Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on February 2014

New York’s American Ballet Theatre returns to Tokyo with a full schedule of events for their dedicated fan base in Japan. The troupe starts off at Shibuya’s Bunkamura Orchard Hall with Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker featuring a different pair of dancers in the leads for each performance. All-star gala performances on February 25-26 bring together selections from the ABT’s extensive repertoire, including Don Quixote, Sleeping Beauty and Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No.1, which is being performed for the first time in Japan. The group then move on to Ueno’s Tokyo Bunka Kaikan with Manon, a modern ballet update of the Massenet opera. While tickets couldn’t exactly be described as cheap, they are less than airfare to JFK.

Bunkamura Orchard Hall, Feb 21-22 & Feb 25-26.  Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, Feb 27-Mar 1.