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
The National Ballet of Japan's Ryuuguu: the Turtle Princess isa ballet aimed at family audiences but adults can also enjoy it as it is a great showcase for Japanese culture with Noh and Kabuki influences and philosophy.
New National Opera sucessfully opened a world premiere production of Georges Bizet’s Carmen, directed by Spanish director Àlex Ollé, a production inspired by Amy Winehouse, a diva of today.
Asami Maki's Raymonda returns to stage after 12 years, and the result was glorious, with excellent interpretation by Yui Yonezawa, Yudai Fukuoka and Masahiro Nakaya.
Roland Petit's Coppélia by The National Ballet of Japan was streamed to more than 30,000 online viewers, entertaining people forced to stay home during the holidays.
New National Theatre Tokyo's gala evening of six works by six pairs of dancers was a brilliant evening showing works from Japan's leading choreographers and dancers.
In the National Ballet of Japan's Sleeping Beauty, the fulfilment and joy of being able to dance was apparent in the whole company and the result was glorious.
New Year Ballet displayed the versatility of the National Ballet of Japan, from the 19th-century classic Paquita, to three works by Japanese choreographers and David Bintley's “Still Life” at the Penguin Café.
National Ballet of Japan's The Nutcracker and the Mouse King conquers the challenge of Wayne Eagling, a flawed but enjoyable production with high quality dancing
National Ballet of Japan marks a triumphant season opening of Don Quixote with new director Miyako Yoshida, the first ballet performance in 8 months with full seating capacity audience and live orchestra. .
The highlight of Hamburg Ballet’s tour in Japan was the gala The World of John Neumeier. It was rather a full length piece following the life and career of Neumeier with his major works performed seamlessly, accompanied by his own narration
The National Ballet of Japan mounted a new production of Peter Darrell’s The Tales of Hoffmann based on the Offenbach's opera. Although no masterpiece, it was an enjoyable evening and the quality of dancing by the four primas, the fascinating new sets and the costumes did entertain the audience a lot.
National Ballet of Japan’s La Bayadère boasts a magnificent corps de ballet, and with prima ballerinas Ayako Ono and Yui Yonezawa as the lead ladies and guest star Vadim Muntagirov as Solor, this highly dramatic and thrilling perfomance of La Bayadère makes for a memorable evening.
National Ballet of Japan created a new version of Sleeping Beauty reimagined by Wayne Eagling. Vadim Muntagirov of Royal Ballet guested, and Yui Yonezawa was Aurora.
NBA Ballet performed Michael Pink’s Dracula for the first time as a Japanese company. With lavishing designs by Lez Brotherston and charismatic performance by Yusuke Onuki, this gothic piece was a perfect entertainment act for Halloween.
Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Damien Jalet's BABEL deals with the issues of globalization and isolation and how people from different cultures coexist. A stunning collaboration between choreography, music and stage design, it is both intellectual and entertaining.
Stars from the Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet perform excerpts of 15 works in Tokyo, showcasing British ballet's rich and exciting repertoire
