The Royal Ballet will tour to Japan this summer with Romeo and Juliet and Giselle, two iconic productions from the company's repertory. The tour will take in five cities from Thursday 16 June to Wednesday 6 July: Tokyo, Fukuoka, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuyama.
The The Royal Ballet visited Japan for the first time in 1975, but was there three years ago with Christopher Wheeldon's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Of course, the company has many links with the country within its own ranks with Japanese members including First Soloists Ryoichi Hirano, Hikaru Kobayashi and Akane Takada; Soloists Luca Acri and Fumi Kaneko, and Artists Chisato Katsura and Mariko Sasaki, all of whom will be performing during the tour.
Kevin O'Hare, Director of The Royal Ballet said,
Touring to Japan is always a highlight for the company, the audiences are so warm and receptive and I'm delighted that this summer we'll present two masterpieces… showcasing the breadth, artistry and talent of our world-class dancers.
Kenneth MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet will be performed at the Bunka Kaikan Theatre, Tokyo from Thursday 16 June –Sunday 19 June and The Aichi Arts Centre, Nagoya on Friday 3 July. It was last performed in Japan by The Royal Ballet in 2013.
Peter Wright's Giselle will also be performed at the Bunka Kaikan Theatre, Tokyo from Wednesday 22 June – Sunday 26 June, The Sun Palace Hall, Fukuoka on Wednesday 29 June, the Hyogo Performing Arts Center, Osaka on Friday 1 July and the Hall of Art & Culture in Fukuyama on Wednesday 6 July. Giselle was last performed by the company in Japan in 1995.
Tour Dates and Performances
Toyko Bunka Kaikan Theatre, Thursday 16 June- Sunday 19 June
Romeo and Juliet – 16 June 6.30pm / 17 June 1.30pm† & 6.30pm / 18 June 1pm & 6pm / 19 June 1pm
Giselle – 22 June 7pm / 23 June 1.30pm†/ 24 June 7pm / 25 June 2pm / 26 June 2pm
Fukuoka Sun Palace Hall
Giselle – Wednesday 29 June 6.30pm
Hyogo Performing Arts Center
Giselle – Friday 1 July 6.30pm
Aichi Arts Center
Romeo and Juliet – Sunday 3 July 1.30pm
Fukuyama Hall of Art & Culture
Giselle – Wednesday 6 July 6.30pm
Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano') about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.
His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman's Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia' column for Dancing Times magazine.
