Japanese flamenco dancer beats Spanish rivals

There were a few red faces at the latest Cante de las Minas Festival of Flamenco in Murcia as Japan’s Junko Hagiwara came first in the female dance section.

The 48-year-old who is married to a Spaniard has been performing professionally for a number of years under the name of ‘La Yunko’ and also teaches in Sevilla.

Not everyone was pleased with the result

It appears that whilst the jury was happy with its decision to name her best dancer, this didn’t go down too well with a section of the audience who were heard booing and jeering as she went to the rostrum to collect her award.

Prestigious festival

Established in 1961, the Cante de las Minas Festival is considered by many as the most prestigious of the numerous flamenco festivals which take place in Spain annually and this is the first time that a foreigner has claimed the accolade, beating a number of Spanish professionals.

Speaking to AFP on the telephone, she commented “When I dance, I don’t think I am a foreigner, that I am Japanese. I don’t think that. It doesn’t occur to me. I am simply on stage, I listen to the guitar, the singing and what I feel I express in my dancing,”

Not an easy transition

It’s not been an easy transition for this Japanese dancer who not only faced opposition from her parents when deciding to travel to Spain to follow her love for the art, but she also had to learn to turn away from the Japanese tradition of hiding her feelings and she has successfully transitioned into a person who projects the passion of flamenco whenever she performs.