Pink Bugaku

Music Bugaku Toshiro Mayuzumi (1962)

Choreography George Balanchine (1963)

Bugaku is one of the oldest dance forms in the world. These deeply beautiful expressions of balance and restraint were the dances that made up the four elements of Bugaku, the dance of the Japanese Imperial Court. Balanchine’s choreography paid tribute to the refinement of Japanese music and the bugaku dance tradition. NYCB had visited Japan in 1958 and the Gagaku Company of the Imperial Household came to the US in 1959.

In 1962 , Balachine worked with the composer Mayuzumi to meld music and dance into what would become Balanchine’s deeply respectful nod to the dance form and tradition that is bugaku.

Karinska chose the chrysanthemum as her inspiration for this piece as it figures widely into Japanese culture. It is not just a symbol of longevity and rejuvenation, but the chrysanthemum is the Imperial Family Emblem. The underside of this tutu is constructed as would be the actual flower. This detail, not necessarily seen by the audience, was meant to elevate the dancer’s experience by knowing that the costume was not just a façade but a complete object made for the transformation of the performance.