The 2025 Coffret opened with a performance of “The Firebird,” faithful to the original staging of the Michael Fokine choreographed, Igor Stravinsky, one act classic. Like a precious heirloom that still maintains its outdated, somewhat lackluster elegance, there was still a lot to admire.
In Fokine’s version, only the Firebird’s choreography really matters, and first soloist Risako Ikeda rose stunningly to the occasion as a last-minute cast change due to injury. Ikeda’s brilliance was truly impressive, from her quick footwork to her expressive arms, her light leaps and explosive jetés. Full of verve and confidence, Ikeda imbued the Firebird with a lively cunning, at turns diabolical and whimsical. When Ivan Tsarevich (Takuro Watanabe) captures her in the magical forest, there is no sense of fear—only playful deliberation as the cool Firebird considers how best to proceed.
Later, she brings the same sense of cold detachment to her dominant majesty over the (not so) Immortal Kostchei, (irresistibly strange as portrayed by Masahiro Nakaya) and his army of fey minions, all brilliantly costumed by Natalia Goncharova. It’s a surreal feast for the eyes as Ikeda’s imperious authority directs the dancers into increasingly frenzied, highly entertaining sequences until the final shattering climax.
Despite these flashes of brilliance, there are reasons “The Firebird” has been repeatedly updated over the decades, by George Balanchine over several iterations or more recently by Alexei Ratmansky in 2012. Watanbe as Tsarevich has nothing much to do with dancing at all except some ho-hum partner work; Tsarevna (Misato Uchida) and the Enchanted Princesses, garbed in long white dresses here, bring a dreamy elegance to the magical forest, but don’t add much for dance, although I admired their sprightly apple-tossing.
The long denouement forsakes choreography altogether for a ceremonial, royalist staging as harmony is restored and the kingdom reclaimed. For traditionalists (like many Japanese ballet fans in the audience) this pageant is undoubtedly as expected. It makes a clear statement to the Company’s fealty to classical ballet, honoring its traditions in Sergei Diaghilev’s iconic Ballets Russes with one of its most beloved works.
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