Francis, many thanks for seeting this up. I thought it might be useful to copy part of the original duscussion over here to set the ball rolling:<P>****************************************<P>Kevin Ng Member posted December 12, 2000 18:58 <P>Yes, there's increasing demand for ballet in China, unlike here in Hong Kong. (ABT's season here wasn't a big commercial success, e.g., though it was an artistic triumph for the company and the local dance scene.) Dance Theatre of Harlem just toured China last month as well. The advantage of China is that it has the largest population in the world. But I still think that Tokyo is the ballet capital in Asia, if not in the world.<P>Azlan Administrator posted December 13, 2000 14:09 <P>Kevin,<P>quote:<P>'But I still think that Tokyo is the ballet capital in Asia, if not in the world.'<P>What would make Tokyo a contender for the ballet capital of the world? Is it sheer number of companies or patrons?<P>Kevin Ng Member posted December 13, 2000 17:51 <P>Azlan, Tokyo gets more touring from the world's top companies and stars than New York, e.g. And this year, I remember that the Japanese audiences have seen Vladimir Malakhov, Sylvie Guillem, Carlos Acosta, Svetlana Lunkina, Nicolas Le Riche etc. guesting with the Japanese companies. And I heard that Vladimir Malakhov gets paid far more in Japan than in New York, as the Japanese impresarios are very generous financially.<P>Their visiting companies this year include the Kirov (4 weeks), La Scala, New York City Ballet etc. Last summer there were several galas including the World Ballet Festival which featured many of the top names in the business.<P>Azlan Administrator posted December 13, 2000 22:17 <P>Thanks for the info, Kevin. So, I guess it is the high demand and appreciation that ballet gets in Tokyo that makes it a serious contender for the top city for ballet.<P>I wonder how many other cities there are like that.<P>Basheva Moderator posted December 14, 2000 08:23 <P>Kevin - that is very interesting. I never realized it. I would like to ask how is the ballet doing amongst the population? I mean how is ballet doing in a national company in Japan? With Japanese home grown talent?<BR>
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