Welcome back to Hiromi, who we've known since the early days of the web and who always delighted us with her vivid reviews and utterly charming style. This is the second in a new series on what is happening in Japan... enjoy.

First message

Ballet scene in Japan this summer was just like overcrowded tube train service in sweaty hot summer. A lot of international ballet stars came to Tokyo and showed their astonishing performances. I could not attend all the performances, however, I will mention some impressed moments here.

Alina Cojocaru danced with ABT's virtuoso Angel Corella at Japan Ballet Festival in early August. The festival introduced a lot of dancers to Japanese ballet fans three sequel nights, Cojocaru and Corella danced three different programmes each night. I saw Romeo and Juliet balcony pas de deux and Le Corsaire grand pas de deux, then missed Don Q. Corella was on his highest physical conditon and showed "wow!" technique all the time he made steps. Cojocaru was really ideal Juliet, dreaming of her first love and growing up during her dancing, then she was so bright glare at the Corsaire pas de duex.

Just after the Royal Ballet's summer season, Miyako Yoshida returned to her native country and showed her graceful dancing at the peroformance with Star Dancers Ballet Company in Peter Wright's Nutcracker. Seeing a ballet Nutcracker in the hottest season is now a unusual new habit for us naming it "Midsummer Nut". Yoshida was partnered by Yohei Sasaki, a first soloist with the Royal Ballet, and it was his debut in Tokyo. Peter Wright's Nutcraker is one of Japanese ballet gores' favourites and danced by Star Dancers Ballet at very best condition. Clara, the centre role with very much dancing, was danced by teenager high school girl ballerina, Minami Suzuki, beautifully and perfectly.

Miyako Yoshida also gave one night her recital performance with some Japanese dancers. Yoshida danced Le Corsaire grand pas de deux with Ivan Putrov, after that she danced Giselle act 2 pas de deux with Naoki Takagishi, a principal dancer with Tokyo Ballet. It was rather small performance and the stage area was so small for ballet , also there was clumsiness to direct the performance throughout. I hope some good organiser will do more professional job parallel world class ballet dancers like Miyako Yoshida.

Noriko Kobayashi Ballet Theatre is one of Japanese top ballet companies and they have a strong and good connection with British style ballet using RAD syllabus . They celebrate their 30th anniversary this year and staged and introduced Derek Deane's Giselle. It was a huge success full of wonderful review over the months, Yurie Shinohara and Patrick Armand, Giselle and Albrecht, danced and acted touching strings in our hearts, and the corps de ballet were tremendously breathtaking.

New autumn season of ballet in Tokyo was opened by three big companies; Bolshoi with the strongest presentation showing "Spartacus", and "Sleeping Beauty" along with full scale Bolshoi Orchestra, ABT with full of entertainment presenting "Le Corsaire" and "Merry Widow", then New National Theatre Ballet with full of challenging sprit mounting new version of Roland Petit's "LA CHAUVE-SOURIS (The Bat)".

This gorgeous opening of the new season spoiled me for some good shows made me thirsty for "more gorgeous" always. Has the symptoms already appeared? I hope not.

Big news from Tokyo
Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake will be touring in Japan and Adam Cooper is doing his signature role the Swan/Black Swan during the tour. Other Swan/Black Swan will be Jesus Pastor, ex-ENB soloist, and Yasuyuki Shuto, a principal dancer with Tokyo Ballet. They will perform Swan Lake in Lyon and Frankfurt before flying to Japan.