REVIEW：K-BALLET TOKYO's "La Bayadere" 02/06/2024
K-BALLET TOKYO's spring tour "La Bayadere" began on 1st June, 2024 in Tokyo and isn't set to end until 9th. As their other productions, this "La Bayadere" was also re-choreographed by Artistic Director, Tetsuya Kumakawa, previous Principal Dancer of the Royal Ballet Company in London, UK.
Many additional dance movements were added to the original Petipa's production, along with unknown music that made honestly me confused. However, few re-choreographed bits looked interesting, like the first Nikiya's solo in Act 1 at the temple. In that solo variation, dancers always do attitude pose in croisée, but in K-BALLET, she did in effacé . It resembled an Indian pose in that moment, felt like Kumakawa added some ethnic movements in that variation.
Their Bayadere also has brilliant costumes and stage sets like a huge Bollywood amusement park. Everyone in the audience can be amazed by its gorgeousness when curtains open, I guarantee it.
In 02/06/2024 matinée, Yuka Iwai who previously danced in Joffrey Ballet in the US 7-years, now the Principal soloist in K-BALLET was in the main role of Nikiya. She looked more like an infantile little girl who has no grasp of her position than a holy temple servant, but showed us a good technique.
Shohei Horiuchi, previous first soloist of Romanian National Ballet, now the Princepal dancer of K-BALLET was the role of Solor. Solor is a soldier, therefore, dancers usually try to give their audience impression of wildness. Horiuchi was like a fashion model or a prince, he looked more like a beautiful artist than soldier Solor. Yet I loved his beauty, but I had no idea what he wanted to express in his role.
One thing I was impressed in this performance is definitely Shohei Honda, who played Indian fakir Magdaveya. The moment he was granted a favor of water from Nikiya, everyone in the audience could understand how he was starving and dying for water. His acting left a lasting impression.
Last year 2023, I started watching K-BALLET's performance, because my very favorite ballerina Saya Okubo joined as a soloist. She danced as holy servant girl, pas d'action, and shade in act 3. She always catches our eyes with her beauty. Her long limbs always described sharp lines, and gives us a mature impression.
Finally, without a doubt, the most famous Japanese Ballet dancer is still Tetsuya Kumakawa. Japanese people consider Kumakawa to be a legendary dancer, and indeed, he is a legend.
After watching the gorgeous La Baydere, where all dancers showed their best performance, I saw a glimmer of Kumagawa's own afterimage even though he resigned from his principal position almost 30 years ago. Wonderful ballet dancers gathered around him, but I felt that still no one in that company can surpass legendary Kumakawa now, perhaps. With so many young and talented dancers, I hope he would not only make them dance his own piece and imagine his afterimage, but I wish he would also mentor those who will surpass him in the future.