A slight fashion-malfunction also became a crowd-pleaser. In the matinee I attended, up-and-comers Takumi Miyake and Yoon Jung Seo, both from the American Ballet Theatre, first impressed with their youthful energy in the grand pas de deux from “Don Quixote.” Alongside the expected explosive power (Miyake), cheeky verve (Seo) and the exacting his and hers fouetté sequences, a sudden mishap –Miyake’s cuff caught on Seo’s sumptuous beadwork—led to an impromptu spinning leap in exaggerated reaction once Miyake freed himself, an unexpected charmer that sparked both laughter and extended applause. 

New musical compositions led to innovative dance, with Japanese-American composer Shaun Kono-Peck behind two of the works. First and foremost was the show opener, “444,” a techno-groovy solo by a liquid Nozomi Iijima, a former principal with K-Ballet Tokyo, now freelance after the birth of her first child. Choreographed by street dancer and contemporary artist, Rion Watley, Iijima’s diaphanous skirt, accentuated with varied lighting, revealed her impressive range in long, slow extensions, brilliantly countered by sinuous upper body movement. 

The second by Kono-Peck, a reimagining of “Coppélia” as an AI voice come to life, was equally brilliant. Choreographed by Horiuchi, it featured Ruika Yokoyama (guest principal this season with K-Ballet Tokyo) and Yuki Nanye (the Tokyo Ballet). Horiuchi’s understated choreography—Yokoyama’s tentative steps forward on flexed feet or the unexpected pop of Nanye’s leaps backward—perfectly matched the restrained symmetry of their uncertain courtship. Clad simply in white undershirt and jeans (Nanye) to Yokoyama’s plain shift, their eventual coming together in partner work landed as a fresh meet-cute for the digital age. A beautifully executed split lift up and over, their buoyant, mirrored leaps, and the final, charming pose, where Yokoyama takes impish control—a Gen Z Pygmalion with a zing of equality. 

The first act came to a close with two works adding live music: first “Charles” a solo choreographed by Horiuchi featuring Charles Louis Yoshiyama (principal at Zurich Ballet) in a provocative weave of a costume I’m still trying to unravel, raw and ravishing. Accompanied onstage by cellist Yoshito Omiya, the cohesion of music and movement proved stunning. In an immediate upswing, Spanish-born Brazilian-Japanese gospel singer Marisa belted out “Everytime I Feel the Spirit” to Kentaro Mitsumori’s (Vienna State Ballet) spirited, funk-infused solo, closing down the curtain on a high note.