Last Updated on June 4, 2025
In what promises to be the most important dance event of London’s cultural calendar this summer, the National Ballet of Japan will make its European debut at the Royal Opera House on 24–27 July 2025. The national ballet company of Japan, one of the world’s great powerhouse ballet nations, will become the first Asian dance company to perform on the main stage of the Royal Opera House in more than 15 years.
The National Ballet of Japan will give five performances of its acclaimed production of Giselle by the company’s artistic director Miyako Yoshida, who was the first Japanese ballerina ever to be made a Principal dancer in the history of the Birmingham Royal Ballet (1988–1995) and The Royal Ballet (1995–2010). She was appointed an Honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to dance in 2007.
“It is with immense joy and gratitude that I bring our national company to the theatre and the city that gave me everything as a dancer,” Miyako Yoshida, Artistic Director of the National Ballet of Japan said. “It is also with great pride that I see talented dancers from Japan flourishing in every rank of The Royal Ballet, the Birmingham Royal Ballet and The Royal Ballet School – a development I could never have foreseen when I first arrived in Britain as a young student in 1983. With our production of Giselle, I hope London audiences will find in our company a familiar blend of natural lyricism and virtuosic brilliance tempered with our own brand of musicality and refinement.’
The National Ballet of Japan will perform the beloved 19th century classic Giselle in a production by Miyako Yoshida – with staging and additional choreography by British choreographer and former Royal Ballet Principal Character Artist Alastair Marriott. Award-winning British designer Dick Bird has created a spectacular set inspired by the ‘Hill of Crosses’ in Lithuania as the backdrop for the evergreen tale of love, betrayal, forgiveness and redemption.
“Miyako and I have known each other since we were both Royal Ballet School students and young dancers at Sadlers Wells Royal Ballet,” Kevin O’Hare, Director of The Royal Ballet, said. “Her achievement has inspired an entire generation of Japanese dancers who are now represented in the top ranks of most major ballet companies in the world. She was a treasured Principal dancer with The Royal Ballet and the perfect ambassador for the friendship between Japan and the UK. We are so delighted that the National Ballet of Japan will be performing at the Royal Opera House next summer.’
First performed in Paris in 1841, Giselle is the ultimate romantic ballet, with choreography by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot and music by Adolphe Adam. The peasant girl Giselle discovers the true aristocratic identity of her lover Albrecht – and that he is betrothed to another. In despair at the revelation, Giselle dies of heartbreak. Her spirit enters the realm of the Wilis – ghosts of women who died before their wedding day. All men that come across their path are compelled to dance themselves to death. As Albrecht verges on meeting with the same fate, Giselle intervenes with her love from beyond the grave, saving Albrecht and releasing her own soul from the Wilis.
National Ballet of Japan – 2025 London Season
Giselle
Thursday 24 July 7:30PM
Friday 25 July 7:30PM
Saturday 26 July 2:00PM
Saturday 26 July 7:30PM
Sunday 27 July 2PM
Orchestra: Royal Ballet Sinfonia
Conductor: Paul Murphy
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About Miyako Yoshida
Born and trained in Tokyo, Miyako Yoshida joined The Royal Ballet School in 1983 after winning the Prix de Lausanne. In 1984, she joined Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet (now Birmingham Royal Ballet) and was promoted to Principal in 1988, and in 1995 she joined The Royal Ballet. In 2010, she left The Royal Ballet and started a career as a freelance dancer until she retired from the stage in 2019.
She became the Artistic Director of Ballet & Dance for the New National Theatre Tokyo in September 2020.
About the National Ballet of Japan
The National Ballet of Japan (NBJ) was launched in conjunction with the opening of the New National Theatre Tokyo in 1997. The NBJ remains Japan’s only state-funded company and the only company to be in residence at a national theatre.
The company’s repertoire is broad in scope, embracing most of the 19th century classics, masterworks by 20th century choreographers and contemporary works by living choreographers, including original creations commissioned by the company. With 75 fulltime dancers and 35 members of staff, the National Ballet of Japan typically gives 70 performances of eight programmes each season – at home in Tokyo as well as in major cities. The NBJ maintains a close relationship with the New National Theatre Ballet School – providing performance and training opportunities for the best young dancers.
Under Miyako Yoshida’s directorship from the 2020/2021 season, the NBJ continues to realise its mission to bring the best of the art form to the widest possible audience, as Japan’s leading company.
