For a dance-loving country like Japan, every year brings delight in the variety of performances on offer, but the depth and breadth of 2018 on stage has been particularly grand for fans across a wide range of genres and movements.
In January, the New National Theatre, Tokyo (NNTT) offered its traditional New Year Ballet, the 20th anniversary of this special production that starts each year with a homage to dance. For 2018, NNTT featured a special combination of famous excerpts to showcase diversity. Performances included Cesare Pugni's "Pas de quatre," choreographed by English dancer Anton Dolin, Francois Auber's "Grand pas classique" by Russian choreographer Victor Gsovsky and two pieces from American choreographic great George Balanchine with music from Georges Bizet — "Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux" and "Symphony in C."
The end of January offered the perfect chance to start the year with a new perspective as Saitama Arts Theater welcomed Jerome Bel, a French dancer and choreographer noted for his creations of "nondance" with "Gala," an interactive work staged with local performers of all ages, both amateur and professional. According to Bel's website, "Gala" attempts to "open up the theater to those who are never represented there; to ask how art leads us to a common ground." Since its premiere in Brussels in 2015, the production has traveled across 50 countries, and Japanese audiences were charmed by this innovative, interactive production.
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