新人フラガールが初舞台

Eight new hula girls at Spa Resort Hawaiians, a hot spring facility in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture, made their stage debut on the evening of the 1st. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, this grand performance was one month later than usual. Azumi Shinoda (18), a native of Hitachinaka City, also performed a dazzling dance while watched by her mother, Junko (48), a former hula girl, and other family members. The eight girls joined Tokiwa Kosan, the company that operates Hawaiians, and enrolled in the Tokiwa Music and Dance Academy, a dance training school, as part of its 56th class in April. Despite COVID-19 restrictions and periods of online lessons, they continued to practice hard in preparation for their debut. The girls appeared in five of the 11 performances in the Polynesian Grand Stage's "Soul - Try Try Try" performance. They danced alongside senior dancers, captivating the audience. Shinoda says that when she was in elementary school, she dreamed of becoming a hula girl after seeing a show at Hawaiians. At the ceremony after the performance, Shinoda expressed her determination, saying, "Thanks to the support of so many people, I was able to take the first step toward my dream. I will work hard every day to become an attractive dancer who catches the audience's eye." After her debut, when Shinoda met Junko, tears welled up in their eyes. They exchanged words of encouragement, saying, "It was beautiful," and "Thank you." Junko is a member of the 26th class. "It made me so happy to think that my daughter is standing where I once stood." Since April, Shinoda has supported her by encouraging her almost daily over the phone and sending her meals. He expressed his hope that she "will become a dancer who is loved and supported by everyone." Shinoda said with a beaming smile, "I was worried about when my debut would be, as lessons weren't going as I'd hoped, but I'm so happy that today has come. I hope I can become a solo dancer like my mother." In addition to Shinoda's prefecture, the new hula girls are from Fukushima Prefecture (three), Tokyo (two), Saitama, and Yamaguchi Prefecture (one each). With the debut of the eight girls, the total number of hula girls is now 42. Hawaiians temporarily suspended operations due to the spread of COVID-19, but reopened on July 1st. The show time has been shortened to about 30 minutes, half the usual time, and measures have been taken such as leaving empty seats in the audience seats to maintain distance. (Ohara Eihei)