Her legacy passed on - Miyako Yoshida and her ‘Giselle’ by the National Ballet of Japan
27 July 2025
Miyako Yoshida, a ballet icon
As much as I admire and respect many ballet dancers of the past and the present, I have not yet seen a dancer who has achieved a matching level of musicality as Miyako Yoshida.
Whenever I watch a production for which Yoshida used to make her mark so memorably, like ‘The Nutcracker’, ‘The Sleeping Beauty’, etc., I subconsciously tend to compare the current dancer’s performance with how Yoshida used to do the same role. Despite being a non-ballet dancer myself who has no right to judge, I sometimes feel frustrated with the musicality of the dancer. If such frustration occurs, I feel an urge to quench my thirst and look for a video of Yoshida dancing the same solo. For example, watching Yoshida’s Sugar Plum Fairy or Princess Aurora is always satisfying, no frustration. She has set the standard for many other roles too, a standard so high that it is not easy to surpass, even now.
How can I describe her unique musicality?
It is not simply that her timing of raising her arms, executing turns, delivering steps, is ‘on time’. She moves not ‘to the music’ but ‘with the music’, She breathes the music, in accordance with how a melody goes, how notes ring, how tones change. You could say that it is as if she prompts the music, rather than the music prompts her… but it is still not quite accurate. To me, she embodies the music. We often mention ‘telling a story’ through ballet, by body movement without words, but her delicate mime as well as dances remind us of the fact that the music score was already composed to ‘tell the story’ of a particular ballet. Her dance becomes a medium for such music to manifest itself, and the music becomes her language. It is so eloquent and natural that you do not feel frustration.
As one of the many lucky audiences who have seen Yoshida dancing on stage before her retirement from the Royal Ballet in 2010, I felt so emotional to witness her return, not as a dancer though, as the Artistic Director of the most prestigious ballet company in Japan, the National Ballet of Japan (NBJ).
Ayako Ono as the perfect Giselle
I chose the second night, 25 July, because I was particularly eager to see Ayako Ono in the title role. She is currently, as well as Yui Yonezawa who danced the same role on the first night, one of the most admired ballet dancers in Japan. Having seen her brilliant stage presence a few times through online videos, including the live streaming of ‘Coppélia’ by NBJ during the pandemic in 2021, I always wanted to see her perform live some day, especially with her long-time dancing partner Yudai Fukuoka.
Ono was perfect as Giselle. In the first act as an innocent and vulnerable village girl, she was so sweet, juvenile and adorable, until the moment when she confronted the betrayal by Albrecht, the role beautifully portrayed by Fukuoka. Her delicate and exquisite movement, in both dancing and miming, was like she was cherishing every single note the orchestra played and every single moment for her to be on stage. She conveyed the mad scene with incredibly moving acting, starting so heavily and slow, developing into dramatic, dynamic and compelling sequences.
In the atmospheric and haunting second act, on the other hand, she was literally ethereal and featherlight. Among her precise technique in every move, I was especially impressed by her superlatively graceful bourrée en couru. It must be one of the basic ballet steps that appear in many choreographies, but could anybody else do this with such elegance and accuracy…?
Having seen different ballet dancers in the same role, including many European dancers, Ono’s Giselle is, to me, truly one of the best not only for her meticulous technique but also for the quality of expression. Her Giselle’s spirituality, serenity and forgiveness are etched in my heart. I was so glad to have chosen her night - she is definitely one of the dancers you must see.
High quality overall
Apart from Ono herself, I was also amazed by most of the other individual dancers’ detailed interpretations of their roles, reminding me of how their Artistic Director used to be like. The amazing level of tunefulness was noticeable in the main Principal dancers, Ono and Fukuoka, but not only them. Almost all the solo dancers, including Yoshito Kinoshita as Hilarion, Kasumi Okuda as Peasant Girl, Yui Negishi as Myrtha, Maho Higashi as Moyna, and Miho Naotsuka as Zulme, all showed such high quality of musicality.
Among them, I was especially struck by Okuda as Peasant Girl. With strong support from her pas de deux partner Yuki Kaminaka, she delivered her performance with unforgettable elegance and sensitivity. Negishi, who portrayed the Queen of the Wilis with majestic dignity, was also impressive, considering her current rank as First Artist. She maintained her grace while delivering formidable technique including well-controlled huge jumps. Beautifully intimidating, she was convincingly the Queen of the ghostly realm.
Equally notable was the marvel of the corps de ballet. This is actually what NBJ is famous for, among numerous ballet companies in Japan. They have unmatched precision and harmony, as if each dancer in the corps de ballet has magnetic energy to ‘sweep’ into their allocated spots, perfectly aligned all the time. The quality of the corp de ballet alone was worth watching - it would not be exaggerating to say that they were the main attraction of the show. I had goosebumps by seeing how accurately they change, form and re-form lines, like a kaleidoscope. It was utterly amazing.
Legacy passed on beyond borders
In many interviews and documentaries, Yoshida is often asked the reason for her excellence in the ballet world which is dominantly European, despite being an Asian, a Japanese. She normally explains that it was because she started to embrace her Japaneseness, especially Japanese sensitivity and mentality, while appreciating the European origin and inheritance of ballet. In a way it is true that her unique expressiveness pretty much reflects certain Japanese modesty, delicateness and attention to detail. Even so, this cannot be achieved by everyone. While many talented Japanese ballet dancers, working professionally worldwide, have shown individuality and high quality in their own rights, not all of them have the same level of musicality and sophistication as her. In this sense, she still remains a ‘special one’. In my humble opinion, her artistry is mostly due to her own talent, effort and dedication, although her internalised Japaneseness and discipline might have contributed to the process.
Having said that, I could see quite a few dancers of NBJ indeed embody Yoshida’s ballet spirit, soul, and sincerity towards ballet. Some even displayed a close level of tunefulness, which was so moving to witness. Having landed in her home country, Yoshida’s legacy has surely been passed on to younger generations who grew up idolising her, and it will thrive as long as the passion for ballet continues to grow in Japan.
On the other hand, we must remember that Yoshida cultivated her art and captured so many ballet fans’ hearts, especially here in the UK. It was Sir Peter Wright who encouraged her to express emotions through dancing, and it was her former companies, the Birmingham Royal Ballet as well as the Royal Ballet, where she bloomed. Although her initial training began in Japan, her real artistic seeds started to sprout into life here. There have been so many British and European ballet fans and dancers who have also admired Yoshida throughout her dancing career. On the night of ‘Giselle’, many of the audience were either British or European, including those who used to love watching Yoshida on stage.
Her influence is, therefore, not exclusive to Japanese dancers. Yoshida’s NBJ has proved that the love and dedication for ballet go beyond cultural or nationalistic borders. Over 100 years, the Japanese ballet has humbly and respectfully learned so many things from Europe. There may also be things that they can now offer to Europe, and even inspire the Continent. We know it has already started.
Eventually, we will not have to stereotype the dancer’s nationality when talking about their ballet. In fact, through this ‘Giselle’, what we saw on stage was pure ballet scenes that happened to be based in medieval Germany, regardless of where the company dancers actually came from.
Witnessing the wonder of NBJ in the Royal Opera House, I left the theatre thoroughly impressed, inspired and fascinated by the power of ballet, which is beyond the differences of nationality or cultural background. We were totally immersed in the story. It was just a ballet of breathtakingly high quality.
National Ballet of Japan: Giselle
https://www.rbo.org.uk/tickets-and-events/national-ballet-of-japan-giselle-details
New National Theatre, Tokyo (where NBJ is based)
