A GUIDEPOST REPRINT: “La Chunga: A new Beginning”, 19 June 1970 »
La Chunga went through a period when the purity of her dance was seriously threatened by the criticisms of those who wanted her to be more “sophisticated”. Came the dance lessons, arrangements, costumes and make-up came. Each one marked the threat of a gradual transformation into a good but no longer “different” bailaora. . . Chunga has recently “re-appeared” at the newly inaugurated Café de Chinitas. For many who have seen her dancing there in the past two weeks, La Chunga seems to be bringing back to life the legend that once made her the hope of flamenco purists.
A GUIDEPOST REPRINT: “When Mao Flu Hit the Office,” 13 February 1970 »
Every year those little germs that travel across the Asian and European continents from the east seem to take a stronger hold. During this last epidemic homes and businesses were very severely affected and in one office 40% of the bilingual secretaries were sick, including the telex and switchboard operators. After several years’ experience in Madrid as a top executive secretary, Yvonne Monroe decided to fill one of Madrid´s gaps—the temporary secretarial agency, and three years ago StenoServices was born. London, New York and Paris have been served by these bureaux for a long time now, but in the Spanish capital this was a new venture.
FLAMENCO AND JAMON SERRANO AT CORRAL DE LA MORERIA: THE WAY TO SENSATIONAL SUCCESS »
Flamenco and Jamón Serrano were combined in an unbeatable setting. The reason? To promote flamenco, an extraordinary art and UNESCO's Intangible Heritage of Humanity. Flamenco greats and students from all over Spain and abroad made the event an affair to beat other events.
FROM EL CIGALA AL CIELO »
The Guidepost Galloping Gourmets ride again--on the back of El Cigala. They fared "sumptuously" but you've got to see it for yourself!
FROM BASQUIAT TO BOQUERONES »
There's an excellent exhibit of graffiti artist-turned-mainstream-painter, Jean Michel Basquiat, in downtown Manhattan. The artist died at 28 of an overdose; his works are sobering. It would have been a hard transition from this intense show to our ultimate destination, the Little Spain eatery, (thought-provoking art makes us hungry), but the High Line was nearby. Little Spain has a magnificent selection of Spanish food. The diner prides itself on being purely Spanish but the Latin-American waiter did not know what a "pincho" was and they played Mexican music. Small complaints. We enjoyed every morsel, raised our "thimbles" and toasted Basquiat!
CANTE & GUITARRA BY DEGREES: Spotlight on Two Up-and-Coming Flamenco Artists »
The lives of López and Gonzalez converged in 2016 when they met at a gig to see artists they knew. Talk led to talk to exchanging phone numbers, to becoming a couple. A year later, they entered the Conservatorio Superior de Música Rafael Orozco de Cordóba, the first city in Spain to offer a degree in flamenco. López, 26, is the only person from Guadalajara and Castille-La Mancha with a Grado en Cante Flamenco degree. González is probably the only one or one of the few American passport holders with a degree in flamenco guitar.
A GUIDEPOST REPRINT: “The Renaissance Quartet — Middle Ages Music Re-Created”, 11 December 1970 »
Could you believe it? "The organ grinder and light operas called zarzuelas are considered quaint among Madrid’s young sophisticates." And that's supposed to be a sign that "Madrid is rapidly becoming as culturally cosmopolitan as other great European cities" and that the nation's capital is "certainly musically coming of age." That, at least, is what Guidepost had observed on 11 December 1970.
JESUS CARMONA, A TWO-PART STORY. Part 2: Carmona Takes a Giant Leap »
Carmona's "Salto" is a leap into a new model for the creation of dance shows. One with strong overtones of social commitment. It is equally a leap that takes Spanish culture to new heights, giving it an unquestionably global dimension.
A GUIDEPOST REPRINT: “Sevilla: A Must in Spring,” 13 April 1984 (Part 2) »
“Quien no ha visto Sevilla, no ha visto maravilla” (He who hasn’t seen Seville, hasn’t seen a wonder), and truer words were never spoken
A GUIDEPOST REPRINT: “SEVILLA: A MUST IN SPRING”, 13 April 1984 (Part 1) »
Seville is the most Spanish of this country’s cities: passionate gypsy ladies and their bullfighting beaus, orange blossom scented nights, the grandeur of the old Moorish buildings, blood red vino and airy patios so thick with bougainvillea and roses that they make the Garden of Eden look like a vacant lot in Houston during high summer. And the best time to witness this beauty is during the Feria de Abril or the April Fair when for a week the city becomes magic.
