What’s On
Casse-Noisette
Love of ballet and mother: Béjart’s masterpiece returns to celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth.
10 – 11 January 2027
Opera Palace | NEW NATIONAL THEATRE, TOKYO
Christmas Eve, a child is sitting alone beside a sparse Christmas tree. A few garlands from former Christmases hang sadly on its branches. The child’s mother is dead. Suddenly, like a dream or as if by magic, his mother is there beside him and leaves a small gift under the tree. The enchanted night begins. The gift grows bigger and becomes a miraculous icon. Happy family conversations, a joyful ballet class, training in the boy scouts, a beautiful pas de deux of the boy and mother… This boy, Bim, 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. Casse-Noisette was created by Maurice Béjart with a similar sentiment, set to Tchaikovsky’s festive score and pieces added by the choreographer, beautifully revealing the secret behind the birth of the great choreographer.
Maurice Béjart was born on the first of January 1927. The Tokyo Ballet celebrates the 100th anniversary of the choreographic giant with four performances of the brilliant ballet, Casse-Noisette, filled with love of ballet and mother. Gil Roman will join the celebration to dance as Petit Père. Don’t miss out!
Casse-Noisette
Ballet in two acts
Choreography Maurice Béjart
Music Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Vincent Scotto, Joseph Moutet, Johann Sebastian Bach
Original Music for Accordion Yvette Horner
Maurice Béjart
(1927-2007)
photo: Marcel Imsand
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 when 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, including The Kabuki and M for The Tokyo Ballet, until his last days of life.
Gil Roman
Guest Artist
photo: Toru Hiraiwa
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
Sunday 10 January 2027, 13:00 @ Opera Palace | NEW NATIONAL THEATRE, TOKYO
Sunday 10 January 2027, 18:00 @ Opera Palace | NEW NATIONAL THEATRE, TOKYO
Monday 11 January 2027, 12:00 @ Opera Palace | NEW NATIONAL THEATRE, TOKYO
Monday 11 January 2027, 16:00 @ Opera Palace | NEW NATIONAL THEATRE, TOKYO
Cast
| Sun 10 Jan, 13:00 | Sun 10 Jan, 18:00 | Mon 11 Jan, 14:00 | Mon 11 Jan, 16:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BIM - le fils | Yugo Yamashita | Haruo Niyama | Yugo Yamashita | Haruo Niyama |
| ELLE - la mère | Emi Masamoto | Kotone Hasegawa | Emi Masamoto | Kotone Hasegawa |
| FÉLIX - le chat | Shoma Ikemoto | Arata Miyagawa | Shoma Ikemoto | Arata Miyagawa |
| M… (Marius Petipa, Méphisto, M…) | Suguru Otsuka | Dan Tsukamoto | Suguru Otsuka | Dan Tsukamoto |
| Deux Anges | Tsukasa Okazaki Tomoya Nakashima |
Sou Toriumi Kentaro Goto |
Tsukasa Okazaki Tomoya Nakashima |
Sou Toriumi Kentaro Goto |
| Deux Fées | Akimi Denda Yurika Mikumo |
Kurumi Kato Eriko Nakazawa |
Akimi Denda Yurika Mikumo |
Kurumi Kato Eriko Nakazawa |
| Grand Pas de Deux | Akira Akiyama Ryunosuke Ubukata |
Hitomi Kaneko Keita Yasumura |
Akira Akiyama Ryunosuke Ubukata |
Hitomi Kaneko Keita Yasumura |
| Petit Père | Gil Roman | Gil Roman | Dan Tsukamoto | Gil Roman |
*Casting as of 24 July 2026 is subject to change.
Running Time About 2 hours and 10 minutes including an intermission.
Tickets (tax included)
| Category | ||
|---|---|---|
| S | ¥16,000 | |
| A | ¥12,000 | |
| B | ¥9,000 | |
| C | ¥7,000 | |
| D | ¥5,000 | |
| 25 and Under | ¥3,000 | |
◆ Children under 5 years old are not admitted to the auditorium.
◆ Program and casting as of 24 July 2026 are subject to change. Changes in the program or the cast do not entitle
holders to return or exchange tickets.
Ticket Sale Dates
General on-sale at NBS begins on
Tuesday 8 September 2026, 10:00 AM
Presales at NBS WEB Tickets (Categories S, A, B, C & D)
Tuesday 1 September, 19:00 – Sunday 6 September 2026, 18:00
Presales and Discount Tickets at NBS WEB Tickets and NBS Ticket Center
To purchase presale and discount tickets at NBS WEB Tickets, 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.
◆ Parent and Child Tickets (Categories S & A)
Parent and Child Tickets (for children aged 5 to 18 years) will go on sale from Wednesday 7
October 2026, 10:00 at NBS WEB Tickets 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 for the
price category you have selected.
◆ 25 and Under Tickets
¥3,000 tickets for those aged 5 to 25 years go on sale on Wednesday 9 December 2026, 19:00
at NBS WEB Tickets. 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.
◆ 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 Tickets 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.
- 主催：公益財団法人日本舞台芸術振興会
- 後援：一般社団法人日本バレエ団連盟
- 助成：
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本公演は、「令和8年度 文化庁 劇場・音楽堂等における子供舞台芸術鑑賞体験支援事業」です。
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