Latest news with #NationalBalletofJapan
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Who needs the Russians when the Japanese can dance like this?
Three years ago, not long after Russia (re-)invaded Ukraine, I wrote: 'The effective home arrest of Russia's (often touring) Big Two' dance companies – ie the Bolshoi and the Mariinsky – 'has now left a fascinating power vacuum on the international stage, not least in Covent Garden's summer schedules. Who will fill it?' The root cause is miserably ongoing, of course, and yet we do have three very definite answers to date. In 2023, the Australian Ballet visited the Royal Opera House for the first time in 35 years; last August, a few streets away at the Coliseum, the State Ballet of Georgia made its charming UK debut. Now, at Covent Garden, the National Ballet of Japan is here for the very first time. And you know what? They may well be the pick of the visitors so far. The company's Giselle is a complete and particularly beautiful success. On one hand, this perhaps shouldn't come as a complete surprise: western classical ballet has existed in Japan for at least a century, and a great many Japanese-born dancers go on to have illustrious careers in the West. But fair's fair: given that this troupe was founded as recently as 1997, the polish, professionalism and assurance of the production and performance alike are astonishing. So, what is this Giselle actually like? In the extensive programme notes, Miyako Yoshida – a Royal Ballet star from 1995-2010, NBJ's director since 2020, and the show's producer – says: 'I felt drawn to a more traditional approach, but infused it with a sense of Japanese spirit'. Frustratingly, she doesn't elaborate on what the last part means. (An enhanced sense of the proximity between the 'real' and spirit worlds, conceivably?) But traditional, it certainly is. Back in the day, Yoshida danced in Peter Wright's pitch-perfect staging for the Royal Ballet, and that version's heightened aesthetics and complete respect for the 1841 source material clearly got under her skin. Opulently and painstakingly designed by Dick Bird, and with unobtrusive embellishments to the Petipa/Coralli/Perrot choreography by Alastair Marriott – Britons both – this is in fact as 'western' a Giselle as you may ever see, a heartbreaking, almost immersively atmospheric Rhineland ghost story – from Tokyo. Full marks, too for the dancing, across the ranks. Giselle – the dance-obsessed peasant girl in love with Albrecht, an already-betrothed count masquerading as a fellow commoner – is one of the great ballerina roles, and on the opening night Yui Yonezawa made it fly. Intensely musical, and almost impossibly light on her feet, she lends Giselle just the right dash of intensity and fragility, the sense of there being a vulnerable thread just waiting to be fatally unpicked by a lover's betrayal. Her handling of the 'mad scene', in which her jealous would-be paramour Hilarion (Masahiro Nakaya, excellent) unmasks Albrecht and her heart gives out, is marvellously original; her Giselle seems to turn into a wraith before our very eyes, even before the moonlit, magical Act II has begun. She and Shun Izawa's Albrecht – not in quite the same league, but a gutsy, full-blooded interpretation nonetheless – make a convincingly smitten couple in the earthbound Act I. And together they considerably swell the pathos in Act II, when Giselle's ghost, putting love over retribution, sets out to defend her errant ex from an army of 'Wilis', the vengeful spirits of women who were jilted on their wedding days. And what an eye-widening army they are. In the Act I ensembles, on Thursday night, the corps were already displaying a rare cohesiveness; in Act II, they were positively unheimlich. I'm not sure I've ever seen such an utterly uniform, eerily hall-of-mirrors clutch of spectres in any Giselle, such a potent illusion of physical ethereality and subtly martial malevolence. (Incidentally, these oh-so-western wraiths make a beautiful contrast with those of Wimbledon-born Akram Khan's 2016 version for English National Ballet, which he effectively recast as ' yurei ', the lank-haired Japanese phantoms that have haunted many a terrifying movie.) I suppose a cynic might argue that while Wright's Giselle remains a cornerstone of the Royal Ballet's repertory, this is all a bit coals-to-Newcastle. But when those coals are burning this very brightly, you won't hear me complaining.
Kyodo News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Kyodo News
National Ballet of Japan holds 1st overseas show in 16 yrs in London
LONDON - The National Ballet of Japan gave its first overseas performance in 16 years in London on Thursday, with Miyako Yoshida, formerly a principal dancer in the city's Royal Ballet, directing the presentation. The five-show production of "Giselle" also marks the British debut of the dance company under the New National Theatre, Tokyo, as well as the first show it has organized outside the country. The Japanese troupe last performed overseas in 2009, when it appeared in Moscow at the invitation of the Russian government. The opening night was a roaring success, with the over 2,000-strong audience at the 19th century Royal Opera House erupting into rapturous applause as dancers took to the stage for a curtain call. Speaking with Kyodo News after the show, Yoshida said, "The dancers all did really was something special about the atmosphere in the concert hall tonight." "I'm really pleased everyone danced so energetically," she added. Yoshida initially came to study ballet in Britain in 1983 and went on to become the first-ever Japanese principal dancer in the Royal Ballet in 1995. In a media preview showcase on Tuesday, she said of the Japanese ballet founded in 1997, "We are still a young company, so I just want the world to know us." "I hope this performance will become a bridge between the U.K. and Japan." In the lead-up to the sold-out event, the Tokyo-based troupe's visit to Britain has generated significant interest and media attention. Reacting to the performance, a 52-year-old ballet fan from London said, "I think the Japanese ballet dancers are very, very precise. They're so in time it's sort of perfect." "I thought it was beautiful, I thought it was amazing." Principal dancer Yui Yonezawa expressed her happiness at being able to dance in London. The ballerina was hospitalized in the middle of last year before undergoing an eight-hour surgery in November that seemed to leave her hopes of performing in jeopardy. Speaking to journalists, she said, "I cherish even simple moments, and just living in this moment is such a wonderful thing." Yonezawa plays the titular heroine Giselle, a peasant girl who dies after discovering her lover's identity and finds herself in the realm of ghosts.
The Mainichi
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Mainichi
National Ballet of Japan holds 1st overseas show in 16 yrs in London
LONDON (Kyodo) -- The National Ballet of Japan gave its first overseas performance in 16 years in London on Thursday, with Miyako Yoshida, formerly a principal dancer in the city's Royal Ballet, directing the presentation. The five-show production of "Giselle" also marks the British debut of the dance company under the New National Theatre, Tokyo, as well as the first show it has organized outside the country. The Japanese troupe last performed overseas in 2009, when it appeared in Moscow at the invitation of the Russian government. The opening night was a roaring success, with the over 2,000-strong audience at the 19th century Royal Opera House erupting into rapturous applause as dancers took to the stage for a curtain call. Speaking with Kyodo News after the show, Yoshida said, "The dancers all did really was something special about the atmosphere in the concert hall tonight." "I'm really pleased everyone danced so energetically," she added. Yoshida initially came to study ballet in Britain in 1983 and went on to become the first-ever Japanese principal dancer in the Royal Ballet in 1995. In a media preview showcase on Tuesday, she said of the Japanese ballet founded in 1997, "We are still a young company, so I just want the world to know us." "I hope this performance will become a bridge between the U.K. and Japan." In the lead-up to the sold-out event, the Tokyo-based troupe's visit to Britain has generated significant interest and media attention. Reacting to the performance, a 52-year-old ballet fan from London said, "I think the Japanese ballet dancers are very, very precise. They're so in time it's sort of perfect." "I thought it was beautiful, I thought it was amazing." Principal dancer Yui Yonezawa expressed her happiness at being able to dance in London. The ballerina was hospitalized in the middle of last year before undergoing an eight-hour surgery in November that seemed to leave her hopes of performing in jeopardy. Speaking to journalists, she said, "I cherish even simple moments, and just living in this moment is such a wonderful thing." Yonezawa plays the titular heroine Giselle, a peasant girl who dies after discovering her lover's identity and finds herself in the realm of ghosts.
Kuwait Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Kuwait Times
National Ballet of Japan to make UK debut
Dancers from the National Ballet of Japan (from left) Risako Ikeda, Shunsuke MIzui, Yui Yonezawa and Shun Izawa pose on stage with the company's artistic director Miyako Yoshida (center), during a preview rehearsal of the ballet "Giselle" at the Royal Opera House, in central London.--AFP photos The National Ballet of Japan makes its debut at the London Royal Opera House on Thursday, pirouetting into a void left when Russia's Bolshoi Ballet was cancelled over the war in Ukraine. In 2022, the Opera House called off the internationally renowned Moscow-based company's tour and proposed instead to open up their prestigious stage to the Japanese dancers. Founded in 1997, Japan's resident ballet company will perform in London for the first time from Thursday to Sunday. It will perform a production of Giselle, a classic romantic ballet which first premiered in 1841. The production is led by artistic director of the National Ballet of Japan Miyako Yoshida, 59, who was the first Japanese principal dancer at the British ballet institution between 1995 and 2010. Eleven Japanese dancers, including three principal dancers, now perform at the Royal Opera House and make up around 10 percent of the company. Returning to the prestigious stage was not only 'a dream coming true,' but also a lot of 'pressure', Yoshida told AFP. When the Bolshoi's tour was cancelled, director of the Royal Ballet Kevin O'Hare approached his ex-classmate Yoshida to discuss bringing her company to London as a replacement. Japanese ballet dancer Yui Yonezawa as Giselle (left) and Japanese ballet dancer Shun Izawa as Albrecht (right), both from the National Ballet of Japan, perform on stage. Japanese ballet dancer Yui Yonezawa as Giselle (right) and Japanese ballet dancer Shun Izawa as Albrecht (left), both from the National Ballet of Japan, perform on stage. Japanese ballet dancers Risako Ikeda (left) and Shunsuke MIzui (right), both from the National Ballet of Japan, perform on stage. Dancer from the National Ballet of Japan Yui Yonezawa speaks with members of the press during a preview rehearsal of the ballet "Giselle". Aiming for accessibility The ex-ballerina 'never imagined' it would happen 'this quickly', and recalled that scheduling and funding issues had slowed the plans. The chance to perform came 'too soon,' she said. She admitted that the Japanese company, which even though it boasts its capacity to dance a wide repertoire, was perhaps not quite ready to replace one of the oldest and most prestigious ballet companies in the world. The young company put on productions in the US in 2008, and at the Bolshoi Theatre the following year, but this is the first time it will perform a classic Western ballet in Europe. 'I tried to make it easier to understand,' said Yoshida, explaining that 'young people' would not be interested in the ballet 'if it was very old-fashioned'. She wanted to capture the essence of the romantic ballet, which tells a story of forbidden love. Supported by choreographer Alistair Marriott, Yoshida hoped the production would distinguish itself with its pared-back simplicity. For Yoshida, the five London performances aim to 'make the National Ballet of Japan known around the world' and enable its 75 dancers to evolve with other companies from Europe and beyond. 'I want to make the company known worldwide,' she said.--AFP
Japan Today
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Japan Today
National Ballet of Japan to make UK debut
The artistic director wanted to capture the essence of the romantic ballet By Alexandra DEL PERAL The National Ballet of Japan makes its debut at the London Royal Opera House on Thursday, pirouetting into a void left when Russia's Bolshoi Ballet was cancelled over the war in Ukraine. In 2022, the Opera House called off the internationally renowned Moscow-based company's tour and proposed instead to open up their prestigious stage to the Japanese dancers. Founded in 1997, Japan's resident ballet company will perform in London for the first time from Thursday to Sunday. It will perform a production of Giselle, a classic romantic ballet which first premiered in 1841. The production is led by artistic director of the National Ballet of Japan Miyako Yoshida, 59, who was the first Japanese principal dancer at the British ballet institution between 1995 and 2010. Eleven Japanese dancers, including three principal dancers, now perform at the Royal Opera House and make up around 10 percent of the company. Returning to the prestigious stage was not only "a dream coming true," but also a lot of "pressure", Yoshida told AFP. When the Bolshoi's tour was cancelled, director of the Royal Ballet Kevin O'Hare approached his ex-classmate Yoshida to discuss bringing her company to London as a replacement. Aiming for accessibility - The ex-ballerina "never imagined" it would happen "this quickly", and recalled that scheduling and funding issues had slowed the plans. The chance to perform came "too soon," she said. She admitted that the Japanese company, which even though it boasts its capacity to dance a wide repertoire, was perhaps not quite ready to replace one of the oldest and most prestigious ballet companies in the world. The young company put on productions in the US in 2008, and at the Bolshoi Theatre the following year, but this is the first time it will perform a classic Western ballet in Europe. "I tried to make it more easy to understand," said Yoshida, explaining that "young people" would not be interested in the ballet "if it was very old-fashioned". She wanted to capture the essence of the romantic ballet, which tells a story of forbidden love. Supported by choreographer Alistair Marriott, Yoshida hoped the production would distinguish itself with its pared-back simplicity. For Yoshida, the five London performances aim to "make the National Ballet of Japan known around the world" and enable its 75 dancers to evolve with other companies from Europe and beyond. "I want to make the company known worldwide," she said. © 2025 AFP
