BG Flamenco at Aniferia 2023: Two Views of a Siguiriya
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Aniferia Has Come to a Close (Noriko Isoya, company member and performer)
The 11th Aniferia Flamenco Festival, organized by the Flamenco Association and held at Nakano ZERO Hall on March 23–24, 2023, has come to a close. The two days were packed with performances. Part One featured works selected through an open call, with a diverse lineup of professional and amateur performers, while Part Two presented the Association’s production, choreographed and directed by Hiroki Sato. It was wonderful to see veteran teachers, whom we rarely have the opportunity to watch, share the stage with young dancers who are active today. Their performances captivated the audience. The sheer power of the ensemble dances, in particular, left a profound impression on me and touched my heart. At the time, streaming ticket holders were informed that the recording would be available for two weeks starting March 31, 2023. That streaming period has already ended.
We were told that Aniferia was returning after a three-year interruption due to the pandemic, and backstage was full of energy too.
We performed on the first day, March 23, dancing a siguiriya as a group of five women. We had wonderful accompaniment, with Miho on cante and Go (豪) on guitar. Our teacher, Benito García, adapted the choreography for our BG performance. My fellow dancers were friends I had practiced with at the studio for many years. We were able to take the stage with all these wonderful things coming together. As usual, various difficulties arose before the performance, but that made dancing on stage feel all the more rewarding.
Our time limit was seven minutes, and it flew by. Although our preparation time was short, I feel that our bond as fellow dancers grew stronger once again.
Thank you to everyone who bought tickets to attend despite their busy weekday schedules, and to everyone who purchased streaming tickets. We truly appreciate your support.
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I Went to See the BG Dance Company Perform at Aniferia 2023! (Nami Kitamura, company member watching this performance from the audience)
This time, the BG Dance Company performed a siguiriya.
The five dancers appeared to the sound of Miho’s singing. As they began dancing to Go’s (豪) guitar, the atmosphere in the hall changed completely, and in an instant I was transported into the world of flamenco.
The formations changed one after another while conveying the solemn intensity of the siguiriya. Each dancer’s powerful, wholehearted dancing, and even the feeling of their breathing, reached me in the audience. I was captivated from beginning to end.
When the dance ended, a huge round of applause rose from the audience! I understood that feeling completely. I too kept applauding as loudly as I could, hoping my applause would reach the dancers. They were truly wonderful.
The five dancers were magnificent, expressing the flamenco world our teacher Benito García creates so beautifully. I also felt how fortunate we are to learn flamenco from him and from these company members, who are our BG teachers.
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P.S.
During the interval after Part One, while waiting in the restroom queue, I heard someone behind me say, “The siguiriya was so good!” I smiled to myself and thought, “The women who danced that siguiriya are my senior fellow dancers!”
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