The National Ballet of Japan

THE NEW NATIONAL BALLET OF JAPAN

The National Ballet of Japan (NBJ), the first resident ballet company in Japan, launched in conjunction with the opening of the New National Theatre, Tokyo in 1997.

The NBJ's repertoire is broad in scope, embracing classics such as Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker; 20th century works by choreographers such as Frederick Ashton, George Balanchine, Roland Petit and Kenneth MacMillan; as well as works by contemporary choreographers such as David Bintley, Nacho Duato and Christopher Wheeldon. The NBJ also commissions world-class choreographers to create original pieces for its repertoire.

The NBJ was awarded an Asahi Performing Arts Award in 2004 for its production of Raymonda. The company made its overseas debut in 2008 at the Kennedy Center in the United States, followed by an invitation to the Moscow Bolshoi Theatre in 2009, where it performed La Dame aux Camélias. The NBJ is highly rated internationally both for its much-praised principle dancers and corps de ballet.

Since the beginning of the 2020/2021 season, the Artistic Director is Yoshida Miyako, who was active in the United Kingdom for many years as a principal dancer. With this appointment, the NBJ is setting its sights on ever greater achievements.