While she isn't ready to retire, prima ballerina Nina Ananiashvili's upcoming tour of Japan is set to be her last.
Ananiashvili, who is also artistic director of the State Ballet of Georgia, will dance in a nationwide run of "Swan Lake."
Mitsuko Terasawa, a spokesperson of performance organizers Japan Arts, says the upcoming show should be special.
"Ananiashvili was a prima ballerina at (Moscow's) Bolshoi Ballet ... where 'Swan Lake' was performed for the first time. The program, which requires great technique and expression, is one she excels at."
Terasawa confirms that this will likely be the 49-year-old ballerina's last performance as Odette and Odile in Japan due to her age.
The ballet company will also perform a special program consisting of Georgian traditional dance and the music of Georges Bizet in Tokyo on July 21.
The State Ballet of Georgia will perform "Swan Lake" at Bunka Kaikan in Tokyo on June 24, 27 and July 19; at Hyogo Performing Arts Center in Nishinomiya on June 30; at Okinawa Shimin Kaikan in Okinawa on July 3, 4; at Sinfonia Iwakuni in the city of Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, on July 7; at Hozan Hall in Kagoshima on July 11; at Aichi Arts Center in Nagoya on July 13; and at Granship Shizuoka in Shizuoka on July 16. (Ananiashvili will not perform July 3 or 11). The special program will be staged at Tokyo Bunka Kaikan on July 21. Ticket prices vary. For more information, visit www.japanarts.co.jp.
