description Bugaku (Balanchine) Overview
“Bugaku,” choreographed by George Balanchine in 1956, is a rarely performed work that adapts the movements and aesthetic principles of traditional Japanese court music and dance – *bugaku* – into a distinctly modern balletic form.
help Bugaku (Balanchine) FAQ
When was George Balanchine's Bugaku created?
Bugaku premiered in 1963, after New York City Ballet's Japanese tour and the 1959 American visit by the Imperial Gagaku musicians and dancers. Balanchine commissioned the score from Japanese composer Toshiro Mayuzumi in 1962.
What does bugaku refer to in this ballet?
Bugaku is the dance component of gagaku, the court music tradition of Japan. Balanchine translated its formal atmosphere and controlled movement into choreography for a modern Western ballet company.
Who composed the music for Bugaku?
The score was written by Toshiro Mayuzumi, using Western instrumentation to suggest Japanese court music. It was commissioned by Balanchine for New York City Ballet rather than being an arrangement of an older court score.
Is Bugaku a narrative ballet with named characters?
No, it is primarily an abstract work built around movement, design and musical atmosphere. Its Japanese reference comes from the aesthetic of gagaku and bugaku, not from a plot adapted from a specific Japanese legend.
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