National Ballet of Japan's Cinderella returns successfully

By Naomi Mori, 06 May 2022

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“complicated footwork, changes of direction... Ono executed them with clarity and poise”

Reviewed at New National Theatre, Tokyo: Opera House, Tokyo on 30 April 2022

Cinderella (Rostislav Zakharov, Sir Frederick Ashton)

National Ballet of Japan

Martin Yates, Conductor

David Walker, Set Designer, Costume Designer

Yuji Sawada, Lighting Designer

Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra

Ayako Ono, Dancer

Yudai Fukuoka, Dancer

Yuri Kimura, Dancer

Haruka Soutome, Dancer

Moeko Iino, Dancer

Risako Ikeda, Dancer

Asako Terada, Dancer

Kosuke Okumura, Dancer

Yu Onodera, Dancer

Yoshito Kinoshita, Dancer

ABT presents the classics with slightly uneven results

Ivy Lin, 25th October

ABT offer some outstanding performances in a classical quadruple bill but there was a lack of confidence and uniformity within the corps de ballet.

***11

National Ballet of Japan revives Ashton's beloved Cinderella

Naomi Mori, 18th October

The National Ballet of Japan gave an excellent rendition of Sir Frederick Ashton's Cinderella, in spite of many new faces and role debuts.

****1

Ashton’s La Fille mal gardée: the most joyous of ballets

Amanda Jennings, 18th October

If you’re in need of a pick-me-up, get thee to the Royal Opera House and see La Fille mal gardée, a gem of a ballet. There’s a long roster of impressive casts to choose from.

****1

The Royal Ballet School: a triumphant display of excellence throughout

Jonathan Gray, 12th July

It was a wonderful, heartening afternoon – it’s no wonder nearly all the 2025 graduates have gained contracts with several major ballet companies.

*****

ABT: Ashton's Sylvia showcases the entire company

Ivy Lin, 10th July

The audience walked out of the theater feeling airborne and filled with the kind of joy you only feel after a truly special performance. Sylvia is an absolute treasure.

*****

Ballet Central at the Linbury: keen to prove its versatility

Deborah Weiss, 17th June

Ballet Central provides an extremely varied programme of new and old, classical and contemporary dance, with plenty of aplomb.

***11

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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