Flamenco at MAHARAJA Roppongi: An August 2023 Account
On August 21, 2023, a Monday, at the request of the Embassy of Spain, Beni, our teacher, Kurosu, and I, Hideko, performed a flamenco show at the MAHARAJA nightclub in Roppongi, Tokyo. I never imagined we would be dancing there!
The program consisted of a 30-minute flamenco show and a 10-minute flamenco lesson. It seemed that many people were seeing flamenco for the first time: from the moment we appeared, they greeted us with applause and cries of “Wow! You look amazing!” The atmosphere was wonderfully lively. During the short flamenco lesson, everyone was saying, “I want to try! Me too!” So many people gathered at the front that there was not enough room for everyone on the stage. We finished by dancing together using the steps they had learned. It ended with an enthusiastic response! The organizer told us that the participants had thoroughly enjoyed themselves and that some had even been moved to tears by the flamenco.
Although some of the details overlap with what I have already shared, I would like to introduce the impressions written by Kurosu, who is also a teacher.
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【Kurosu’s Impressions】
I had the opportunity to dance in the live performance at the MAHARAJA Roppongi event, for which Beni, our teacher, had received a request through the Embassy of Spain.
It was my first visit to MAHARAJA, a place that defined an era and still retains its sparkle. I was astonished that my first visit would be to dance flamenco!
I saw how enthusiastic the audience was from the very beginning and how they burst into applause when Beni danced.
During Beni’s flamenco lesson at the end, we finished by dancing enthusiastically with the entire audience to “Volare.”
I was so happy that everyone enjoyed themselves!
On a personal level, I received more valuable advice from Beni, and I learned so much from it!
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