New National Theater Ballet Company
The New National Theater Ballet Company, together with the New National Theater, was founded in 1997 under the artistic director Shimada Hiroshi.
It has a wide repertory ranging from classical works including "Swan Lake" to 20th-century masterpieces by Ashton, Balansin and other choreographers, as well as works by contemporary choreographers such as Aifman, Duato and Serp. In addition, they are also appointing new choreographers around the world and trying to reformat the New National Theater original and ballet, he has also created original colors as a ballet group.
In 2004 he received the Asahi Performing Arts Award in "Lymonda".
In 2008, he debuted overseas at the Kennedy Center in the USA and in the next year they were invited to the Moscow Bolshoi Theater and performed a choreographer Maki Usa Choreography "Tsubaki Hime". Particularly beautiful Cole de ballet was acclaimed with the soloists and gained high international attention and appreciation.
During the performance of "Carmina Burana" in 2005, he was a choreographer of contemporary Britain and established a strong relationship of trust with artistic director David Bintley of Birmingham, Royal Ballet, UK.
The ballet group raised the theme of "A New Direction" and expanded the range of modern repertoire. In 2011, they performed the world premiere of the new act full ballet ballet "The Prince of Pagoda" with Bintre choreography, the "Prince of Pagoda" was invited as guest and principal of this ballet group Ono Ayako and Fukuoka Yuu Uni in the UK Birmingham / Ballet, It was highly appreciated.
In September 2014, the Ballet Company welcomed Ohara Nagako as an artistic director and has performed orthodox classical and ballet works that can be said to be the characteristics of the Ballet Company at a higher standard than ever before and the popularity has been well received.
Ikeda Risako(ballet) was born in Tokyo. She trained at the Ballet Studio Duo under TANAKA Yoko. She won the Bronze medal in the New York City Finals at the Youth America Grand Prix (Senior Level) in 2009. She studied at the Hungarian National Ballet School scholarship from 2010 to 2011. After her career with K-Ballet Company, she joined the National Ballet of Japan as Soloist in 2016. She made her debut as the leading role in "Cinderella", and has danced principal roles in "Coppélia", ”Sleeping Beauty" and "Nutcracker".
Repertoire with NBJ includes
Wayne Eagling's production: The Sleeping Beauty (Princess Aurora)
Konstantin Sergeyev's production: Giselle (Peasant pas des deux)
Frederick Ashton: Cinderella (title role)
Roland Petit: Coppélia (Swanilda)
Ogura Sachiko: Snow White (title role)
The New National Theatre, Tokyo (NNTT) (新国立劇場 Shin Kokuritsu Gekijō) is Japan's first and foremost national theatre for the performing arts, including opera, ballet, contemporary dance and drama. It is located in the Shinjuku area of Tokyo. The centre has been praised for its architecture and state-of-the-art modern theatre facilities, which are considered among the best in the world. In 2007, the NNTT was branded with the advertising slogan: Opera Palace, Tokyo.
The construction of the NNTT was completed in February 1997, with the Tokyo Opera City Tower connected to the theatre. Its first public performances took place in October of that year.
Besides the public performances, various enterprises are undertaken, such as the young artist training programs (for ballet, opera, and theatre), theatre rental for other performing arts groups, performing arts-related exhibitions, public usage of its video library and book library, public performances for children and young students, backstage tours, and most importantly, international exchanges for performing arts events, etc. Moreover, The Stage Set & Design Centre (located in Choshi city, Chiba Prefecture), stores and exhibits previously-used stage scenery and costumes.
The arts management of NNTT, including the enterprises in above, is commissioned to New National Theatre Foundation (NNTF) from the independent administrative institution, known as The Japan Arts Council. NNTT is managed by several trust funds, government grants, admission revenues, and private donations from many supporting companies.
The NNTT has been repeatedly criticized for its bureaucratic arts administration, which is very representative of usual Japanese politics. Although NNTT is financed by the Japanese government, major conductors, directors, and performing artists have all complained that their creative ideas are restricted by the bureaucratic style of the arts management. In 2010, the government decided to cut down the ¥4.8 billion grant NNTT received the previous year by half, and reduce the government grants to trainees who want to work and study abroad.
The NNTT building contains three main theatres:
The Opera House (1814 seats)
The Playhouse (1038 seats)
The Pit (468 seats max)
The Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra (Tōkyō Firuhāmonī Kōkyō Gakudan) is recognized as the oldest classical orchestra in Japan, having been founded in Nagoya in 1911. It moved to Tokyo in 1938 and has some 166 members as of 2005.
The orchestra plays frequently at Tokyo Opera City, in Shinjuku, Orchard Hall, part of the Bunkamura (文化村) shopping and entertainment complex in Shibuya, and Suntory Hall, in Akasaka, Tokyo.
In 2011, the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra celebrated its 100th anniversary as Japan’s first symphony orchestra. With about 130 musicians, TPO performs both symphonies and operas regularly. TPO is proud to have appointed Maestro Myung-Whun Chung, who has been conducting TPO since 2001, as Honorary Music Director, Maestro Andrea Battistoni as Chief Conductor and Maestro Mikhail Pletnev as Special Guest Conductor.
TPO has established its world-class reputation through its subscription concert series, regular opera and ballet assignments at the New National Theatre, and a full, ever in-demand agenda around Japan and the world, including broadcasting with NHK Broadcasting Corporation, various educational programs, and tours abroad. In March, 2014, TPO became a global sensation in its centennial world tour of six major cities: New York, Madrid, Paris, London, Singapore and Bangkok. In December 2015, TPO held Beethoven’s 9th symphony concerts in Seoul and Tokyo with Mastro Myung-Whun Chung, with Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra combined into one orchestra. TPO has partnerships with Bunkamura Orchard Hall, the Bunkyo Ward in Tokyo, Chiba City, Karuizawa Cho in Nagano and Nagaoka City in Niigata.
New National Theater is a theater and ballet school, located in Honcho 1-chome, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo. The Ballet School has been training aspiring professional dancers since it began in April 2001. Students spend two years honing the skills required to be a dancer, and acquiring knowledge and cultivation through wide-ranging lectures and seminars, before embarking on a professional dancing career.
In April 2009, the School introduced preparatory classes for promising young dancers, providing them while still supple in mind and body with thoroughgoing training in the basics of classical ballet and in achieving physical beauty of form and poise. From here on in, the School will continue to put its all into training dancers of the highest quality.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is a ballet in three acts by Christopher Wheeldon with a scenario by Nicholas Wright. It was commissioned by The Royal Ballet, Covent Garden, and the National Ballet of Canada and had its world premiere on Monday, 28 February 2011. The music by Joby Talbot is the first full-length score (1 hour 40 minutes) for the Royal Ballet in 20 years.
Ballet