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Cihtli Ocampo, La Gallardí

 

Cihtli:
I’ve studied with many different teachers. My flamenco training began in New York with Jose Molina, Barbara Romero and Jorge Navarro. They gave me a very strong classical and gypsy base from which to continue my studies. I then went to Madrid where I studied with Cristobal and Manuel Reyes, La China, Maria Magdalena, Belen Maya, and Eva la Yerbabuena. These teachers have all helped me understand the importance of dancing naturally and “a compas.” With them I learned how subtle stylistic changes can dramatically improve or destroy your dancing. In 2000, I went to Seville to study exclusively with the Farruco family. They have been the greatest influence on my dancing up until now. Studying with them is like studying with any great master. They pull the best out of you, break down your insecurities, and challenge what knowledge you think you might already have. With the Farrucos there are three “secrets” to being a good dancer: perfection in technique, a passionate and complete surrender to artistic inspiration, and an unfailing confidence in what you are doing. There is no magic, no shortcuts...it is all a matter of dedication, hard work, and a burning desire to dance, sing or play. The old saying “blood, sweat and tears” comes to mind and I think that is what best describes my past 6 years training with them. This all has come with enormous satisfaction and the tears have been joy, frustration and laughter as well as sorrow. The Farruco family has taught me the meaning of what it is to corporally express an emotion. It is a very intense and enlightening tutelage, which continues to this day.

Cihtli continues:
I have just recently begun to explore my own personal style. Right now I am concentrating less on my dancing and more on my knowledge of cante (flamenco singing). This is fundamental in any dancer’s development, and it seems to be forgotten nowadays. Ethan once put it very well stating that, “the dancer is a visual representation of what is happening in the cante.” I think the true beauty of flamenco is apparent when the singing, the music, and the dancing are all supporting, respecting, and encouraging each other to soar. One could say I am a very personal dancer with a strong “Farruquero” influence who enjoys bringing out the most in the singing and the music with her movements.


Maria Peña

Ethan Margolis

Jason:
And Ethan, how about you?

Ethan:
Wow! I have been very lucky and am very grateful for the teachers I have had. The way I see it, there have been three key phases of study for me since I began to play the guitar. The first and foremost would be the musical teachings I received at home from my father and my younger brother. My brother Dave, a classical guitarist, is 7 years younger than me and began to play the guitar before I did. It was his devotion and his talent that motivated me to pick up the guitar. My father Ken, a rock and blues singer and piano player, has been my most important teacher. He has always taught me the importance of the song within music. From him I learned that unless everything is working in unison and focused towards achieving a common goal, the end product will be chaotic. He taught me not to be too self-absorbed while I played, to know that I am adding an important piece to a complex puzzle. He also taught me to love the human voice. It is the most natural, human instrument in the world. I attribute my love for flamenco cante in large part to my father. Even when I barely understood what the cantaores were singing about, their song attracted me. Everything revolved around it and everyone worked to respect it.

The second phase of my study began while I lived in Ann Arbor, MI in 1997. I saw a Paco de Lucia concert and it absolutely blew my mind. Previously I had only played blues, rock, and punk rock music. Yeah, ha ha...I was and still am a huge fan of old punk bands like the Dead Kennedys, Peter and the Test Tube Babies, the Clash, and early Police. I went out in search for a flamenco teacher and found one man, Jean Agopian. He was an Armenian man who grew up in France and later moved to Detroit, MI with his wife. He taught me various rajeos and scales and gave me the base technique that I needed to really begin playing flamenco. Shortly after meeting Jean, I joined a small dance company in Michigan led by a woman named Maria del Carmen. I first played for dance with her company. I didn’t know what I was doing, but they helped me understand that learning dance accompaniment would be a huge step towards understanding flamenco. At a low moment for me in Michigan, a major step in my development presented itself. A guitar player named Mark Ferguson showed up to teach Spanish at the University of Michigan. He had lived in Jerez various times and also worked and lived in New Mexico and been part of the whole flamenco scene out there. He playing was up to date and he brought a knowledge of cante accompaniment that I had never been witness to in Ohio or Michigan. We became great friends and for two years we worked together exploring flamenco guitar and cante. It is in Michigan where I realized that in order to accompany well I was going to have to learn how to sing....at least a little.

Okay, phase 3 is of course, Spain! I have been so fortunate to have studied with true masters in Andalucía. When I say masters, I don’t mean “guitar heads,” nor solo players. I mean masters of flamenco, people who understand its true essence, its reason for being, and can transmit that to you. When you are in the presence of someone like this, you don’t feel intimidated by them (well, a little bit of course). They transmit their knowledge through making you feel at home, natural, comfortable. As you have coffee with them, the way they move and the humility with which they speak to you makes you understand that flamenco is much bigger, much more noble, and much more loving than most of us have ever thought. It is certainly much more important than a chord on a guitar, fast footwork, or raging vocal scales. It is a history, a way of being, a cultural expression, and an emotional journey through what it is to be human.

The first person I met like this was David Serva. I went to Spain and began studying guitar with him in Seville. I couldn't take that many classes because I was ridiculously broke, but he presented to me what the essence of pure flamenco could offer. He is a very patient teacher and has lived some of the best moments in flamenco. David suggested that I study cante and cante accompaniment with Ines Bacan. As an anecdote, he also introduced me to my girlfriend and companera Cihtli Ocampo. I guess David has been almost like the man navigating my destiny. I don’t know if he even realizes it! Ines was in Seville giving classes and I jumped at the opportunity. When I met Ines, everything changed for me. She was the most humble, soft- spoken woman I had ever met. I remember that I was amazed by how she could be such an incredible artist and be so “normal” at the same time. In an instant all the visions of long hair, gold wearing, mysteriously dangerous flamenco artists disappeared and there was this sweet, simple woman telling me to come to Lebrija and meet her sons who were my age. I could go on for pages about my relationship with the Bacans and what that has done for my playing and my life, but I think you probably get the point. From the great cantaor Bastian Bacan (father of Pedro Bacan) to my best friend Juan Bacan (brother of Ines and Pedro) and Ines’s sons Jose and Pedro (en gloria este) I have learned more about gypsy flamenco than I ever would have dreamed.


Cihtli Ocampo


Antonio Moya

Now comes Antonio Moya, my foremost guitar maestro. My tutelage under Antonio has been the most rewarding period of study for me ever. He is one of the best men I have ever met and has always been concerned for my well being. I think he may have loved me like a nephew before I loved him. It sounds strange, but that is what Antonio is like. He has a huge heart and desire to transmit the art that he loves so much. When he sees someone with a true desire to learn, he identifies with them and cries with them. I have never seen anything like it. With Antonio I have learned what true accompaniment is all about. I have learned to recognize nuances within cante that I didn’t even know existed. Antonio takes these nuances and works to bring them out for the public to hear. His passion for music is absolutely unrivaled and his devotion to supporting the singers from the pueblos (small towns of Andalucía) deserves high recognition.

 

In Seville, I have learned from so many people and they have all been maestros to me. I consider every singer that has repeated a verse to me, every guitarist that has showed me a new chord or a new rhythm, and every bar owner that has invited me to a drink as I played as a teacher of mine. They have all taught me how the system works, what the etiquette is, and what it will take to keep learning. I would like to name one more person that has been very influential as a teacher to me in Seville. He is Tito Juan del Gastor, a true master and teacher. His guitar is known throughout the world, but what many don’t know is how well he sings and dances. Juan loves to spend time with the young aficionados and teach them all how to sing and dance. He speaks of his youth in Moron as a time when everyone sang and danced gypsy, when people were happy with a glass of wine and a rolled cigarette. He has often told me that I should have been born back then because that is where my heart lies. The spirit of the golden age of flamenco lies within Juan and I will never forget all the nights I have spent with him, Luis Pena, Javier Heredia, and El Pola recreating in our own way what those old nights must have been like. ~


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Javier Heredia


Luis Peña