Flamenco is an ancient art that not only thrills Spanish people. All over the world the passion that goes beyond the voices, instruments and powerful dancings is appreciated and acknowledged. In Japan they are mad about flamenco. More than 80.000 pupils in about 600 hundred schools learn to sing, play and dance it. But not only there. Many Japanese come to Spain to learn it. And some other who come for different reasons they too get "addicted" to it. In Barcelona there's a school where all pupils are Japanese. They are mostly wives of companies managers who come for busines and stay for periods of one to five years. These women come from their country knowing that they will be welcome in the academy. And since they do not usually work in their new destination they devote their time to learn this difficult art and perform, at the end of the year, in a final show.
Naoko as she poses before the emblematic Agbar Tower in Barcelona
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A group of pupils of Tarantos Artistic Group academy as they rehearse the final show
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Junko Watabe is a teacher at the academy of Tarantos Artistic Group. After having got a degree in Law in Japan and after deciding that she wanted to be a flamenco dancer, in 1987 she got to Spain (to Seville) coming from Utsunomiya, where she was born.
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A group of pupils of Tarantos Artistic Group academy as they practice warming up exercices before starting to dance
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Yuko (at the back), a pupil of Tarantos Artistic Group academy, imitates her teacher Junko movements
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Yuko, a pupil of Tarantos Artistic Group academy, as she has a look at some magazines while her friends try on the costumes they will wea at the final show
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María Dolores (right) gives some retouches to Yuko's dress. Akiko rests laining against de wall
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Sinobu (right) and Aya eat lunch before their flamenco class at Tarantos Artistic Group academy. Junko, the teacher (left) goes on with the classes to another group of girls
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Namiko as she has a look at the flamenco magazine Paseo (Walk), edited in japanese, just before the class begins. This issue central character is flamenco singer Mayte Martín
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A flamenco hat marked with the second name of one of the pupils of the academy is in a bag of Yanko, a Japanese shoes brand
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Shinobu (right), a pupil of Tarantos Artistic Group academy, rehearses the flamenco piece they will dance at the final show
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Junko Watabe is a teacher at the academy of Tarantos Artistic Group. After having got a degree in Law in Japan and after deciding that she wanted to be a flamenco dancer, in 1987 she got to Spain (to Seville) coming from Utsunomiya, where she was born. Sh
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Fans and a castanets bag marked with the second name of one of the pupils
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From left to right: Harumi, Namiko and Yumiko, pupils of Tarantos Artistic Group academy, as they wait for the class to begin
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Harumi, a pupil of Tarantos Artistic Group academy, rehearses the flamenco piece they will dance at the final show
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Harumi downloads some documents in his laptop just before the flamenco class
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Naoko, a pupil of Tarantos Artistic Group academy, as she rehearses
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From left to right: Naoko, Harumi and Yoko, pupils of Tarantos Artistic Group academy, as they rehearse dressed in the long queue dresses they will wear at the final festival
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Yoko (leading), Naoko (right) and Harumi, pupils of Tarantos Artistic Group academy, as they rehearse dressed in the long queue dresses they will wear at the final festival
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A young spectator holds the program of the show, edited in Spanish and Japanese. Japanese who come to live in Spain for business use to have a high economic level and that can be seen in their garments, usually labeled by international designers or firms
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Naoko retouches her lips some minutes before starting the show
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Lan, Naoko's daughter, in a flamenco dress similar to her mother's, as she plays in the stairs before the show
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Naoko rehearses the show while Lan, her daughter, in a flamenco dress, takes a seat to not miss anything
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Nervousness and worries minutes before starting the show
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Mr. Ito, Japanese flamenco guitar player, as he rehearses before the show
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On the stage
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On the stage
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On the stage
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