Aaron

Thanks for that. The bayaderes were a hit in Paris as I think you know; Theo Gautier was enthralled.

"Oriental" evolved in meaning and scope - started with North Africa as the Holy Land was to the east....My starting point was a concern solely with Japan but it led me back further into the past and I have been stuck in the 18th century for some time....

Greetings from the Hudson Valley in New York! My interest in ballet is confined to Orientalism - the use of Oriental themes in European ballet (and other performing arts) in Europe (and elsewhere) prior to WW2, and will be glad to swap thoughts with any others with similar interest. One example of the information I am chasing is details of Ruth Page's appearance in what apparently was a ballet version of Madama Butterfly.

the word 'nori' meaning 'glue' is written with different characters than used for 'nori' in given names or the 'nori' of seaweed. The verb 'to ride", 'noru, becomes "nori-" in some conjugations. ...Just in case you are interested....

"talismanic branch that drops leaves every time she's granted a wish - until that is, there are no more leaves in which case her life is forfeit" ---- I recall reading this too, in Beaumont's book, but this time I had to chuckle, because it suggests the (in)famous strip tease dance of a certain type of treaty port teahouse geishas in the XIX century. As commemorated by the Chon Kina number in Britain's musical comedy smash "The Geisha", this dance was a sort of musical chair competition; when the geishe didn't stop with the music, one layer of clothing was the forfeit....

Sakourada could be a French transcription of Sakurada, the English transcription of the name of one of the gates (entrances) to the Imperial palace. I believe but am not certain that this name existed at the time the ballet was created. I do not think that it was likely that the gate inspired the name in the ballet.