The Sleeping Beauty is a staple of major classical troupes. Despite being an expensive ballet to stage, it is amongst those productions that ensure box office safety and keep dancers well drilled. It demands not only starry leads but a strong supporting cast to carry through endless variations and character roles like Carabosse and the [...]
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Ballet Around the World
Although Vancouver Opera has recently developed and published an excellent series of Opera Manga, in the West the concept of opera and ballet in comic books still sounds very niche. But in Japan, Ballet Manga is very much part of the cultural mainstream. Publications like Kyoko Ariyoshi’s “Swan” or Ryoko Yamagishi’s “Arabesque” have been around [...]
The Japanese are well-known for their quirky and unique fashion sense. When in Tokyo, fashionista types head straight to the Harajuku area for inspiration, but in truth ideas for one’s lookbooks can be found anywhere in town, including ballet outings. At the Royal Opera House in London clothes typically range anywhere from the ultra formal [...]
With this current series of articles about ballet in Japan we have attempted to show the extent of ballet’s popularity in the East. Thanks to my lucky stars, I was able to witness it all first hand as I joined the Japanese fans in the Royal Ballet’s inaugural evening performance of La Fille Mal Gardée. [...]
During my session with The Tokyo Ballet in rehearsal for the upcoming European tour, I had the pleasure of meeting Aya Takagi, one of their soloists. I had seen Aya rehearsing for Béjart’s Don Giovanni and was very impressed with her jump and athleticism. Given the opportunity and the fact that she spoke perfect English, [...]
