Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on January 2010

After years of staging the standard Sergeyev version of the Tchaikovsky chestnut, the New National Theatre Ballet in 2006 debuted an all-new Swan Lake featuring fresh staging, costumes and choreography by veteran Maki Asami. The production proved such a hit that it will be presented for a fifth time next week. Two certified stars of Moscow’s Bolshoi Ballet will on select dates play the leads of Odette/Odile and Prince Siegfried. Boshoi principal dancer Svetlana Zakharova is a ballerina at the peak of her powers, capable of leg extensions so fantastically high that they have actually proved divisive among fans and critics. As Siegfried, fellow Bolshoi principal Andrei Uvarov reprises a role he cites as one of his favorites.

Swan Lake
The New National Theatre Ballet Company performs its version of the classic fairytale. Jan 17-24, various times, ¥3,150 (D)/¥4,200 (C)/¥6,300 (B)/¥8,400 (A)/¥10,500 (S). New National Theatre Tokyo, Shinjuku. Tel: 03-5352-9999.