THE JAPAN NEWS


 

Eminent dancer-choreographer Tetsuya Kumakawa has embarked on a new challenge with his K-Ballet Company, producing its first completely original work in the upcoming ballet “Cleopatra.”

This is the first work for the K-Ballet for which there was no pre-existing story or score. “Cleopatra” will have its world premier in Tokyo next week.

Kumakawa, the artistic director of the K-Ballet, has created 10 new productions of full-length ballet since 2001, such as “The Nutcracker,” “Le Corsaire,” “Cinderella” and “La Bayadere,” with new interpretations of classical masterpieces and new choreographies to existing ballet music.

Every time he has put on a new work, Kumakawa has been acclaimed for his highly artistic skills that exceeded audiences’ expectations with exciting plot twists, gorgeous stage design and choreography that clearly expressed the characters’ feelings.

“[I want to say,] ‘Hey, look. This is gorgeous, isn’t it?’ — I think this is the starting point [of my productions],” he said with a laugh.

In recent years, Kumakawa has sought to draw on other genres, as with his ballet adaptation of the opera “Carmen” in 2014. This time he has chosen Cleopatra, a subject who has rarely been featured in the ballet world.

 

Kumakawa started by thinking: “Cleopatra is a beauty who actually existed and is more famous than Cinderella. Everybody knows her, but it’s going to be difficult to make [a ballet about her]. Who could perform such a role?”

His brainstorming eventually helped him connect Cleopatra with Shoko Nakamura, one of the K-Ballet Company’s principal dancers, who is dignified enough to be described as a queen. A tall ballerina with amazing technique, she danced with prominent companies in Europe before moving her base of activity to Japan in 2015, mainly to dance for Kumakawa’s company.

“I hadn’t created an original piece tailored for her yet,” Kumakawa said. “When I saw her, I thought Cleopatra would be [a perfect fit].”

Kumakawa’s sensitivity is also clear from his selection of music for “Cleopatra,” for which he decided to use pieces by Carl Nielsen (1865-1931). Although not widely known, the Danish composer produced many easy-to-like pieces with beautiful melodies, while also showing a unique sense of tonality. When Kumakawa listened to a three-minute march from Nielsen’s incidental music “Aladdin,” it “stopped me in my tracks,” he said.

“[Nielsen’s music] sounds really fresh to me, as it presents a Scandinavian feel on a magnificent scale,” Kumakawa said. “His music is quite different from Tchaikovsky and other masters.”

Kumakawa listened to Nielsen’s symphonies and all his other works to pick the best ones to illustrate different scenes and the characters’ feelings. “It was so hard to find [the ones to use],” he said. “Over and over I cut out the selected pieces and strung them together.”

Kumakawa’s latest production depicts Cleopatra’s life as a femme fatale, focusing on how the ancient Egyptian queen faces off against her younger brother and develops relationships with Roman rulers Julius Caesar and Marc Antony.

Shiori Asakawa will share the lead role with Nakamura. The sets are designed by Daniel Ostling.

“I want the queen to be cold at first, but show an opposite personality in the end,” Kumakawa said. “The storyline and our dancers’ performances can be more epic than the pyramids and move the audience.”

Now in his mid-40s, Kumakawa still retains his beautiful, sharp dancing skills. However, he is not scheduled to perform in the upcoming production.

“Of course I want to be onstage,” the dancer-choreographer said. “But I want the show to be judged on its own quality, and I have to give more chances for younger dancers to perform.”

Kumakawa said he’s fortunate to be able to produce an original work “on such a large scale, even though there have been few new Japan-made ballets.” He added, “I mustn’t disappoint people.”

“Cleopatra” will run from Oct. 6 to 29 in Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka. Visit www.ints.co.jp for more information.