Sincerely,

Lena Jácome

I purchased a package of couscous thinking I could use my microwave to cook in 5 minutes, which is absolutely amazing to me! I got suckered into the package of ‘convenience’. Wow, 5 minutes! Why have I not discovered this sooner. Couscous normally takes me 15-20 minutes to cook at home on a stove top. I blame my purchasing mistake on lack of food and sleep.

Upon arriving to my hotel I plop the concoction into my microwave and a few minutes later, Viola! Mutton dressed as Lamb... The item in my bowl really didn’t look like the couscous I’m familiar with. Then…. yes, that’s right…. It’s then at that moment I looked at the side of the box and read the ingredients… precooked medium gran semolina. Also contains wheat ingredients…. Mutton dressed as Lamb.

No, thank you!

I settled for an Ezekiel tortilla wrap with organic avocado, kale, and Applegate sliced turkey…. a better choice!

Sincerely,

Lena Jácome

Albert Marques & Chris Burton Jácome

From L to R: Albert Marques, Mike Adams, Chris Burton Jácome, Emerson Laffey, Adrian Goldenthal and Me!

Sincerely,

Lena Jácome

Chris Burton Jácome?s song ?Sin Ti? from his latest CD, LEVANTO

WINS the 2012 GRAND PRIZE

in the

John Lennon Songwriting Contest World Category!!!

Please help ?Sin Ti? win the Lennon Award?

That?s right! Chris? song ?Ritmo-Canix? won last year and now ?Sin Ti? is competing in the same online voting process to become the Lennon Award Winner for the John Lennon Songwriting Contest World Music Category 2 years in a row!!! Please vote so Chris can become one of the only artists in the contest?s history to win the category 2 years in a row!

Voting starts Wednesday March 28th, 2012. Please vote once a day starting on March 28th, 2012 and ending on April 27th, 2012!

To vote for ?Sin Ti?, please follow these steps:

1. Visit http://www.jlsc.com/vote.php

2. Scroll down and choose the ?World Category? (lower left)

3. You MUST register your email address (sorry about that!) If you registered and voted last year, it will not make you renew. Please proceed to step #7.

4. They (JLSC and Sonicbids) will send you an email and you must click on the link in that email to start actually voting.

5. That link takes you to the ?Email Address Confirmation? Page

6. IMPORTANT: you must then follow the ?Please click here to continue? link.

7. Choose the appropriate choice from the first drop down list that asks you if you are a songwriter, musician, etc. and SKIP down to choose you are a ?fan of the artist?. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO FILL OUT ANY OF THE ADDRESS INFO.

8. FINALLY: Select ?Chris Burton Jácome ?Sin Ti?? if you feel it is truly the stronger candidate of the two songs.

9. Give yourself a big hug from me, because I am so very thankful for your vote and your efforts!

10. Please repeat steps 1-9 daily until April 27^th, 2012.

www.CBJFlamenco.com

Thank you for your support!

Sincerely,

Lena Jácome

Petite Mort de Jirí Kylián Nederlands Dans Theater parte 2 de 2

Coreografía: Jirí Kylián
Música: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Piano Concerto in A Major -KV 488-, Adagio,Piano Concerto in C Major -KV 467-, Andante)

No Cover. Dancing begins at 8:15pm. Visit Tapa’s Papa Fritas to make reservations!

Sincerely,

Lena Jacome

Sincerely,

Lena Jacome

]]> Mon, 05 Mar 2012 07:54:03 GMT 353128540BFB8E4293FC97F63D65AE2B http://lenajacome.com/blog.cfm?feature=686715&postid=1810600 Lorca in a Green Dress: Intense, Well-Crafted Metadrama from Teatro Bravo! By Julie Peterson Fri., Feb. 24 2012 at 12:00 PM <a href="http://www.lenajacome.com/home.cfm" target="_blank"> courtesy of Teatro Bravo! One of the cool things about Teatro Bravo! is that you can&#8217;t predict what kind of Latino theater they&#8217;re going to give you. It might be a <a href="http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/uponsun/2010/03/curtains_teatro_bravo_presents.php" target="_blank">socially conscious tale of contemporary people, with echoes of older myths; it might be a <a href="http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/jackalope/2010/09/manzi_the_adventures_of_young.php" target="_blank">biography of a public figure, bringing light to obscured corners. It might be a wild, hysterical, subversive <a href="http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2009-05-28/culture/teatro-bravo-s-little-queen-proves-katie-mcfadzen-can-play/" target="_blank">comedy or a revived classic. Or it might be an artsy, dreamy, intriguing spectacle, like Lorca in a Green Dress. This play, by Pulitzer winner <a class="zem_slink" title="Nilo Cruz" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nilo_Cruz" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">Nilo Cruz, places the just-executed <a class="zem_slink" title="Federico García Lorca" href="http://www.last.fm/music/Federico%2BGarc%25C3%25ADa%2BLorca" rel="lastfm" target="_blank">Federico García Lorca in a special kind of Purgatory just for the surrealism-friendly, where other lost souls must work as actors portraying aspects of his personality for 40 days &#8212; a popular period of time in rituals of <a class="zem_slink" title="Roma (Romani subgroup)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roma_%28Romani_subgroup%29" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">Roma people (<a class="zem_slink" title="Romani people" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romani_people" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">Gypsies), whose culture was the focus of much of Lorca&#8217;s artistic output. (That wasn&#8217;t as hard to describe as I&#8217;d feared.) <a name="more"> Since Lorca was a playwright in life, and playing with reality through art often encompasses questions of existence, including the difference between life and death, there are multiple layers of mild but stimulating confusion here, along with the sort of reflexive musing that goes on in plays within plays and writing about writers. Most of the texture, though, is a skillful motif of repetition and variation, with recurring short scenes including the circumstances of Lorca&#8217;s death (which remain unverified) and his favorite memory: a day at the beach with his close friend <a class="zem_slink" title="Salvador Dalí" href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/salvador_dali" rel="rottentomatoes" target="_blank">Salvador Dalí and Dalí&#8217;s sister. Raymond King Shurtz directs with a surprising and engaging physicality, bringing the cast far downstage in the Little Theatre&#8217;s intimate space and stylizing the encounters just enough to remind us that these characters&#8217; relationships aren&#8217;t the kind we have on this plane. The only way to play supernatural characters is as if they are real people, and the performers bring genuine heart to their No Exit-like predicament, alternating among frustration, compassion, and deserved pride in their &#8220;work.&#8221; Raquel García&#8217;s costumes are lovely and evocative. (They also have that inherent Matrixy nature, and when the &#8220;actors&#8221; are &#8220;off duty,&#8221; they strip off bits and pieces the way resting actors do.) Elizabeth Polen, whose character helps &#8220;guard&#8221; the Lorca Room, looks just like a muted Spanish Fascist version of one of these <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qbbr2TzKJFk/ShIvyQzKW4I/AAAAAAAACwU/lSQnBCDjA7g/s400/PB190004.JPG" target="_blank">girl soldiers of Oz. Part of it is her feisty demeanor. The green dress of the title is the frequent garb of Israel Jimenez, who wears it not as a female impersonator but as a version of Lorca who likes to wear a brilliant marabou-trimmed brocade gown with slicked-down hair and sparkly eyeshadow. Jimenez gives both levels of his character a confident seductiveness. The whole cast is compelling and fun, including <a title="Lena Jácome's" href="http://www.lenajacome.com/home.cfm" target="_blank">Lena Jácome&#8217;s mute flamenco dancer and Thomas Johnson as a (man who plays a) youth in knickers. Fernando J. Tesón plays Lorca with Blood, the entity who&#8217;s acknowledged to be the &#8220;real&#8221; Lorca &#8212; although he&#8217;s dead. Tesón has a heavy and complicated line load, but even on opening night he was the master of the goings-on, handling the wildest of symbolic poetry as assuredly as the more straightforward dialogue. The set, designed by Shurtz, is a landscape of isolated details: a series of stained glass panels, a floating, lonely balustrade, and a huge bullring gate, all suspended above the stage and channeling beams of light from time to time. Battered green traveling trunks (Lorca really dug him some green) take the forms they need to &#8212; sometimes as lofty towers of inexorable fate &#8212; and contain what&#8217;s needed at any given moment. Far upstage, beyond a platform that sometimes holds the dancer, a little painting of the gate rests curiously on the wall. Lorca in a Green Dress&#8216; great success is that all these disparate elements don&#8217;t feel disparate at all. They come together to have a deliberate effect (which may vary from one spectator to another) and also honor the brief life of a creative, troubled, and oppressed man, while working a spell of beauty and fascination. Lorca in a Green Dress continues through Saturday, March 3, in the Little Theatre at <a class="zem_slink" title="Phoenix Theatre (London)" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=51.514444,-0.129556&amp;spn=0.01,0.01&amp;q=51.514444,-0.129556%20%28Phoenix%20Theatre%20%28London%29%29&amp;t=h" rel="geolocation" target="_blank">Phoenix Theatre, 100 East McDowell Road. For tickets, $13.50 to $18.50, click <a href="http://tickets.phoenixtheatre.com/single/eventDetail.aspx?p=1876" target="_blank">here or call 602-254-2151. ******* From <a title="Phoenix New Times" href="http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/jackalope/2012/02/lorca_in_a_green_dress_intense.php" target="_blank">Phoenix New Times Sincerely, <a title="Lena Jacome" href="http://www.lenajacome.com/home.cfm" target="_blank">Lena Jacome <a class="zemanta-pixie-a" title="Enhanced by Zemanta" href="http://www.zemanta.com/"> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/lenajacome.wordpress.com/1940/"> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godelicious/lenajacome.wordpress.com/1940/"> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gofacebook/lenajacome.wordpress.com/1940/"> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gotwitter/lenajacome.wordpress.com/1940/"> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gostumble/lenajacome.wordpress.com/1940/"> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godigg/lenajacome.wordpress.com/1940/"> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/goreddit/lenajacome.wordpress.com/1940/"> Lorca in a Green Dress: Intense, Well-Crafted Metadrama from Teatro Bravo!

courtesy of Teatro Bravo!

One of the cool things about Teatro Bravo! is that you can’t predict what kind of Latino theater they’re going to give you. It might be a socially conscious tale of contemporary people, with echoes of older myths; it might be a biography of a public figure, bringing light to obscured corners. It might be a wild, hysterical, subversive comedy or a revived classic. Or it might be an artsy, dreamy, intriguing spectacle, like Lorca in a Green Dress.

This play, by Pulitzer winner Nilo Cruz, places the just-executed Federico García Lorca in a special kind of Purgatory just for the surrealism-friendly, where other lost souls must work as actors portraying aspects of his personality for 40 days — a popular period of time in rituals of Roma people (Gypsies), whose culture was the focus of much of Lorca’s artistic output. (That wasn’t as hard to describe as I’d feared.)

Since Lorca was a playwright in life, and playing with reality through art often encompasses questions of existence, including the difference between life and death, there are multiple layers of mild but stimulating confusion here, along with the sort of reflexive musing that goes on in plays within plays and writing about writers. Most of the texture, though, is a skillful motif of repetition and variation, with recurring short scenes including the circumstances of Lorca’s death (which remain unverified) and his favorite memory: a day at the beach with his close friend Salvador Dalí and Dalí’s sister.

Raymond King Shurtz directs with a surprising and engaging physicality, bringing the cast far downstage in the Little Theatre’s intimate space and stylizing the encounters just enough to remind us that these characters’ relationships aren’t the kind we have on this plane. The only way to play supernatural characters is as if they are real people, and the performers bring genuine heart to their No Exit-like predicament, alternating among frustration, compassion, and deserved pride in their “work.”

Raquel García’s costumes are lovely and evocative. (They also have that inherent Matrixy nature, and when the “actors” are “off duty,” they strip off bits and pieces the way resting actors do.) Elizabeth Polen, whose character helps “guard” the Lorca Room, looks just like a muted Spanish Fascist version of one of these girl soldiers of Oz. Part of it is her feisty demeanor.

The green dress of the title is the frequent garb of Israel Jimenez, who wears it not as a female impersonator but as a version of Lorca who likes to wear a brilliant marabou-trimmed brocade gown with slicked-down hair and sparkly eyeshadow. Jimenez gives both levels of his character a confident seductiveness.

The whole cast is compelling and fun, including Lena Jácome’s mute flamenco dancer and Thomas Johnson as a (man who plays a) youth in knickers. Fernando J. Tesón plays Lorca with Blood, the entity who’s acknowledged to be the “real” Lorca — although he’s dead. Tesón has a heavy and complicated line load, but even on opening night he was the master of the goings-on, handling the wildest of symbolic poetry as assuredly as the more straightforward dialogue.

The set, designed by Shurtz, is a landscape of isolated details: a series of stained glass panels, a floating, lonely balustrade, and a huge bullring gate, all suspended above the stage and channeling beams of light from time to time. Battered green traveling trunks (Lorca really dug him some green) take the forms they need to — sometimes as lofty towers of inexorable fate — and contain what’s needed at any given moment. Far upstage, beyond a platform that sometimes holds the dancer, a little painting of the gate rests curiously on the wall.

Lorca in a Green Dress‘ great success is that all these disparate elements don’t feel disparate at all. They come together to have a deliberate effect (which may vary from one spectator to another) and also honor the brief life of a creative, troubled, and oppressed man, while working a spell of beauty and fascination.

Lorca in a Green Dress continues through Saturday, March 3, in the Little Theatre at Phoenix Theatre, 100 East McDowell Road. For tickets, $13.50 to $18.50, click here or call 602-254-2151.

Artists include: Chris Burton Jácome, Martín Gaxiola, Emerson Laffey, Adrian Goldenthal & Lena Jácome

Concert Details:

Sunday, February 19, 2012

12noon – 2:00pm

$21.00 General Admission

$8.00 Children

Doors open at 11:00am

Open seating

To purchase tickets: www.dbg.org

Sincerely,

Lena Jácome

Photo Courtesy: Sylvia Hardt Photography

I?m so proud to be included with a talented cast of actors in the fabulous theater production of ?Lorca in a Green Dress? presented by Teatro Bravo! The play is based on the life of Federico Garcia Lorca after his assassination, where he finds himself in his own Purgatory Room, facing his own memories, fears, dreams, characters, poetry and questions from his own life. The play’s surreal nature is heightened by the Flamenco Dancer, who moves to the rhythm of her feet.

Performance Dates:
February 16, 17, 18, 24, 25
March 1, 2, 3
7:30pm

Phoenix Little Theatre
100 E. McDowell Road
Phoenix, AZ 85004
(602) 254-2151

Purchase Tickets Here

$18.50, $13.50 for students, seniors and military,
Pay-as-you-can on Preview Night, February 16.

Thank you to both Valentina and Taylor for sharing your Saturday night with CBJ Flamenco and for the photo.

Make sure to visit my website: Lena Jácome for upcoming performances and projects!

]]> Mon, 13 Feb 2012 03:03:09 GMT F82955C75ABA4228A460449E6F177CDF http://lenajacome.com/blog.cfm?feature=686715&postid=1770381 I&#8217;ll be performing tonight and tomorrow night at <a title="Tapa's Papa Fritas" href="http://tapaspapafrita.com/" target="_blank">Tapa&#8217;s Papa Fritas. Tonight, February 10th with flamenco guitarist, <a title="Chris Burton Jacome" href="http://www.chrisburtonjacome.com/fr_home.cfm" target="_blank">Chris Burton Jácome &amp; flamenco dancer, Martin Gaxiola. Tomorrow Night, February 11th I&#8217;ll be performing with Chris Burton Jácome and percussionist, Emerson Laffey. Stop by! No Cover. Music begins at 7:30pm and <a class="zem_slink" title="Flamenco" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flamenco" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">flamenco dancing begins at 8:15pm. <a href="http://www.lenajacome.com/home.cfm" target="_blank"> Sincerely, <a title="Lena Jácome" href="http://www.lenajacome.com/home.cfm" target="_blank">Lena Jácome <a class="zemanta-pixie-a" title="Enhanced by Zemanta" href="http://www.zemanta.com/"> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/lenajacome.wordpress.com/1919/"> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godelicious/lenajacome.wordpress.com/1919/"> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gofacebook/lenajacome.wordpress.com/1919/"> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gotwitter/lenajacome.wordpress.com/1919/"> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gostumble/lenajacome.wordpress.com/1919/"> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godigg/lenajacome.wordpress.com/1919/"> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/goreddit/lenajacome.wordpress.com/1919/"> I’ll be performing tonight and tomorrow night at Tapa’s Papa Fritas. Tonight, February 10th with flamenco guitarist, Chris Burton Jácome & flamenco dancer, Martin Gaxiola. Tomorrow Night, February 11th I’ll be performing with Chris Burton Jácome and percussionist, Emerson Laffey. Stop by! No Cover. Music begins at 7:30pm and flamenco dancing begins at 8:15pm.

Sincerely,

Lena Jácome

Chris with his Coca-Cola.

The sun beating down my face….

This image makes me thirsty. Beautiful area, but very dry. Coconut water became my much needed companion during this trip. This image was taken outside of the hotel.

Sound check. Jason Martinez, Adrian Goldenthal & Chris Burton Jácome

Do you hear anything?…..

Adios Borrego Springs.

Sincerely,

Lena Jácome

Downtown Indianapolis

We got to know Meridan very well. We drove up and down the street several times during our brief stay in Indianapolis.

The Theater.

Bridge.

I was unable to get the entire dinosaur on my phone camera, but I got his foot as we passed the Children’s Museum.

Visiting Indianapolis a week prior to the Super Bowl worked out well for us. Madonna got half-time and the CBJ Flamenco Ensemble got the Pre-Game Show!

The houses on Meridian

More houses on Meridian

The city is filled with canals.

Another canal.

Squirrel! I zoomed in on my phone camera… it didn’t come out too clear, but you get the idea.

Fuzzy photo of me & Chris.

On our way to the airport. I fell asleep but Chris nudged me to take a picture of the city one last time. I opened my eyes briefly, took the shot and fell immediately back to sleep!

Ha!!!! Emerson Laffey & Adrian Goldenthal at the airport. We’re indoors and absolutely freezing!

Sincerely,

Lena Jácome

Martin Gaxiola & Casey Blake

Chicago Baby!!

As I took all these images of the city, my back seat neighbor, Emerson Laffey is giving me the 411 on the architecture, rich history and interesting facts about the city.

Passing Lake Michigan on our way to the hotel.

Just down the street from our hotel.

Brief, but enjoyable time resting in my hotel room. This is a pretty consistent ‘look’ of my shared hotel room with roomy, Casey Blake. Her bed generally looks in order…. mine… not so much!

The dressing room.

Casey at the venue, making sure everything is in order.

With Chris getting a quick bite as the sound is getting set up.

Sound check.

Martin

A much needed dinner and my staple post or pre- performance meal: Steak and eggs

This was Chris’ after performance dinner.

I never saw the sun in Chicago. This photo was taken on our way out the following day. I’m looking forward to seeing much more of Chicago!

Sincerely,

Lena Jácome

The theater.

Chris Burton Jácome

Chris & Meagan Chandler during sound check.

Awww. I love this photo.

In between two beautiful ladies: Flamenco dancer, Julia Chacón and flamenco singer, Meagan Chandler

I love this photo too!

Catching Casey Blake in action.

During the evening concert, held January 24, 2012 at Olney Central College. Sitting with amazing dancers, Martín Gaxiola & Julia Chacón. Performance images courtesy: Kevin Ryden.

Julia dancing her beautiful Soléa.

Pictured with two super-talented musicians: Percussionist, Emerson Laffey and Bassist Adrian Goldenthal.

The beautiful Meagan.

I wish I had performance images of Martin Gaxiola to share. It’s unfortunate that I don’t since he’s such an AMAZING dancer & performer.

Next stop is Chicago!!!

Sincerely,

Lena Jácome

The drive to Lancaster, Ohio. The sun is out!!!!

Brief stop for food before getting on the road again. During this tour I think we accumulated 1700 miles of driving. Sounds like fun….

Adrian Goldenthal & Casey Blake

Chris Burton Jacome, me & Casey Blake. We just found a health food store. We’re so happy!!!

The Theater.

Great photo of Emerson Laffey & Meagan Chandler. Images taken at the restaurant are courtesy: Casey Blake.

Julia Chacon, Casey & Chris.

With Martin Gaxiola enjoying great Mexican Food!!!

Yes!! We were all hungry!

Steak, beans and guacamole. Can’t help but smile!

On the road again. Next stop – Olney, Illinois.

Sincerely,

Lena Jácome

Enjoying the COOL weather!

On our way to the venue. Martin and Casey.

View outside my car window.

Chris Burton Jácome

With good friend and stage manager extraordinaire, Casey Blake.

Dancing the happy dance.

Flamenco dancers, Martin Gaxiola and Julia Chacon.

During tech listening to the beautiful Meagan Chandler.

After the performance.

Sincerely,

Lena Jácome

Photo taken during tech with Adrian Goldenthal & Chris Burton Jacome.

On the road to Culpeper, VA.

On the road.

With flamenco dancer, Julia Chacon.

Sincerely,

Lena Jácome

Friday, February 3, 2012 @ 7:30pm

FREE – Seating is on a first come-first serve basis.

Celebrate the Centennial Anniversary of Arizona with CSO and Flamenco Guitarist Chris Burton Jácome, Native American Flutist Arvel Bird, Composer Frank Darmiento and Chandler Celebration Choir.

The Chandler Symphony Orchestra provides quality symphonic and orchestral music performed by a wide range of volunteer musicians. Musicians from across the Valley of the Sun are led by the esteemed conductor, Jack Herriman. In keeping with the underlying premise of the Symphony, all of the concerts are provided to the public, free of charge. Despite increasing financial pressures, the Chandler Symphony Orchestra is committed to reaching the community with quality orchestral music, regardless of their ability to purchase tickets.

Chandler Center for the Arts

250 N Arizona Avenue

Chandler, AZ 85225

*

Sincerely,

Lena Jácome