MADRID, Spain -- At a recent flamenco show in downtown Madrid, guitars strumming to furious crescendos and sudden stops, a spectator might have found himself thinking, "Hey, there's a long-haired guy clapping at the back of the stage who looks Japanese. Wait a second, he is Japanese!"
Flamenco is booming in Spain, and it's booming among the Japanese. Many Japanese fall in love with the art at first sight, and spend the best years of their lives trying to master it.
The Japanese onstage was Takamitsu Ishizuka. His role as a meroclapper was no accident, and he can do a lot more than just clap. Besides winning numerous awards in Japan, he earned an honorable mention against the Spanish at a 1999 Madrid singing competition.