An Afternoon of Flamenco and Memories: Tanabata Concert
Archive: memories of the concert held on 19 July 2026.
An afternoon of flamenco and memories
On Sunday, 19 July, we held a very special concert at BG Flamenco Academy: the Tanabata Studio Concert.
It was neither a grand theater nor a hall filled with hundreds of people. It was our studio, the place where we work every day, transformed for a few hours into an intimate stage. In a place like this, everything feels closer: the breathing of the dancer, the brush of a shoe, the sound of the guitar, and the singing voice filling every corner.
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The students took the stage
The program brought together several flamenco palos, including jaleo, tarantos, soleá, and alegrías. Each student came to the stage with a different journey behind her. Behind a few minutes of dancing lie classes, corrections, doubts, repetitions, good days, and days when nothing seems to go right.
Performing is about more than remembering choreography. It also means accepting your nerves, looking out at the audience, and trusting all the work you have done. Every time a student steps onto the stage, we see more than a dance piece: we see part of her journey.
Among the performers was Misaka Emi, who danced soleá with vocal accompaniment by Miguel de Badajoz. It was one of those moments when a student's learning meets the experience of an artist who has lived flamenco for many years.
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An almost perfect audience
Our studio cannot accommodate a large audience, and it is precisely that closeness that makes this format special. A small but wonderfully engaged group joined us: they called out encouragement at the right moments, accompanied the performances with rhythmic clapping, respected the silences, and knew when a dancer needed energy and when she needed concentration.
You do not always find an audience like that. Some spectators watch flamenco from the outside, while others, without stepping onto the stage, manage to enter the rhythm of the performance. That afternoon's audience was part of it and helped support the students.
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A visit from Miguel de Badajoz
We were fortunate to welcome flamenco singer Miguel de Badajoz as our guest artist. Miguel treated us to a vidalita and provided vocal accompaniment for Misaka Emi's soleá. His presence brought music, experience, and many memories.
Miguel and I have known each other since my early years living in Japan, when I was beginning to make my way as a flamenco dancer in this country. Since then, we have shared stages and moments that are still vivid in my memory.
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The day I danced in the singer's shoes
Many years ago, we were performing together on a stage. My colleague and friend Miguelón was on guitar, and Miguel de Badajoz was singing for my dancing. In the middle of the performance, the heel of one of my shoes broke off and went flying toward the audience.
Then I heard Miguel's voice behind me: “Come on, come on, let's go! Put my shoes on!” Still singing, he began taking off his own shoes to lend them to me. I put on the singer's shoes and carried on dancing in them.
They were not shoes made for dancing, but at that moment, comfort and perfection were not what mattered. What mattered was keeping the performance going together. That story speaks to something very deep in flamenco: responding, taking care of one another, and carrying on.
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An afternoon brought together by many people
This concert would not have been possible without the students. Thanks to them, we can transform our studio into a stage and continue creating opportunities to learn through real experience.
I also want to thank the audience, who arrived hungry for flamenco, and everyone who joined us through the exclusive livestream for members of our YouTube channel. Their comments in the chat and their constant support were also part of the concert.
The flamenco of that afternoon belonged to everyone who danced, sang, played, helped, clapped, and watched from the audience or through a screen. Perhaps that is the best way to celebrate a concert: understanding that flamenco is something we create together.
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