Ballet popularity in Japan growing by leaps and bounds

Japan is becoming a significant presence in the world of ballet, a recent survey shows, buoyed by a large number of aspiring dancers who benefit from close attention at small schools. The talents of Japanese ballet dancers came under the global spotlight most recently when 17-year-old Madoka Sugai won the prestigious Prix de Lausanne dance competition for young dancers earlier this month. According to a survey by Showa Academia Musicae, a Kawasaki-based music university, more than 400,000 people are expected to take ballet lessons throughout the country this year. (Yomiuri)