Although they are sad to see the ballerina retire, ballet fans have long awaited this event. Sylvie Guillem will say goodbye to her fans in Japan with this performance.

Since her debut, Guillem--said to be the masterful prima ballerina of the century--has given the world countless legendary performances. In her days at the Paris Opera, she became the youngest dancer ever to ascend to the highest rank of étoile. When she transferred to the Royal Ballet in the UK, the French government described it as a "national catastrophe." With these and other episodes, she drew attention worldwide--and not only from ballet aficionados. She mastered the classics. She continuously challenged herself with theatrical and contemporary pieces. Entering unexplored frontiers of her art, this superstar of the ballet world performed a wide variety of works.

It was just this past September that Guillem received the Praemium Imperiale, an award conferred on artists who have accomplished internationally notable achievements. Possibly the most prominent of Guillem's achievements is her performance of Maurice Béjart's choreography of Ravel's Boléro. The performance of Boléro at the grand finale of Guillem's Japanese tour in Yokohama is not to be missed.

In addition to Boléro, the finale of Guillem's life as a ballerina at this performance will include a fascinating program of other pieces. TWO, from the energetic choreographer Russell Maliphant, is a contemporary masterpiece that uses Guillem's incomparable physical prowess to express Maliphant's idea of a spiral of limbs. The dance Dream Time, which was choreographed by the prodigy Jiří Kylián and composed by Toru Takemitsu, is the result of the two artists' shared sacred experience of visiting an Australian Aboriginal religious festival. Finally, there is William Forsythe's masterpiece In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated. This piece is appearing at the Tokyo Ballet at the insistence of Guillem, who--in her 245 guest performances with the Tokyo Ballet--actively provided artistic advice to the troupe and guidance to the other dancers.

The countdown to the retirement of Guillem--who continuously changed the course of ballet history worldwide--has begun. Come join us for the last performance of Guillem's Japan tour, Sylvie Guillem Final, in Yokohama.

This will be the last chance to see the masterful prima ballerina of the century.

Have you ever seen Sylvie Guillem perform live?

◆Program

Photo：Kiyonori Hasegawa

Two

Choreography：	Russell Maliphant
Music：	Andy Cowton

Sylvie Guillem

Photo：Kiyonori Hasegawa

BOLÉRO

Choreography：	Maurice Béjart
Music：	Maurice Ravel

Sylvie Guillem＆The Tokyo Ballet