―One of your focuses is to nurture young talents. Do you also plan to give any chances to debut in new roles to such young dancers in this Cinderella as well?

Cinderella has many unique roles like the Step-Sisters, so I really hope that young dancers and those in their debut roles will seize a chance to explore a new role. To be honest, I wanted to make a chance to debut in the principal roles of Cinderella this time. It didn't come true due to the wishes of our supervising director, Wendy, though. Ashton's productions have a different kind of challenge from pure classical ballets. Cinderella, in particular, is a demanding role requiring high capability in technique, acting, and the embodiment of the "Ashton style." Cinderella is on stage almost throughout the whole three acts.
Young dancers show remarkable progress as they rehearse. That motivates me to continue giving them opportunities to challenge themselves. At the same time, it differs from one to another in terms of when and what opportunities would push them the best. It is always tricky to give the right opportunity.

―December has Robot, My Eternal Love, directed, choreographed, and performed by Kaori Ito. That is followed by 18 shows of The Nutcracker, which is now the tradition around the new year season. This season presents it as a new production made for NNTT.

Ms. Ito, based in France, has her career as a dancer and choreographer. She was appointed as the director of the Centre Dramatique National Strasbourg-Grande Est's TJP in 2023. This production, Robot, My Eternal Love, tells about herself. It is going to be its Japan premiere as well as the first time for NNTT to present her piece. I am very much looking forward to it.
The new production of The Nutcracker will be choreographed by a British choreographer, Will Tuckett. I've worked with him for many years since my time at The Royal Ballet, and he created a powerful Macbeth that comes deep into our hearts in 2023 under our commission. He is a choreographer I trust implicitly in that he is outstanding in communicating with dancers as well as being so flexible. When I asked him to create "a bright and colorful work that everyone can enjoy over the New Year holidays with their families," Tuckett responded, "I want to make it a joyful and beautiful dreamlike piece as well. I also hope that we can create a Nutcracker that leaves something warm in the heart at the end.

―What made you create a new version of Nutcracker at this moment?

One reason is to re-examine Act 2 from a perspective of today. We take the controversies over expressions in the character dance parts as well as gender roles into account. That made us make the act 2 to feature dances of sweets instead of dances from each country and therefore aim at a production for everyone to enjoy from the bottom of one's heart. Another reason is to respect dancers' physical well-being. Our previous version was so demanding and required an extremely high level of technique. It therefore placed significant strain on their bodies. Last year, we had 19 shows while the number of performances was around 7 when it premiered here in 2017. We decided to reconsider the direction as well as choreography taking such changes on our company into our accounts.

―Thanks to the increased number of performances, it is now a wonderful new tradition that the audiences can enjoy ballet at NNTT from Christmas, New Year's Eve, and New Year.

It is my great pleasure to see so many audience members delighted. It also made it possible for the company to achieve some professional work in that they dance on stage night after night. A performance day should not be a special one for a professional company. It should not be using up one's everything for just one show. Dancers should keep giving performances by maintaining a certain quality as a part of their daily routine. That is how they should be. I was happy that my job was to go to the theatre every day, rehearse, and perform on stage when I was a member of The Royal Ballet in the UK. I always wanted the dancers of NBJ to experience the same feeling. We are slowly approaching there. This is possible thanks to our audience members who come to the theatre, the dedicated staff members and board members across all departments--including public relations and marketing. I would also like to thank the dancers themselves. I am truly thankful.

―February features the triple bill performance "Ballet Coffret 2026." This is the second installment in the series that began this season.

The last season featured two new productions besides The Firebird by Fokine and Études by Landers and The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude by Forsythe. These were both very grounding in fundamentals, so I wondered how it would turn out... I believe that many dancers could break out of their shells as they strived so hard thanks to the coaches who gave wonderful rehearsals that emphasized the importance of class lessons everyday.
"Ballet Coffret" of this season features a triple bill including our second showcasing of A Million Kisses to my Skin by Dawson, 5 Tangos by van Manen (premiere at NNTT), and Balanchine's popular repertoire piece Theme and Variations. We have to admit that these triple-bill shows do not sell as many as full-length ballets do. At the same time, however, these provide opportunities to stage productions such as contemporary pieces that challenge our dancers. I would like to continue those as well.

―In March, the dramatic ballet masterpiece Kenneth MacMillan's Manon returns after a long absence.

The last performance was in 2020. It was canceled in the midst of the unprecedented pandemic, so it holds special meaning to me. Manon, the pinnacle of theatrical ballet, demands that each performer deeply re-examines one's own inner-self and release their emotions. It also requires mature dancing. I wanted the company's experienced dancers to perform it now and I therefore included it in the program. I believe it was in 2012 when I had a chance to see Ayako Ono and Yudai Fukuoka as Manon and Des Grieux. It was absolutely wonderful, and I still vividly remember thinking, "How magnificent it would be if they had more chances to dance this." The true artistic value of our experienced dancers is revealed precisely at this stage. I believe that they will surely show some depth in performing that is only possible with their maturity nurtured through their careers.

―In March, another dance performance, "Friends of Forsythe," will have its Japanese premiere at The Pit.

This performance features diverse artists drawn together by the influence of choreographer William Forsythe. It includes folk dancing, hip-hop, and ballet. Although NBJ is not participating, we would like to arrange workshops and other opportunities for interaction between the dancers if possible. In this season, we held several workshops led by Kenta Kojiri, the Choreographic Group's advisor, where dancers experienced choreography by Jiří Kylián. We hope to continue creating opportunities for our dancers to expand their physical vocabulary and range of expression.

― Two grand classical productions are to conclude this season : 10 performances of Raymonda at the end of April to May, 10 performances of Swan Lake in June.

Yes, we'll keep pushing forward right to the end (laughs). Raymonda is a production that showcases the dancers beautifully and suits the strengths of NBJ. When we last performed it in 2021, Ms. Asami Maki, who directed and revised the choreography for this production, came to our rehearsals. The dancers grew tremendously, and it became a truly memorable and wonderful performance.
This will be the third time to present our Swan Lake since we presented it as the new production in 2021. This version by Sir Peter Wright is designed so logically from start to finish surrounding Prince Siegfried as the story's central axis. This allows the dancers to effortlessly immerse themselves in their roles and seem to enjoy performing.

―In addition, we are going to have Educational Programme-First Steps: Swan Lake on May 6th right after Raymonda.

In this delightful program, the dancers guide the audience in the world of Swan Lake referring to the orchestra and some technical components in staging such as lighting by incorporating actual dialogues. It is designed to make the theater more open to everyone. The audience members can experience the mimes together. We also adjust the house lights to avoid sudden darkness in order not to frighten small children.

―Related to what we just discussed, NBJ has implemented several initiatives in recent years to help younger generations enjoy the experience of appreciating the arts.

Taking 2024 as an example, we held three events: the New National Theatre Children's Theater Program, which invited children with limited access to culture and the arts to see Aladdin; the Ballet Mirai Seats, which invited children selected after writing letters to dancers to attend The Nutcracker performances; and the Keio Academy Program "Discover Ballet at the New National Theatre!", which taught mime from The Sleeping Beauty to children along the Keio Line. All three were made possible thanks to the dedicated efforts and support of our corporate partners. We express our sincere gratitude once again. Furthermore, we will continue to expand these activities to contribute to society as part of NNTT's mission.

―At the very end of the season, there are two shows in July: a double-bill featuring String SAGA and Escaping the Weight of Darkness along with the Ballet for Children 2026 Story of a Little Mermaid.

Escaping the Weight of Darkness is choreographed by the acclaimed Jessica Lang for NNTT in 2014, while String SAGA is a new work commissioned from Naoya Homan, who is active as a freelance dancer and choreographer. We had long hoped to commission a work from Mr. Homan, an alumnus of NBJ, and this dream has finally come true. His style, which avoids the trap of self-indulgence common among creators and focuses on making pieces that truly resonate with audiences instead, clearly bears the influence of the choreographers he encountered during his time at NNTT.
Story of a Little Mermaid is also an original ballet choreographed by Tetsuo Kaikawa, who was active with the NBJ. At its premiere last year, he created a wonderful world together with the dancers, and we anticipate an even more polished production this time.

―Please tell us about your goals for the 2025/2026 season.

In this upcoming season, I intend to let our dancers discover a different version of themselves and unleash their individuality. The dancers of NBJ possess an incredible ability to rapidly absorb what they just learned. To step further, I want them to greedily make what they've absorbed on their own and continue applying it in the following productions. I also hope they won't confine themselves. Instead, I hope they will explore the possibilities of their own dancing and expression with a greater initiative. Immense untapped power and individuality are within such dancers. I've been always wondering what can awaken these qualities and unleash them on stage. Perhaps, creating our own original "Japanese ballet" could be an answer. Traditional ballet demands a Western style of acting, which is not "natural" for us Japanese. At the same time, what if dancers encountered a style they could truly call their own? Perhaps that would spark more spontaneous expression... When I was appointed Artistic Director here, Sir Peter Wright told me, "Miyako, find the Japanese style." I revisit the meaning of his words once again.