"POLA presents BALLET TheNewClassic 2026," held at the New National Theatre Tokyo Playhouse from Thursday, July 30 to Sunday, August 2, 2026, has closed with all six performances sold out.
The production's concept is to fuse ballet with creators and reinterpret classical ballet for the present day. Following the 2022 and 2024 productions, this is the third consecutive time that every performance has sold out.
Response to "BALLET TheNewClassic 2026" selling out every performance
For "BALLET TheNewClassic," Yumiko Inoue serves as creative director and Shohei Horiuchi as producer.
The 2026 concept is "Well-Mannered Delinquents." It is an attempt to express, in a new form, the physical beauty cultivated through classical ballet technique together with creators active across borders.
Lighting and spatial design was by Yuka Hisamatsu, and costumes were supervised by stylist Tomoko Kojima, with Part 1 created by Kakan Kudo (KAKAN) and Part 2 by Takuya Sunagawa (mister it.).
Makeup design was by Yoko Minami, hair design by NORI TAKABAYASHI (YARD), promotional art by Yuichi Ishii (OTUA), and editing and writing by Akiko Tominaga (Thursday), and a total of eight works were presented.
Richly individual programs and collaboration with creators
The performance opened with "444," choreographed by Rion Watley. Nozomi Iijima, enveloped in smoke and beams of light, expressed the choreography with a divine quality, instantly transforming the atmosphere of the venue.
Next came the Rose Adagio from "The Sleeping Beauty." In this work, in which seven men and women surround Shoko Nakamura, the traditional setting of Princess Aurora was transcended to portray a sublime woman radiating the brilliance of the life she has lived so far.
On a stage where fresh red roses scattered, piano playing arranged by Ayako Hata quietly enveloped the hall.
"Coppélia" brought a classical ballet about a young man in love with a doll into contemporary society. It told the story of a simple young man, danced by Yuki Minamie, who falls in love with an AI (android) played by Ruka Yokoyama.
Abstract music composed by Shaun Kono-Peck and futuristic lighting by Yuka Hisamatsu drew the audience into another world.
The energy rose sharply with "Don Quixote." Two pairs, Seo Yun-jung with Takumi Miyake, and Haruka Sasa with Ryota Kitai, performed passionately on alternating days.
The many powerful jumps and turns drew ceaseless applause from the audience.
After that afterglow, a fantastical mirrored world unfolded in the Adagio from Act II of "Swan Lake." The two swans, danced by Sena Hidaka and Mizuki Nakajima, rewrote the traditional setting in which the male is a human prince and offered a new interpretation.
The bodysuit costumes showed off their tall, beautiful physiques without reserve, and, reflected in the many acrylic panels surrounding the stage, they multiplied again and again as if copied in a mirror.
The sound of a cello rang out of the darkness, and the stage was instantly gripped by tension. In "Charles," Charles-Louis Yoshiyama, who appeared wrapped in sheep's wool, showed his strength to the heavy, intense melody played by cellist Rihito Omiya.
Closing Part 1 was Kentaro Mimori. Appearing in bursting hair and makeup and costume, he gave a stunning performance to the passionate singing by singer MARISA of the gospel song "Every Time I Feel The Spirit," which she arranged herself.
The venue erupted as if at a live concert, and Part 1 came to a close.
Part 2 "BALLET Lesson" and spatial staging
Part 2, "BALLET Lesson," was staged with the theater imagined as a rehearsal studio. Using the daily lessons that ballet dancers do in the studio as its motif, 12 dancers gathered on stage and showed off one technique after another.
DJ 1,2 on stage remixed familiar Tchaikovsky ballet music, and piano playing by Ayako Hata rang out in between. Incorporating iconic choreography from classical works into the steps, the staging highlighted each dancer's individuality as if in a dance battle, and the audience applauded and cheered throughout.
Not only the stage but also the venue's foyer was staged as a space expressing the world of the performance.
The entrance was decorated by flower artist Yuji Ueno. A work fusing ballet costumes and trees greeted visitors, and inside the venue was displayed "The Story of the Rose," a work Ueno expressed with his own sensibility, inspired by "Rose Adagio" from Part 1.
Between pieces, the venue's seating space was filled with original cello recordings, making it a performance in which the pursuit of a new standard (New Classic) was woven into every detail.
Special exhibition "Forms of Life" held at POLA GINZA
Even after the performances, a special exhibition, "Forms of Life," a collaboration between POLA and "BALLET TheNewClassic," is being held.
The exhibition runs through Sunday, September 13, 2026, on the 1st floor of POLA GINZA (1-7-7 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo).
The exhibition displays mock-ups born in the design process of "B.A," POLA's top-of-the-line brand, along with photographic works by Yumiko Inoue capturing the physical beauty of the performing dancers. It is a special space to meet the dancers who appeared in the performance and discover their new charms again.
"Forms of Life" exhibition overview
Dates and times: Wednesday, August 5 to Sunday, September 13, 2026, 10:00-19:00 (in line with business hours)
Venue: POLA GINZA, 1st floor (1-7-7 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo)
Contents:
Panels and photo-cloth tapestries of new works by photographer Yumiko Inoue
Design mock-up display tracing the history of B.A
Screening of the B.A and BTNC creative stories
Brand experience with a B.A Lotion touch-up
Performing dancers and creators
DANCERS
Nozomi Iijima, Ryota Kitai (Polish National Ballet / Principal), Haruka Sasa (Staatsballett Berlin / Principal), Seo Yun-jung (American Ballet Theatre / Soloist), Mizuki Nakajima (The New National Theatre Tokyo Ballet / First Artist), Shoko Nakamura (K-BALLET TOKYO / Honorary Principal), Yuki Minamie (The Tokyo Ballet / Soloist), Sena Hidaka (K-BALLET TOKYO / Principal), Kentaro Mimori (Vienna State Ballet / Principal), Takumi Miyake (American Ballet Theatre / Soloist), Ruka Yokoyama (Thüringer Staatsballett / Principal), Charles-Louis Yoshiyama (Ballett Zürich / Principal), Kei Sugino, Ami Suzuki, Shunya Nakajima, Kei Nakamura (The New National Theatre Tokyo Ballet / First Artist), Yui Nikaido, Naoya Nishiguchi, Yoshiki Watanabe
MUSICIANS
Cello: Rihito Omiya, Gospel: MARISA, Piano: Ayako Hata, DJ: DJ 1,2
CREATORS & STAFF
Choreography: Rion Watley ("444"), William Dugan ("Every Time I Feel The Spirit"), Shohei Horiuchi and others
Costume supervision: Tomoko Kojima
Costume design (Part 1): Kakan Kudo (KAKAN)
Costume design (Part 2): Takuya Sunagawa (mister it.)
Makeup design: Yoko Minami
Hair design: NORI TAKABAYASHI (YARD)
Piano (arrangement and performance): Ayako Hata
Cello and composition ("Charles"): Rihito Omiya
Composition ("444," "Coppélia"): Shaun Kono-Peck
Lighting and spatial design: Yuka Hisamatsu
Venue floral decoration: Yuji Ueno
Promotional art: Yuichi Ishii (OTUA)
Editing and writing: Akiko Tominaga (Thursday)
Creative direction: Yumiko Inoue (ALEXANDRE)
Producer: Shohei Horiuchi (NewClassic)
Organizer: "BALLET TheNewClassic" Executive Committee
