Bejart's Kabuki Ballet

Traces the preparation for Marcel Bejart’s ballet production of “Chushingura” that was commissioned by the Tokyo Ballet in 1985 and saw a fusion between European ballet and Japanese Kabuki theatre. Choreographed by Bejart, the ballet was a simplification of a popular 9 hour Kabuki play based on a real incident in Japanese history of a group of 47 samurai who avenged the murder of their master and then committed ritual suicide. Bejart created harmony between the traditional Japanese theatrical form and European ballet through the incorporation of Kabuki gestures, movement techniques and props in the ballet’s choreography. Through the synthesis of dance and traditional Japanese costumes and the integration of Kabuki dance and theatre music into the orchestral composition that was to accompany the ballet. A ground breaking production for its unique combination of seemingly disparate performance cultures, “Chushingura” was the result of detailed research into the history of Kabuki theatre and dance and consultation with contemporary practitioners of the form. In footage of rehearsals and in interviews with Bejart and the Tokyo Ballet dancers, this process is discussed along with the themes that Bejart was exploring in the preparation for and final production of the ballet, complimented by mirrored sequences depicting a Kabuki performance of the popular tale and Bejart’s ballet. This documentary was also the Grand Prix Winner of the International Emmy Awards in 1986.