Fukuoka: the day of the performance has arrived. Class, rehearsals and spacing on stage so that the swans will find their way run quietly and smoothly. Purely coincidentally the National Sumo Wrestler Championships are taking place in Fukuoka at the same time as our stay – in the Convention Center right next to our theater. Many dancers take advantage of this unique opportunity and run next door the evening before and even in the afternoon break before the performance.
Photos: Roman Novitzky
View from the hotel room over Fukuoka
Physiotherapist Matthias Knop treats Elisa Badenes while Shaked Heller waits his turn
Marc Ribaud gives company class on stage. In the audience is Maki Fujita, graduate of the John Cranko School and former company member, with some of her ballet students who watch class and rehearsal and attend the performance in the evening. So nice to welcome an alumna of the company and hopefully inspire some young dancers
Alicia Amatriain und Friedemann Vogel in rehearsal. They will dance the very last performance in Nishinomiya
Alicia and Friedemann – pure emotion, even in rehearsal!
The Sumo Wrestler Championship in the Convention Center of the Sunpalace
Two wrestlers face off
Not just dancers are flexible!
The performance begins: Ami Morita, Aiara Iturrioz, Rocio Aleman, Fernanda De Souza Lopes and Agnes Su in the Pas de six
David Moore: every inch the prince!
Diana Ionescu stretches when and where she can!
Act two: Anna Osadcenko as Odette protects her swans
Anna and David
Soaring: Anna and David
Anna in the intermission
Conductor Wolfgang Heinz during the intermission
Quick change: Eva Holland-Nell and Anouk van der Weijde in the headpieces for the third act but still in swan tutus from the second act
Cameo: Our pianist Paul Lewis gets ready to go on stage as a super in the third act and gets lots of moral support from the dancers!
The disgruntled Princesses who have been rejected by the prince: Jessica Fyfe as the Russian Princess, Daiana Ruiz as the Spanish Princess, Diana Ionescu as the Hungarian Princess, Angelina Zuccarini and the Neopolitan Princess
Henrik Erikson as a Spanish nobleman
Daiana Ruiz as the Spanish Princess
Diana Ionescu as the Hungarian Princess with Fleming Puthenpurayil as her Cavalier
Matteo Crockard-Villa as an introspective Rothbart
The workplace of our stage manager Janis Vollert
Excitement during the income of the Shinkansen train – next stop Kobe!
Matteo Miccini finds barre alternatives even on the platform
The first day in the Sunpalace Hall in Fukuoka is a very busy one: the dancers rehearse in the studio, the costumes are unloaded, ironed, hung up and distributed, the make-up artists set up their utensils, the technicians build the huge set as fast as possible but always in a highly concentrated fashion, the lighting technicians hang lights and double check spotlights, our sound technicians confer with their Japanese colleagues. Within 48 hours of our arrival in Fukuoka, the performance will take place. This can only be accomplished through highly professional and efficient team work and of course the fantastic support of our Japanese colleagues from NBS and Sunpalace Hall!
Photos: Roman Novitzky
Matteo Crockard-Villa and David Moore take a break
Company class with ballet master Rolando D’Alesio
The technicians build the set onstage
Rocio Aleman and David Moore in rehearsals with Artistic Director Tamas Detrich and ballet mistresses and ballet masters Andria Hall, Krzysztof Nowogrodzki, Marc Ribaud, Yseult Lendvai and Rolando D’Alesio
The dancers listening to the corrections
Our tour t-shirts modelled by our dancers
A lighthearted moment with Tamas Detrich and Krzysztof Nowogrodzki
The last day in Tokyo ended with an intense performance of Swan Lake with Anna Osadcenko and David Moore in the leading roles. At the end of the many curtain calls, it comes to an emotional leave taking on both sides of the footlights as the company says farewell to the incredible Tokyo audience after seven performances. „Sayonara/See you soon!“ it says on the sign which hangs on the stage and we certainly hope that sentiment will come true! The next morning we depart for the airport to fly on to Fukuoka. The trip goes well and our colleagues from the technical crew, props, lighting, sound, wardrobe and make up head over to the theater already that evening.
Photos: Roman Novitzky
Swans!
More swans!
Anna Osadcenko executes a perfect jeté
Anna Osadcenko and David Moore
Anna waits in the wings for her next entrance
Anna and David
Anna and David at the end of the fourth act
Anna and David
Our new sign commemorating these performances is hung up backstage at the Bunka Kaikan, lovingly drawn and prepared by Jens Rank
Everything is running at top speed for the last two Swan Lake performances in Tokyo before we will leave for Fukuoka on Monday: Anna Osadcenko and David Moore rehearsed for their performance on Saturday morning while on Saturday afternoon Adhonay Soares gave his debut as Prince Siegfried alongside his swan queen Elisa Badenes. During the almost sold out performance he took the audience by storm and earned lots of spontaneous applause. Congratulations! Special mention must be made of our corps de ballet, especially the ladies, which has been dancing with unflagging enthusiasm and on a very high level in all performances.
Photos: Roman Novitzky
During Swan Lake rehearsal with Tamas Detrich, Andria Hall, Rolando D’Alesio, Yseult Lendvai, Marc Ribaud, Agnes Su as well as Wolfgang Heinz and Valery Laenko
Anna Osadcenko and David Moore as Odette and Prince Siegfried
Anna Osadcenko and David Moore
Anna Osadcenko and David Moore
Anna Osadcenko and David Moore
Anna Osadcenko and David Moore
Afternoon performance: Pas de six with Adhonay Soares da Silva, Hyo-Jung Kang, Diana Ionescu, Veronika Verterich, Miriam Kacerova and Angelina Zuccarini
Diana Ionescu in the pas de six
Fernanda De Souza Lopes
Our charming Brazilian gentlemen: Adhonay Soares da Silva with Moacir de Oliveira and Noan Alves
During the break: Swan Aiara Iturrioz Rico and Rothbart Matteo Crockard-Villa
Swan Queen Elisa Badenes
Elisa Badenes and the corps de ballet
Adhonay Soares da Silva and Elisa Badenes
Adhonay Soares da Silva and Elisa Badenes
Rocio Aleman as Spanish princess
Sinead Brodd as Hungarian princess
Jessica Fyfe as Russian pincess
The Russian princess’ ladies
Angelina Zuccarini as Neapolitan princess and her companion Timoor Afshar
Elisa Badenes as Odile
Short break for Elisa Badenes
Elisa Badenes and Adhonay Soares da Silva
Our corps de ballet ladies
Elisa Badenes and Adhonay Soares da SIlva during the final applause
Today we send you a snowy “hello” from Sapporo … After our last performance in Toyko (the third Onegin with the dream couple Anna Osadcenko and Jason Reilly in the lead roles!) we traveled to the Island Hokkaido in the north of Japan. The journey took longer than we all thought, as nobody expected it to snow so much! Sapproro is covered in almost 50 centimetres of snow …
We only have a short “stopover” in Sapporo. Tonight is already the performance of Romeo and Juliet – with some exciting debuts: Miriam Kacerova and Constantine Allen will dance the star-crossed lovers Juliet and Romeo for the first time; the other debuts are Robert Robinson as Tybalt and Martí Fernandez Paixa as Paris. So a huge toi toi toi for all of them!
Tomorrow we will travel on to Osaka, our last stop for this tour …
Last rehearsal in Tokyo before their Romeo and Juliet-debuts: Miriam Kacerova and Constantine Allen
Last rehearsal in Tokyo before their Romeo and Juliet-debuts: Miriam Kacerova and Constantine Allen
Jason Reilly as Onegin
Agnes Su and Matteo Crockard-Villa
Anna Osadcenko and Jason Reilly as Tatiana and Onegin
Daniel Camargo as Lensky challenging Onegin to the duel
Just before the curtain falls: Anna Osadcenko as Tatiana
Our Olga and Lensky in the third performance were Elisa Badenes and Daniel Camargo
Right before the last performance in Tokyo: Rocio Aleman and Ami Morita
Greetings from Stuttgart!
The “old people” in the second act
Jason Reilly as Onegin in the third act with Anna Osadcenko and Robert Robinson
Entering the “Bunka Kaikan Hall of Fame”: Our frame of the Japan Tour 2015
Last rehearsal in Tokyo before their Romeo and Juliet-debuts: Miriam Kacerova and Constantine Allen
The bows: Robert Robinson, conductor James Tuggle, Anna Osadcenko, Jason Reilly, Elisa Badenes, Daniel Camargo
Jason Reilly as Onegin
Writing the famous letter to Onegin: Anna Osadcenko as Tatiana
Departure to Sapporo
The corps de ballet during the biws
The heartbreaking final pas de deux of Tatiana and Onegin
Nach einem langen Flug: Reid Anderson und Tamas Detrich im Bus zum Hotel
Goodbye Tokyo!
Receiving enthusiastic applause after the performance: Anna Osadcenko ans Jason Reilly