FUKUSHIMA--Ballet students in Fukushima Prefecture received world-class instruction and encouragement on July 26 as top dancers from the internationally renowned Paris Opera Ballet stopped by to give lessons.
FUKUSHIMA--Ballet students in Fukushima Prefecture received world-class instruction and encouragement on July 26 as top dancers from the internationally renowned Paris Opera Ballet stopped by to give lessons.
The accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant three years ago led to a drop in the number of students at one ballet school the Paris dancers appeared at.
However, the top dancers, including etoile Dorothee Gilbert, told the students who had gathered at the Hitomi Takeuchi Ballet School to keep looking forward because difficulties could be overcome as long as they maintained their passion for ballet.
Cheers arose from the 30 or so students who had come for the lesson as the Paris dancers appeared at the ballet school in Fukushima city at 3 p.m. The students carefully scrutinized the movements of world-class dancers they likely never dreamed of meeting or seeing up close.
"I learned the importance of perfecting each and every pose," said Mayu Sakai, 18, who plans to study at a ballet school in Chicago from September. "I want to become a ballerina who can perform anywhere in the world."
Another participant at the July 26 lesson was Rio Sato, 16, who had returned to Japan temporarily from Britain where she is studying at the Royal Ballet School in London. Sato had to give up competing in an international competition that was held in the United States because of the March 11, 2011, natural disasters. However, the Royal Ballet School allowed her to enroll because her skills were evaluated highly.
"Top dancers can make people happy simply by being there," Sato said. "I want to make my ballet more beautiful and skillful."
The Hitomi Takeuchi Ballet School had about 200 students practicing at three locations before the Fukushima nuclear accident. However, about 40 students had to give up ballet after they were forced to evacuate.
Even those who continued to practice at the school had to take extra precautions amid the aftershocks that followed the Great East Japan Earthquake. Clothes and valuables were kept near the entrance to the practice room so students could grab their belongings and flee quickly in the event of a strong temblor.
The special ballet lessons were organized by the French Embassy in Tokyo. This was the second set of lessons following those held in Sendai and Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecture in 2012.
Two ballet schools in Fukushima city were chosen this time to provide an opportunity for children who were impacted by the Fukushima nuclear accident. The special tutelage will also be held in Sendai and Ishinomaki on July 27.