♦ Location: Tokyo – Japan
♦ Artistic Director: Miyako Yoshida
♦ Affiliated School: New National Theatre Ballet School
♦ Founded in 1997
National Ballet of Japan 2024-2025 Season
The recently announced National Ballet of Japan 2024-2025 season, titled “With a Sense of Adventure”, will feature several world and company premieres as well as full-length classical ballet favorites.
This season will also mark the UK debut of National Ballet of Japan at the Royal Opera House in London, where they will give five performances of Artistic Director (and former Principal Dancer of The Royal Ballet), Miyako Yoshida’s production of Giselle. For this production, which premiered in 2022, Yoshida, together with British choreographer Alastair Marriot, who had a long time successful career at The Royal Ballet, worked to recreate one of the most enduring masterpieces of 19th century romantic ballet. One of the major highlights is the set design by Dick Bird inspired by Lithuania’s Hill of Crosses, showcasing a blend of Christianity and indigenous cultures.
Opening the season is Wayne Eagling’s production of The Sleeping Beauty which maintains a classical style while also employing modern sensibilities. It features sophisticated, colorful costumes by Toer van Schayk and set design by Kawaguchi Naoji.
DANCE to the Future is a program featuring selected world premiere contemporary works from the National Ballet of Japan Choreographic Group whose objective is to nurture choreographers from within the company. Former dancer of the Nederlands Dans Theater Kenta Kojiri will serve as this year’s advisor, developing his pioneering, futuristic choreography with the dancers.
This version of The Nutcracker that National Ballet of Japan performs premiered in 2017 and is full of the most famous snow scene and flower waltz, grand pas de deux, and divertissements of the second act, all set to Tchaikovsky’s unmistakeable score.
Curated in order to showcase the company’s versatility, the Ballet Coffret program features two company premieres – Harald Lander’s Etudes and William Forsythe’s The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude – as well as Michel Fokine’s The Firebird, which returns after 12 years.
Closing the season at New National Theatre Tokyo is Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, based on the surreal story by the famous British author Lewis Carroll. The creative team who worked alongside choreographer Christopher Wheeldon includes film and television music composer Joby Talbot, and multiple award-winning designer, Bob Crowley.
Source: National Ballet of Japan
National Ballet of Japan Upcoming Performances
National Ballet of Japan: The Sleeping Beauty
National Ballet of Japan: DANCE to the Future
National Ballet of Japan: The Nutcracker and the Mouse King
National Ballet of Japan: Ballet Coffret
National Ballet of Japan: Giselle
National Ballet of Japan: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
National Ballet of Japan: Giselle
National Ballet of Japan Reviews
National Ballet of Japan News and Features
