The Tokyo Ballet: Maurice Béjart's "M"

The choreography “M“, originally created by Maurice Béjart for The Tokyo Ballet in 1993, vividly portrays the life of Yukio Mishima—one of the most renowned Japanese authors of the 20th century. He was poet, playwriter, actor, and model as well. Mishima remains a controversial figure even fifty-five years after his death, and this ballet captures the intensity of his legacy. From its opening moments, M seizes the audience’s attention and never relinquishes it. Like Mishima’s novels, frequently referenced throughout, the work fuses Japanese and modern Western styles into a rich tapestry of movement. The choreography brims with lush vocabulary and bold metaphors, exploring the inseparable ties between beauty, eroticism, and death.  Seamlessly shifting from classical ballet to modern dance, with evocative gestures drawn from Noh and Kabuki, M is perfectly attuned to the artistry of the Japanese company for which it was conceived.