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"Playing With the World" at the Closing Ceremony (February 23)
How many of you remember the yukinko ("snow sprites")? They're the kids who danced in old-fashioned straw snow coats at the Opening Ceremony an February 7. Two students from Shinonoi Nishi Middle School got to perform as yukinko: Masami Meguro and Serina Saito, two little, adorable girls. Actually, being small was one requirement for becoming a yukinko dancer!I had planned to interview the two of them the day after they had performed again in the Closing Ceremony on February 22. But Serina stayed home from school with a cold. She must have been exhausted after her performance! Masami said that during the final dance of the ceremony, a woman from the U.S. team asked her to get in a picture they were taking. Masami didn't understand the English too well, but another person nearby who spoke Japanese helped her out, and the photo was taken.
Everything that happened at the Closing Ceremony was fun, though--even trying to figure out what the woman was saying to her. Masami said that she really enjoyed dancing together with the foreign athletes at the Ceremony, because it felt like she was "playing with the entire world." If the Olympics are ever held in Nagano again, she definitely wants to be a part of the Games. (Shinonoi Nishi Middle School: Machiko Nakagawa)
Masami with a couple of "demons": Everyone was having fun!
Yukinko dancers pose in front of the stadium for the Closing Ceremony.