Stichprobe: The Tokyo Ballet in Berlin

Nearly a century after ballet was introduced to Japan by Giovanni Vittorio Rossi and 60 years after the first full-length Japanese performance of “Swan Lake“ right after World War II, ballet in Japan today is still flourishing. While top international companies frequently visit Japan, the Tokyo Ballet has displayed a special international presence with a clear professional vision from its foundation in 1964.

Keenly aware of the importance of properly applying authentic methods and style, the company strove to build a direct link with the Russian Ballet and later with those of Western Europe. The success of its 1966 tour of Soviet Russia earned the company the nick-name “Tchaikovsky Memorial.“
Besides its repertoire of classical pieces, the company‘s collaboration with Maurice Béjart since the 1980s has brought it another charac­teristic: it is one of only a few in the world to have seve­ral Béjart masterpieces in its repertoire, including “Bolero“ and original pieces such as “The Kabuki.“ In order to successfully perform Béjart‘s works, the company had to develop good male dancers, which is exceptional in Japan. The repertoire also includes original pieces by choreographers as John ...