National Ballet of Japan's Raymonda makes a glorious return to stage

By Naomi Mori, 10 June 2021

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“radiant musicality, crisp turns, lyrical, creamy port de bras and... crystalline elegance”

Reviewed at New National Theatre, Tokyo: Opera House, Tokyo on 5 June 2021

Raymonda (Marius Petipa, Asami Maki)

National Ballet of Japan

Alexei Baklan, Conductor

Asami Maki, Director

Luisa Spinatelli, Set Designer, Costume Designer

Yuji Sawada, Lighting Designer

Yui Yonezawa, Dancer

Yudai Fukuoka, Dancer

Masahiro Nakaya, Dancer

Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra

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

Naomi Mori, 5th June

National Ballet of Japan’s revival of Sir Peter Wright’s Swan Lake showed the company in good form, especially among the unified corps de ballet Swans.

****1

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.

*****

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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