LLAMADA -- A CALL TO PLAY, HERE IN JUERGABLOG

I didn't get a chance to write a post last week because I'm swamped with writing final exams and generally scrambling in the end-of-semester crunch at my "real" job teaching human anatomy and human biology. This week doesn't look much more hopeful as far as blog writing goes.

But I would like to send a call -- a llamada -- out to all of my flamenco friends around the world to send me information about upcoming summer shows and workshops, and I will compile everything into a calendar.

And another llamada for any flamencos -- dancers and musicians, amateurs and professionals, aficionados and people who are just discovering flamenco -- who would like to write guest posts on this blog. As a virtual gathering place, I would like for this blog to be about much more than me, but about all of our experiences with flamenco, for it is an astoundingly powerful artform, personal and solitary yet universal at the same time.

One of my anatomy students from Iran mentioned to me that he was intrigued by the name "juergablog," specifically the "juerga" part. He said there is a similar Persian word that describes a gathering of people, a congregation. When I asked him to describe the word a little more, he said the word in Farsi can be pronounced Jirga or Jorge or Jarge, and it meant getting together and throwing a feast, traditionally to show the king the spoils of the hunt. I liked that it can also refer to a group of artists, writers, poets...

A "juerga" in flamenco is definitely a gathering, usually a party, and there always seems to come that point in time when someone opens up with palmas, and then someone starts singing. If there is a guitar anywhere in the vicinity, it makes it way into skilled hands. The spontaneous sharing of music has begun. Dancers dance, take their turns joking around or showing off if a buleria is playing, flirting with each other if it is a sevillanas... if everyone is really lucky, an impromptu solea or siguiriya will erupt. Ah, I just remembered Antonio Vargas pulling me into a siguiriya duet at a juerga in Taos once -- absolutely thrilling.

Some of the most stunning, raw, and genuine moments are shared in these improvised juerga moments. And I would like to somehow translate that energy onto the page here.

At any rate, please, if you have any summer info for me to post, or if you would like to write a post on this blog, comment below or send me an email, facebook message, or text. Let's all sing, dance, play, read, and write together.

Abran las palmas...