Mariam Eloshvili and Yonen Takano in Le Spectre de la Rose

Mariam Eloshvili as Girl and Yonen Takano as Rose in Le Spectre de la rose (Eng. The Spirit of the Rose). Choreography by Michel Fokine to the music of Carl Maria von Weber’s piano piece Aufforderung zum Tanz (English: Invitation to the Dance) as orchestrated by Hector Berlioz. State Ballet of Georgia at Johvi International Ballet Festival 2017, shot on 5.5.2017.

Le Spectre de la rose (English: The Spirit of the Rose) is a short ballet about a young girl who dreams of dancing with the spirit of a souvenir rose from her first ball. Jean-Louis Vaudoyer based the ballet story on a verse by Théophile Gautier. Michel Fokine choreographed the ballet to the music of Carl Maria von Weber’s piano piece Aufforderung zum Tanz (English: Invitation to the Dance) as orchestrated by Hector Berlioz in 1841. Léon Bakst designed the original Biedermeier sets and costumes. The ballet was first presented in Monte Carlo on 19 April 1911. Nijinsky danced The Rose and Tamara Karsavina danced The Young Girl. It was a great success. Spectre became internationally famous for the spectacular leap Nijinsky made through a window at the ballet’s end.

Yonen Takano is currently leading soloist with the State Ballet of Georgia. He was born in Nara, Japan. Trained from 2001-2008 at Kimika Kimura Atelier de Ballet in Yokohama, followed by the Vaganova Ballet Academy (class of Boris Bregvadze) in St. Petersburg, graduating in 2011. In September 2011 Takano joined the Mikhailovsky Ballet Theatre in St. Petersburg as one of the first dancers Nacho Duato personally selected for the company. Takano was awarded the Danseur Noble Prize at the Korean International Ballet Competition, Diploma at the Arabesque International Ballet Competition and the Rudolf Nureyev International Ballet Competition, and was finalist at the Helsinki International Ballet Competition. In June 2014 Yonen Takano joined the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre Ballet Company as soloist and danced leading roles. In 2015 Yonen Takano danced the leading part with Nina Ananiashvili in the ballet Le Spectre de la Rose by Mikhail Fokine.

Mariam Eloshvili is currently with the State Ballet of Georgia as member of the Corps de Ballet.

Photos by Jack Devant Ballet Photography with kind permission of the State Ballet of Georgia and Jõhvi Ballet Festival, special thanks to Piia Tamm.