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VARNA, Bulgaria (Kyodo) – The Japanese Haruto Goto received the second prize Sunday at an international ballet competition in Bulgaria considered the "Olympiad Ballet", while three other Japanese dancers won the third place in their respective divisions.
At the last edition of the Varna International Ballet Competition, which began on July 15, Goto, 18, won the junior men's second place, followed by his fellow countryman Itsuki Omori, also 18 years.
For women, 16-year-old Elena Iseki was third in the junior division, while 19-year-old Miyu Takamori also finished third in the senior division.
"I'm just really happy," said Goto after winning the award for the oldest and also one of the most prestigious ballet competitions in the world.
"I thought I should love to dance from the heart, so I tried to have fun talking to my partner," said Goto, who teamed up with Iseki in the final round of the competition.
The two are both enrolled at the Berlin National Ballet School, and they became the first members of the school to win awards at the competition.
Participants in the two-week competition are divided into groups of juniors and seniors according to their age and participate either as a couple or as soloists.
The biennial competition, which began in 1964, has often given the first international recognition to many known dancers, including Japanese dancer Yoko Morishita, who won the first prize in 1974.
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