National Ballet of Japan has opened its 2024/25 season with Wayne Eagling’s The Sleeping Beauty. This production was created for the company in 2014, and since then revived several times. An unexpected situation happened this time. Yui Yonezawa, the company’s most versatile principal, had to withdraw from the role of Princess Aurora which she was expected to perform for three performances including opening night, due to health reasons. At two of her performances she was replaced by Haruka Sassa, a principal with Staatsballett Berlin. Although Yonezawa withdrew from the leading role, the doctors advised her that she was fit enough to dance the Lilac Fairy, and so she made her debut in the role. The result was a strong opening night performance, with two very fine ballerinas creating a glorious atmosphere on stage, with another very powerful character almost stealing the show, the evil fairy Carabosse.
Eagling’s version opens with Carabosse confronting the Lilac Fairy who descends on stage riding on a chandelier, emphasising the theme of the ballet – the battle between good and evil. This Carabosse is wearing a green/black tutu and dances elaborately en pointe, she rides a huge spider-like vehicle. On opening night, Russian-trained Miho Naotsuka performed dazzling solos and looked as if she had fun on stage as the very wicked, but playful villain. Opposite her, Yonezawa’s Lilac Fairy was breathtaking. She embodied all the virtues, warmth, gentleness, tolerance in the elegant carriage of her arms, effortless movements and subtle bourrées, making us believe that good will triumph over evil.
The Sleeping Beauty has an overly long Prologue with six fairies performing variations, but Sassa’s radiant Aurora in Act 1 was delightful and bursting with youthful energy as the 16-year-old Princess, making it worth the wait. The Rose Adagio is notorious because of its nerve-racking intensity and difficult balances, but Sassa made those balances look easy. Also well-known for her dancing in contemporary works, her entrance solo had spontaneous attack, floating leaps and precise footwork. In the vision scene in the second act, Sassa displayed her excellent musicality and ethereal, lyrical side. Her Prince, Shun Izawa, is the danseur noble of the company, and in the Awakening pas de deux (which is a unique scene in this production) they showed the audience how they slowly fell in love, in the many airy lifts and turns accompanied by the virtuoso Entr'acte violin solo. Their Wedding pas de deux was luxurious, the splendour and glory made the fully packed house marvel. Especially good were Izawa’s bravura leaps in his solo, which showed the beauty of male dancing in an ideal form, and Sassa's modern interpretation of Aurora was a breath of European fresh air.
The company has a new generation of dancers coming in, and some of them along with the younger soloists are being given opportunities. Shunsuke Mizui who has just joined the company was literally flying high as the Blue Bird, his brisé volés and footwork were simply astounding. Yuki Kaminaka who was Hop-o My Thumb nailed multiple gravity-defying leaps and turns perfectly in time with the music, was a show-stopper. The foundations are built on the experienced soloists who maintain the quality of the performance, and I could see the company was on good form.