Adult Ballet Classes - Japan

[blaise]

I'm not sure if this is the best forum for this so, mods, move at your discretion. I did a search and didn't come up with much so maybe someone has some information for me.

 

I might be moving to Japan in the next few months (I'm pursuing a job teaching English there). The locations are still up in the air but the places I might wind up are Nagoya, Fukuoka, or the Tokyo area. I would like to continue dancing in the event I relocate so I was wondering if anyone knew of any ballet studios or dance schools (I do other types of dance as well) in any of those areas. I know my luck might be best in Tokyo but I'm still not sure if I'll wind up there. Any ideas as to where to look might be useful.

 

EDIT: AAAAHHHH!!!!! I just found out I got the job in Nagoya!

 

EDIT #2: AAAHHHHHH!!!!! I just found out I got a different job in Saitama, which is 30 minutes outside of Tokyo by train. YAY!!!!

[slowloris]

I'm Japanese, so I can search and get so many dance studios which offer open classes.

However language might be issue.

I could only search the following link.

 

http://www.dtol.ndirect.co.uk/listings.asp?country=Japan

 

I think this list is not all, but at first you might need to find out which area you are going.

In Japan, you can find ballet studio at every train station.

You might need to contact them to find out if they offer bi-lingual class.

[Mel Johnson]

Welcome, welcome, slowloris (LOVE that animal, except for the biting part) to Ballet Talk for Dancers.

 

There is a great deal of ballet in Japan, and you are correct that it is necessary to know where you're going before you try to find a school. Trains make everything reachable, but if you're in, say, Sapporo, it doesn't make a lot of sense to try to get to a school in Tokyo. Blaise, if you ARE in Tokyo, the Maki Asami school at the (former?) Tachibana Ballet Institute enjoys a fine reputation. The current Artistic Director is Mitani Kyozo. At least some thirty-five years ago, English was spoken.

[blaise]

Thanks for the information. It's looking more and more like I'll wind up in Nagoya. I'm considering an offer from schools near Tokyo and Yokohama as well but the Nagoya school seems like a better place to work (at least their interview process has been more professional and they would subsidize a swanky two bedroom apartment for me).

 

I know some pretty basic Japanese and I'll have a few months to intensively cram before going so hopefully language won't be an insurmountable obstacle in finding a new studio.

[slowloris]

Thanks, Mel Johnson! I really like the animal, it is so cute!

 

Okay, I could find two ballet companies in Nagoya. Be aware, those web pages are in Japanese.

Besides pro-companies, there are so many ballet schools in Nagoya too.

In Japan, open class is common for adult beginner.

You might need to contact each school to find out the levels of classes.

 

Good luck!

 

Reiko Matsuoka Ballet Company:

http://www.rm-ballet.com/school/index.html

Phone: +81-52-933-5360 or 0120-142-808 (free from Japan)

Contact via form: http://www.rm-ballet.com/company/contact.html

 

Ochi International ballet:

http://www.ochiballet.com/academy.html

Phone: +81-52-481-4488

email: info@ochiballet.com

 

List of ballet schools in Aichi pref.

http://www.j-b-a.or.jp/member_aichi.html

(This is a link from Japan Ballet Association)

 

http://www.123ballet.com/class/aichi/index.php

（Ballet Space - informational site）

[blaise]

Thank you so much for all the info. I also found the Okada Sumina Ballet in a Nagoya culture magazine. I just got another offer from a school in Saitama (which is part of the Greater Tokyo area) so I'm sure I'd be able to find a good dance school with bilingual classes there.

[gogators]

Google recently released a very cool translation tool, so searching and viewing websites in other languages (e.g., viewing a Japanese website in English) is no longer an issue!

 

Once you've located a website in another language that you want to view in English (or any other of 34 languages!), go to http://translate.google.com.

 

Then simply type in the website address, pick the desired language you want to read in, and voila!, the entire website is automatically translated!

 

Of course, the translation is not perfect, but it's pretty darn good and Google is constantly receiving "human" feedback on translation corrections, which gets fed back into their translation "machine."

[blaise]

I've been using google translation for my Japanese language needs lately and you get some hilarious translations. <3

 

Blaise, if you ARE in Tokyo, the Maki Asami school at the (former?) Tachibana Ballet Institute enjoys a fine reputation. The current Artistic Director is Mitani Kyozo. At least some thirty-five years ago, English was spoken.

 

Thanks, Mel. I've tried searching for a website or contact info for the school on google and couldn't find much. I found the company's website but all they have is a blurb describing the school. I suppose I could contact the company to ask about the school at some point. Do you happen to know if they have a website that maybe I just missed somehow? Thanks again. You guys have been super helpful.

[xSugarplum]

Saitama is a very nice area. There is a great ballet school in Tokyo called the International Dance School. It has people of all races and Nationalities. I would suggest you try there. It is in between Shibuya and Ebisu, so it is very central and probably would take you about 45 mins by train from Saitama area. They offer children's classes as well as serious adult classes which offer pointe, performing, and pas de deux.

 

http://www.internationaldance.com/

 

There is no page in English that I found so if you need any specific information just let me know.

 

I don't recommend the Google Language Tools. They are very bad and don't translate anything correctly. The best thing you can do actually is use a Japanese translation tool, they work better.

 

Try:

http://www.excite.co.jp/world/english/

http://nifty.amikai.com/amitext/indexUTF8.jsp

http://translation.infoseek.co.jp/

 

If you know Japanese well but are a bit iffy on the kanji, you can install Rikaichan for Firefox which lets you hover over a word and have the hiragana letters for it instead, as well as the word's meaning in English.

 

Good luck.

[blaise]

You're a doll, xSugarplum. I was actually looking at that school and they look awesome. Unfortunately, I misunderstood the location the school meant. The school wants to send me to Misato in Saitama prefecture, not Saitama city. According to WikiTravel, forest covers about 3/4 of the town of Misato . . . I think I might be too much of a New Yorker for that.

 

I guess Nagoya it is!

[Shannonian101]

I was in Nagoya last February, and I saw a billboard for Nagoya Ballet School. Could that be a possibility for a new studio, too blaise? Also, congratulations on your new job. I grew up in Nagoya, it is a great city with great people.

[blaise]

You grew up in Nagoya? That's awesome. You know this means I'm going to harass you via PM now right?

[Shannonian101]

No problem, I would be happy to share any information about Nagoya!

[slowloris]

If you can take classes in Tokyo, there are a lot of bilingual classes available.

I just found a good list. Contact them to find out your convenient one.

 

http://stage2.csidenet.com/schoollist/index2.htm

[blaise]

I'm moving to Nagoya, but after my one year contract is up, I'd like to relocate to Tokyo or Kyoto so the information is still very helpful. Thank you thank you thank you. You are all beautiful snowflakes.