―After a long time, Aladdin is coming back! Not only the dancers who have performed at the previous performances, but also the dancers who are dancing for the first time are very much looking forward to the opportunity.

Me, too! I am also very happy to meet the dancers of the National Ballet of Japan again. It's been 16 years since I made it. I was just thinking about it on the way in, that it was a really good time, a really happy time for me. And it was also the time when I was first spoken to about directing the company at the New National Theatre Tokyo. It was also a crazy time. I just remember I had to work so quickly with such a speed. A lot of things were coming at once. But it was really, really exciting!
When you make a new piece, it doesn't occur to you until the opening night whether the audience will like it. But in Aladdin, everything just worked so well and the audience accepted it with enthusiasm. There are very few pieces that I make where I do not revise. I usually change substantially but for Aladdin, I didn't change anything from the premiere.

―That proves the production has such a high level of perfection. I still remember very clearly the excitement I felt when I heard the overture on the first day. Every music brings back every scene in the production.

Yes! It's a great opening and it sets the scene. That was the style of the composer Carl Davis. He is an accomplished composer of cinematic music as well as concert music. He also knew a great deal about ballet. He is really professional and wrote music not only for many British ballet companies but also for the American companies.
One day, he had given me the CD, the recording of the original Aladdin. To be honest, I wasn't interested in the subject at the time. I just thought I got to listen to it at least, so I put it in the car so that I could listen to it when I drove to the theatre which took about an hour and a half. As I heard the music, it got me immediately, "Yes! I have to make it!"

―There are a number of scenes that could be performed at a gala independently.

The story itself is light and not complicated, so I think the fun and the interest are in its stylistic beauty. There are various scenes, and you can enjoy various scenes and styles like an exposition. For example, in the cave scene in Act I, various jewels will appear, and I try to show different styles and techniques behind. Ruby is a kind of Soviet-style partnering giving a brilliant vibe. For the sapphire, something very soft, English dance or like...maybe Ashton. All of these different characters stand out, so you can enjoy the dance itself and that is the fun, not the story. The story is very simple, but it also has depth. It is about the power of love against the domineering power. So it depicts that love is greater than power.
When I made Aladdin, the company was not so used to making a new work. And I was not familiar with this company then. When I choreograph, I usually do not speak much. You do not sit down and talk to them about the characters and the piece itself, but you just have to make the steps and show them to make them understand. I am proud of Aladdin because it is very well made. Whether you like it or not, I am very proud of it.

From the 2019 performance

―After working with you, I think there has been a change in the dancers of the company. During the interviews, many dancers started to speak out their thoughts with their own words.

Thank you and if so, I'm glad. I noticed when we first performed Carmina Burana at the NNTT. I felt that Japanese dancers have very good things, so they need to put their inside out and put them on the performances as an expression. I was really lucky because I had top-level dancers who had an ability to do what I was looking for. When the top dancers set a good example the young dancers will follow them.

―Different types of dancers are casted in the role of Aladdin and The Djinn of the Lamp. Even dancers who are not that tall were dancing Aladdin.

It is not necessary to be tall to dance the role of Aladdin. The tall dancers have many opportunities to dance with their partners and know how to lift, but Mr. Akimitsu Yahata, who was selected for the premiere, is not tall and has almost no experience in partnering. That's why it was a challenge, and it will expand the possibilities of the dancers. It is good for them.
The dancers I choose is based on their talent rather than physical condition, so there may have been a surprising cast. In the case of a corps de ballet, the emphasis would be on being in good physical shape. But Aladdin is the main character, and he needs to be a star. Talent is more important than height.

―Compared to the days when you were artistic director of the NNTT, do you feel that the ballet company and dancers have changed?

The last time I was here and saw them directly was before COVID-19. During the pandemic, I watched the rehearsal on Zoom from 6 in the morning(laughs), but I can't tell you how it has changed yet, because I won't be actually rehearsing with the current dancers until now.
As artistic director, I have been watching the Birmingham Royal Ballet for 25 years, and the ballet company never stays still. The dancers change from year to year, and it is common for them to transfer to other companies overseas. This is common for the international ballet company. But many of the dancers I know are still there. These days, there are dancers who train well and can dance as well as they did when they were young, even at the age of 40, without diminishing their ability. So I don't have the impression that they have changed that much.
Yes, there were changes, Miyako is increasing the number of performances which is really wonderful! Also, it is good that the cast could be made up of the dancers from the company entirely. There are so many good dancers in the company, you don't need guest dancers.

―Could you tell us about your thoughts on the performance of the coming Aladdin?

I made the ballet for the National Ballet of Japan. Many roles casting many dancers. I also took it to Birmingham and also performed it at the Houston Ballet, but, for me, they were not the same. Aladdin is, after all, a work created here for the National Ballet of Japan. It was embraced by them and I am just thrilled and delighted that it goes from generation to generation. And I made it for the audience to delight them, make them enjoy, think, and laugh. Ballet will take you away from the world. I am so delighted that the company is doing Aladdin again and hope you enjoy it in June.