National Ballet of Japan's Swan Lake: tragic but mesmerising

National Ballet of Japan in Sir Peter Wright’s Swan Lake

Moeko Iino and Haruka Sootome with Kosuke Okumura in Sir Peter Wright’s Swan Lake

Ayako Ono as Odette and Kosuke Okumura as Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake

Ayako Ono as Odile and Kosuke Okumura as Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake

By Naomi Mori, 10 June 2026

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“the mesmerising corps de ballet of Swans are the artists that deserve the highest praise”

Reviewed at New National Theatre, Tokyo: Opera House, Tokyo on 5 June 2026

Swan Lake (Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov, Sir Peter Wright)

National Ballet of Japan

Paul Murphy, Conductor

Sir Peter Wright, Director

Philip Prowse, Set Designer, Costume Designer

Peter Teigen, Lighting Designer

Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra

Ayako Ono, Dancer

Kosuke Okumura, Dancer

National Ballet of Japan’s Raymonda is a feast of excellent dancing

Naomi Mori, 25th April

National Ballet of Japan’s Raymonda is a gem in the repertoire, despite shortcomings in the plot. Lavish production designs, stunning classical choreography and excellent dancers makes this a ballet lover's heaven.

*****

Acosta's Don Quixote for BRB: polished but not quite enough panache

Jonathan Gray, 23rd April

Carlos Acosta's Don Quixote for Birmingham Royal Ballet returned to Sadler's Wells with polished but low-key interpretations across the board.

***11

Natalia Makarova's La Bayadère: a night to remember in Oslo

Vikki Jane Vile, 17th April

Norwegian National Ballet gives a marvellous rendition of Natalia Makarova's La Bayadère. Opening night in Oslo was a strong argument for its place in any season, displaying ballet escapism at its best.

****1

José Martínez unveils his latest Don Quichotte in Palermo

Vito Lentini, 29th March

José Martínez has envisioned a Don Quichotte that recalls the original 19th century choreography while also acknowledging some of the notable 20th century versions and it's splendid looking.

****1

Dutch National Ballet's reimagined La Bayadère triumphs

Mark Vicente, 26th March

Dutch National Ballet's new production of La Bayadère does away with the ballet’s problematic gestures and movements, allowing the choreography to truly shine.

****1

American Ballet Theatre's double bill is short and sweet in New York

Ivy Lin, 15th March

American Ballet Theatre presents Balanchine's Raymonda: Grand Pas Hongrois and Ratmansky's Firebird which showcases the company well and provides a strong contrast.

****1

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Naomi Mori

Naomi is a blogger living in Tokyo and travels frequently to see ballet. She is a law graduate of Waseda University and a former film publicist, film critic and IT business researcher/strategist. She blogs at La Dolce Vita in Japanese. She tweets about ballet as @naomip_86. and takes ballet class regularly