A performance that shines like a 'Jewel'
By Mieko Sasaki Special to The Daily Yomiuri

Ballet de l'Opera National de Paris, one of world's top ballet companies, began its seventh Japan tour after a three-year absence with George Balanchine's Jewels on March 22 at Tokyo Bunka Kaikan in Ueno, Tokyo. The work requires a stellar selection of soloists, and the performance was a showcase of the company's eminent dancers, mainly comprising its best etoiles and high-ranked premiers danseurs.

Jewels, made up of "Emeralds," "Rubies" and "Diamonds," premiered in New York in 1967 and is a relatively new work for the Paris Opera Ballet, which did not stage the production in its entirety until December 2000.

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