Maurice Bejart and the Tokio Ballet

[Marina_balerina]

Dear all,

Im a newcommer here, but was really interested in reading your chats and comments. I am a ballet dancer in Russia, and at the momemt I am writing my diploma work. Can please someone help me in finding materials fo it, because I am desperately trying to find at least something, and all my attempts fail. Does anyone knows, where can I find the critics or descriptions of Maurice Bejar's ballets, which were created especially for the Tokio ballet and one Indian ballet? Thanks everyone in advance.

[naomikage]

Here is a link to the description of "The Kabuki" which was choeographed for the Tokyo Ballet by Maurice Bejart.

http://www.nbs.or.jp/english/stages/0701_kabuki.html

The Kabuki (1986), M (1993) and Bugaku (1989) are the works by Bejart and created for the Tokyo Ballet.

I have seen all of the works so please ask me questions for them.

[Farrell Fan]

naomikage -- How does Bejart's Bugaku compare with Balanchine's (1963)?

[Marina_balerina]

Here is a link to the description of "The Kabuki" which was choeographed for the Tokyo Ballet by Maurice Bejart.

http://www.nbs.or.jp/english/stages/0701_kabuki.html

The Kabuki (1986), M (1993) and Bugaku (1989) are the works by Bejart and created for the Tokyo Ballet.

I have seen all of the works so please ask me questions for them.

Dear Naomikage,

Thanks a lot for your kind help, I have checked the link, which you have send me, thanks a lot.

But can you please be so kind and give me an answer, as I haven't seen the full version of this ballet(you can't even imagine how difficalt is here in Russia to buy or to see somehow the full version of this ballet). Does Bejart in this ballet uses the typical Japanese movements, shaman gestures, taken from the National Japanese THeatre, or it is just a Europian classical choreography with eastern motives?

I would so much appreciate at least couple of sentences, which describe this ballet.

Kind regards, Marina

[naomikage]

Does Bejart in this ballet uses the typical Japanese movements, shaman gestures, taken from the National Japanese THeatre, or it is just a Europian classical choreography with eastern motives?

I would so much appreciate at least couple of sentences, which describe this ballet.

As for The Kabuki, basically the choreography is based on classical plus some contemporary choreography, but some movements uses the traditional Japanese Kabuki and Noh movements such as the feet of female dancers that scratches the ground which are called "Suriashi" with feet turned inside, oppostite of ballet movements. The costumes are Japanese style Kimono arranged by Bejart and some male dancers are dressed in Japanese traditional underwear called Fundoshi which is a red cloth wrapped around the hips.

Although this page is in Japanese, you can see some photographs to imagine the costumes and choreography.

http://www.nbs.or.jp/stages/0701_kabuki/story.html

And for Bugaku, it is a completely different piece from Balanchine's. Just the music by Toshiro Mayuzumi is the same. In four corners, there are men dressed in football protectors, and some sherman women dressed in traditional red and white Kimono approaches from right to left. In the center there is a young man half naked with traditional Japanese Hakama pants who dances a solo. It represents the present travelling to the past meeting medieval ceremony by magical dancing. The movements of women are traditional Japanese dancing but the young man's movements are westernized.

"M" is a biography of a famous Japanese novelist Mishima Yukio. This is also a mixture of western and eastern culture and dancing. Images of St. Sebastian receiving arrows appears along with a man representing death and young half naked men and beautiful women, and patriot men in soldiers uniform. Mishima commited suicide so there is a Harakiri (cutting stomach) scene of a young boy in school uniform with cherry blossoms falling down like rain.

http://www.nbs.or.jp/stages/0510_m/story.html

I hope this will be of some help.

[Marina_balerina]

Dear naomikage,

don't even have words to explain you how your opinion helps me in creating my diploma!!!!!Thanks a lot!

I laso forgot to ask you, is there anywehre in these ballets the Japanese dance called Kagura?

Kind regards, Marina

[Farrell Fan]

Thank you, naomikage, for your description of Bukagu. Incidentally, some of Mishima's works were well-known in the west.