Performance Dates & Tickets
Love for ballet and mother: Béjart's Christmas masterpiece returns for the first time in 7 years.

Casse-Noisette

Ballet in two acts

Choreography Maurice Béjart
Music Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Vincent Scotto, Léon Raiter, Tony Murena, Johann Sebastian Bach
Original Music for Accordion Yvette Horner
photos: Kiyonori Hasegawa

On Christmas Eve, a little boy, Bim, is thinking sadly about his dead mother. Suddenly begins a miraculous night as he sees his mother in a dream! Happy family conversations, joyful ballet lessons, training in the boy scouts. Then a huge statue of Venus appears from which his mother comes out. Bim and his mother tenderly dance together a beautiful pas de deux. Bim invites his mother to show her his favorites. Waking up under the fir tree, he finds a present from her... This boy is a young Maurice Béjart whose mother passed away when he was seven.

Tchaikovsky wrote the music of The Nutcracker, looking back on his childhood with nostalgia. Béjart created this ballet in a similar way. Set to one of the three greatest ballet scores, Bejart's Casse-Noisette is one of his masterpieces which reveals the secret of the birth of the great choreographer.

The Tokyo Ballet presents Bejart's Casse-Noisette for the first time in seven years to close the Company's 60th Anniversary Season, paying tribute to the great master and the Company's dear friend. For the special performances, the international star dancer Daniil Simkin will perform as Félix le chat on Friday 7 and Sunday 9 February 2025. Don't miss out!

Photo: BBL - Jean-Guy Python

Maurice Béjart (1927-2007)

Maurice Béjart was born in Marseille on January 1, 1927, the son of French philosopher Gaston Berger. He began his career as a dancer in Vichy in 1946, continued with Janine Charrat, Roland Petit and in London as part of the International Ballet. His career as choreographer started in 1955 as he created his own company in Paris. Following his triumphant success of Le Sacre du Printemps in 1959 in Brussels, Béjart launched Le Ballet du XXe Siècle in 1960 in Brussels. In 1987, it became the Béjart Ballet Lausanne. He created over 300 ballets until his last days of life.

Daniil Simkin

Guest Dancer in the role of Félix le chat

Daniil Simkin stands as one of the most prominent figures in classical ballet, not just for his prowess as a dancer but also as a cultural innovator and creative director dedicated to pushing the boundaries of dance.

Gil Roman

Guest Dancer

After intensive training with Marika Besobrasova, Rosella Hightower and José Ferran, Gil Roman joined Maurice Béjart at le Ballet du XXe Siècle in 1979. After performing the choreographer's most renowned ballets for over thirty years, Gil Roman assumed the artistic direction of the Béjart Ballet Lausanne following Béjart's passing, from 2007 until February 2024.

Performance Dates, Venue and Cast

Friday 7 February 2025, 19:00 @Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, Tokyo
Saturday 8 February 2025, 14:00 @Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, Tokyo
Sunday 9 February 2025, 14:00 @Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, Tokyo

Cast

Fri 7 Feb 2025, 19:00 Sat 8 Feb 2025, 14:00 Sun 9 Feb 2025, 14:00
Bim, le fils Shoma Ikemoto Shoma Ikemoto Yugo Yamashita
Elle, la mère Yumie Sakaki Yumie Sakaki Emi Masamoto
Félix le chat Daniil Simkin Arata Miyagawa Daniil Simkin
M...
(Marius Petipa, Méphisto, M...)
Dan Tsukamoto Suguru Otsuka Dan Tsukamoto
Deux anges Tsukasa Okazaki
Tomoya Nakashima
Tsukasa Okazaki
Tomoya Nakashima
Sou Toriumi
Kentaro Goto
Deux fées Akimi Denda
Yurika Mikumo
Akimi Denda
Yurika Mikumo
Miyuki Nakagawa
Kurumi Kato
Grand pas de deux Akira Akiyama
Arata Miyagawa
Hitomi Kaneko
Ryunosuke Ubukata
Akira Akiyama
Arata Miyagawa

*Casting as of 10 October 2024 is subject to change.

Running Time About 2 hours and 10 minutes including an intermission.

Tokyo Bunka Kaikan (Tokyo)
https://www.t-bunka.jp/en/access/index.html

Tickets (tax included)
Category
S ¥14,500
A ¥12,000
B ¥9,000
C ¥7,000
D ¥5,000
E ¥3,000
25 and Under ¥2,000

●Children under 5 years old are not admitted to the auditorium.
●Program and casting as of 10 October 2024 are subject to change. Changes in the program or the cast do not entitle holders to return or exchange tickets.

Ticket Sale Dates

General sale begins on
Friday 1 November 2024 at 10:00a.m.

Buy tickets

Presale at NBS WEB Ticket
Tuesday 29 October 2024 at 21:00--Wednesday 30 October 2024 at 18:00

Presales and Discount Tickets at NBS WEB Ticket and NBS Ticket Center

To purchase discount tickets at NBS WEB Ticket, you will need to register for a free membership of Japan Performing Arts Foundation (NBS) from here. (We regret that the form is only in Japanese.)
After registration, click here to buy tickets.

1. Parent and Child Tickets (Categories S, A & B)

Parent and Child Tickets (for children aged 5 to 18 years) will go on sale from Tuesday 26 November 2024, 10:00 at NBS WEB Ticket and NBS Ticket Center (Phone +81-(0)3-3791-8888). Up to two child tickets per one parent ticket can be purchased. Child tickets are half the adult price. You can select seat category but cannot select seat(s). Our system automatically allocates the "best available" seating to you for the price category you have selected.

2. 25 and Under Tickets

¥2,000 tickets for those aged 5 to 25 years go on sale on Thursday 9 January 2025, 21:00 at NBS WEB Ticket. You cannot select seat(s). You must bring identity documents with proof of age to pick up your tickets at the venue on the performance day.

3. Discount for two persons (Categories S, A & B)

Enjoy a discount of \1,000 for two persons. Tickets will be on sale during the periods of presales and the general sales at NBS WEB Ticket and NBS Ticket Center (Phone 03-3791-8888).

For more information, please contact us at +81-(0)3-3791-8888 (phone) or english@nbs.or.jp.

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