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A Flamenco Concert in Matsuzaki
In Matsuzaki, Shizuoka Prefecture,
our flamenco concert came to a close!
“I would love to give something back, through something I can do, to the people of Matsuzaki, a town I love so much, who have always been so kind to me, and bring them some joy.”
Inspired by this wish from Junko-sensei, the concert was arranged in consultation with Beni-sensei and came to a successful close.
Located in Nishi-Izu, Matsuzaki was described in this 2023 article as a small town of around 5,900 people. Blessed with mountains, the sea and a river, it enjoys abundant natural beauty. Flowers decorate every corner of its streets lined with traditional houses. It is a lovely town, true to its motto: “Matsuzaki, a home of flowers and romance.”
That day, we set off for Matsuzaki at 5 a.m. and arrived before midday at Hiromi Dance Studio, which had been lent to us for the concert. With help from the people of Matsuzaki, we prepared the venue together and then began the performance.
Many audience members were seeing flamenco for the first time, so we gave a brief introduction and practised jaleo calls together to help everyone enjoy the performance.
The audience seemed very curious about flamenco, asking questions such as, “What are flamenco shoes like?”
After performing several numbers, we finished the programme with sevillanas. For an encore, we danced together with everyone to “Volare”, a song familiar from beer commercials. The room came alive as we exchanged cries of “Olé!”, bringing the concert to a close.
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Audience Reflections
“That was wonderful!” “We would love to see you again; please come back to Matsuzaki.” “You gave us such a boost.”
“I had no idea flamenco could be so much fun.”
“It made me want to dance too!” said a grandmother in her eighties.
We received so many wonderful comments like these!
They gave us a wonderful boost too!
Thank you so much, from the heart.
The people of Matsuzaki were incredibly warm and welcoming. They put up flyers throughout the town, and many people, including staff at shops we stopped at and people we passed in the street, called out, “We’re coming to see your concert today!”
To everyone in Matsuzaki, thank you so much.
※ Apparently, someone from Nishi-Izu Public Relations happened to take a photo of the three of us and posted it on Facebook.