Never say never - Celebrating our artistic journey with Poplar Union
25 May 2025
Started in July 2023, we are now ‘having a break’ from ‘Flamenco and Spanish Music’ events at Poplar Union.
On our ‘last’ day of 15th May, Maria de Huelva, our singer as well as multi-instrumentalist, was unfortunately away in Spain. Without her, l presented the evening as dance workshops, instead of a live show which was what we would normally do, so that everyone could stand up and participate. Our last ‘fiesta’ coincided with a birthday party of one of the attendees. Thanks to her and her cheerful gang, we all had fun dancing together to wrap up our journey.
I truly appreciate Poplar Union for their generosity and kindness to host us for almost two years - it was quite a large amount of time, considering the hardship the cultural sector in general has currently been through. I feel obliged that they guarded our artistic fort as long as they literally could.
It was my first experience of working for a publicly funded organisation. Naturally community-orientated, it was totally different from providing entertainment at a commercial venue for a profit-making purpose. We tried to be beneficial to their communal creativity and wellbeing through the power of Spanish music. Hopefully, our inner growth as artists resonated with whoever came, and we would be more than happy if we could have contributed to their communal growth to a certain degree.
It was not only challenging but also an educational experience for me, offering Spanish entertainment to the local community in East London regularly. Initially launched as weekly gigs, it required a certain level of dedication and commitment. Unsurprisingly, not everything went well - I occasionally faced a few bitter moments too. Overall, however, most of our attendees were sweet and supportive. Every time there was something different, insightful and inspiring for me. I cherish every single moment and experience gained there.
Transforming the format from weekly to by-weekly, monthly, moving from Tuesday to Thursday, then adding flamenco dance classes, we managed the events flexibly with attentive help from the friendly Poplar Union staff and their open-hearted trust in us. At first I had a fear and self-doubt of hosting such events under my own name, including giving a speech in public, but I am glad to have made the right decision to go ahead. I have learnt a lot to grow as a person as well as an artist (I hope!).
Throughout the journey, I also discovered a joy in teaching. I felt touched receiving quite a few positive comments about my classes. Many thanks to all the students who came to share their time with me and danced together.
I feel so grateful for everyone who came at least once, either as part of an audience to enjoy our live shows, as students to participate in my workshops or classes, or as aspiring musicians to practise their skills on our stage. Some made themselves repeaters, which was so touching.
Many thanks to Lucia Caruso and Rowena Ritchie, who both brought their dance students respectively, and of course their students who enhanced the liveliness of the evening with their lovely performances. Also, special thanks to Adrián Solá and Fernan' de Tottenham for covering Maria’s occasional absence, providing professional flamenco music entertainment on her behalf.
I am sincerely indebted to the one and only Maria de Huelva who helped me to create a vibrant atmosphere every time with her artistry, warm personality as well as incredible communication skills. Thank you so much Maria, I hope we can work on more projects together.
Last but not least, my heartfelt appreciation to Mike Whyte, aka Mykadelica, for supporting the event with his inspirational Spanish music DJ, of which Maria was also impressed, and among all, for discovering Poplar Union as a potential artistic hub for me. Yes I fell in love with the venue, hence the adventure started. I couldn’t have done it without you!
Our journey with Poplar Union is now on hold, but hopefully, the halt is only temporary. We hope to be back sooner than we think, when social appreciation for the cultural sector is recovered. Never say never!
Thank you very much everyone, and please stay connected for our next chapter.
The friendly person in the friendly place - Maria de Huelva and our ‘Flamenco Tuesday’
