World Premiere of KIMIKO'S PEARL to be Presented at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre

Bravo Niagara! will present THE WORLD PREMIERE OF NEW CANADIAN BALLET KIMIKO'S PEARL.

A story of war, sacrifice and renewal based on the Japanese Canadian internment of WWII.

Bravo Niagara! has announced Kimiko's Pearl: a new, original ballet based on the Japanese Canadian internment of WWII. This marks the first time this tragic wartime experience has been told through ballet.

Commissioned and produced by Bravo Niagara!, the ballet is based on a story by Emmy Award-winning writer Howard Reich and inspired by the family history of Bravo Niagara! co-founders Christine Mori and her daughter Alexis Spieldenner, who serve as co-creators and producers of the ballet. Presented by the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre (250 St. Paul St, St. Catharines), tickets are available now for the world premiere performances on June 22 at 7:30 p.m. and June 23 at 2:30 p.m.

Kimiko's Pearl tells the story of four generations of the Ayukawa family of Mission, B.C. whose lives were forever changed. From 1942 to 1949, the Canadian government uprooted, interned, permanently dispossessed, and displaced over 22,000 Japanese Canadians.

Born during the pandemic, the production, which has been in development for over three years, brings together a diverse team of creators from Canada and the U.S. and uniquely bridges three generations of Japanese Canadians.

Kimiko's Pearl comes to life onstage through original music by Kevin Lau (Le Petit Prince, The National Ballet of Canada) and choreography by Yosuke Mino (Royal Winnipeg Ballet). The ensemble of dancers includes Kyra Soo (Royal Winnipeg Ballet), Yue Shi (Boston Ballet), Chenxin Liu (Boston Ballet), Liam Caines (Royal Winnipeg Ballet), Rachel Gibbs (Coastal City Ballet), Liam Saito (Royal Winnipeg Ballet), and Yayoi Ban (Royal Winnipeg Ballet).

The production also features sound design by Aaron Tsang and musicians Ron Korb (flute), Conrad Chow (violin), and Rachel Mercer (cello), as well as projections featuring Ayukawa family photographs and original commissioned artwork by Norman Takeuchi, CM, Lillian Yano Blakey, Emma Nishimura, and Miya Turnbull.

Kimiko's Pearl was inspired by the Ayukawa family trunk, currently in the collection of the Canadian War Museum, which was built by Christine Mori's grandfather Shizuo Ayukawa in the New Denver Internment Camp of B.C. The story of the ballet - spanning over a century - is told through the eyes of Kimiko, a 15-year-old Toronto girl who discovers this old family trunk containing her great-grandfather's diary and other precious keepsakes. As Kimiko reads the diary, her family's tale comes to life. Her great-grandfather Shizuo leaves his home in Japan in 1917 to start a new life in Canada. He marries Natsue, a "picture bride" from Kagoshima, and they become berry farmers in Mission, B.C. But after the attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941, their lives and the lives of their descendants are irrevocably changed.

Kimiko's Pearl reflects the tragedies, triumphs and perseverance of Japanese Canadians before, during and after the Japanese Canadian internment. Their harsh experiences attest to heroism and hope in the face of racism.

"As a fourth-generation Japanese Canadian, I hope this deeply personal story sheds light on a dark chapter in Canadian history and takes audiences on a journey of intergenerational healing and hope." -Co-creator and Producer Alexis Spieldenner

The world premiere of Kimiko's Pearl will be presented by the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre on June 22-23, 2024 in St. Catharines, Ontario. Tickets range from $25-65. Visit KimikosPearl.com to learn more.

Following the world premiere, Kevin Lau's Kimiko's Pearl Symphonic Suite, commissioned by Bravo Niagara! and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, will be premiered on April 9 and 11, 2025, as part of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra's 2024-25 Masterworks Series. Learn more here.

Bravo Niagara! also intends to tour the ballet Kimiko's Pearl to select cities throughout Canada. More information to come.

Photo credit: Alex Heidbuechel

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