The world renown Kirov Ballet of the Mariinsky Theater is in Japan, delighting crowds with performances of The Nutcracker , Swan Lake and Le Corsaire . Tickets are selling briskly.
Of course, one would expect this to be so. Under the directorship of Oleg Vinogradov, a graduate of the Vaganova School, The Kirov has shown a strong dedication to its historic repertoire while tackling newer works that bring fresh ideas to the stage. No doubt another reason for the popularity of the Kirov tour is that the Japanese are big fans of ballet. How often do they get to see such stars as Igor Zelensky, Farukh Ruzimatov, Yevgeny Ivanchenko and Andrian Fadeyev?
Other members of the company joining the Japan tour are Svetlana Zakhrova, Yuliana Lopatkina, Zhanna Ayupova, Irina Zhelonkina, Diana Vishneva and Irma Nioradze
The tour, which began on Nov 28, is winding its way across the archipelago with visits to Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Hammatsu, Yokohama, Sendai and Hokkaido. It will end with a performance of The Nutcracker in Sapporo on Dec. 21.
Remaining dates on the Schedule are as follows: Dec. 6 at 6:30 p.m. Osaka/Festival Hall Le Corsaire Tickets: (06) 231-2221
Dec. 7 at 3:00 p.m. Osaka/Festival Hall The Nutcracker Tickets: (06) 231-2221
Dec. 8 at 7:00 p.m. Toyama/Toyama-shi Geijutsu Bunka Hall The Nutcracker Tickets: (0764) 45-5610
Dec. 10 at 6:30 pm Nagoya / Aichi Ken Geijutsu Gekijo The Nutcracker Tickets (052) 971-7411
Dec. 12 at 6:30 pm Hamamatsu / Act City Hamamatsu The Nutcracker Tickets (053) 451-1114
Dec. 13 at 3:00 pm Yokohama / Kanagawa Kenritsu Kenmin Hall Swan Lake Tickets (053) 451-1114
Dec. 14 at 3 p.m. ; Dec. 15 ,16 and 17 at 7 p.m. Tokyo / Orchard Hall, Shibuya Ward The Nutcracker Tickets: (03) 5458-7777
Dec. 19 at 6:00 pm Ashikawa/ Ashikawa Shimin Bunka Kaikan Swan Lake Tickets (0166) 22-5367
Dec. 20 at 6:00 pm Sapporo/ Hokkaido Kosei Nenkin Kaikan Le Corsaire Tickets (011) 261-2388
Dec. 21 at 3:00 pm Sapporo/ Hokkaido Kosei Nenkin Kaikan The Nutcracker Tickets (011) 261-2388
--By Carter Witt
Japan Correspondent
