I still am not sure where I stand on the subject. I understand most of the views and sympathise with the complaints of the purists, but I do believe in evolution of art forms. Sometimes I think they are just killjoys, and I feel like they ruin everything. But I am starting to believe that what it's really about is the death of a way of life. Then this is the same everywhere in the world - just that it has happened already long ago in most places. What really made sense was when he explained how a theatre company in the States took a particular Native North American tribal dance and performed it on a stage. I think it should be obvious to most people without explanation that it would lose a lot. I would guess it would be near impossible to compare - not that it's not worth doing but it's almost ridiculous to think it could be the same - that kind of a dance came from a certain context, and taken out of it, a lot of meaning/feeling, something intangible, is lost. I believe the problem with flamenco is similar.