J072 DVD Ballet Le Corsaire (The Pirate) - English National Ballet - Cojocaru & Erina Takahashi & Shiori Kase ★★ Used, but in near-new condition. The DVD is from 2014, so it's in excellent condition. ★★ Having watched ballet for 55 years, I haven't encountered a more beautiful production. Performers: ★ Two Japanese performers are featured, which is wonderful! Alina Cojocaru (Medora), 33 years old, still as beautiful as ever. Vadim Muntagirov (Conrad), as expected, is superb. Erina Takahashi (Gulnare), promoted to Principal in 2000, and Lead Principal in 2007. Shiori Kase (Odalisque), promoted to Principal in 2016. Recorded: 2014 Running Time: 1 hour 40 minutes Choreography: Anna-Marie Holmes (always beautiful direction) Orchestra: English National Ballet Philharmonic (the music is very gentle) Conductor: Gavin Sutherland ★★ This production of Le Corsaire is outstanding in its direction, choreography, set design, and costumes. It's exceptionally good. Cojocaru, Erina, and Muntagirov are all very beautiful. Don't you think Cojocaru is like Giselle? Alina Cojocaru (born May 27, 1981) is a Romanian ballerina. She was a Principal with the Royal Ballet for 12 years until July 2013. In the autumn of 2013, she transferred to the English National Ballet as a Lead Principal, where her former colleague Tamara Rojo is the artistic director. This production of Le Corsaire was likely the following year's work. ★★★ Having watched ballet for 55 years, I confidently recommend this as the highest-grade Le Corsaire production I know of. Recent productions include: ① Le Corsaire - Vienna State Ballet, 2016 ② Le Corsaire - La Scala, Milan, 2018 These two productions are excellent, but Russian productions aren't very good. It's good that Cojocaru moved to the English National Ballet (artistic director Tamara Rojo in 2012). As for ballet companies, while Akane Takada carries a heavy responsibility at the Royal Ballet after Miyako Yoshida's retirement, Erina Takahashi and Shiori Kase are active alongside Cojocaru at the National Ballet, which is wonderful. In this way, the National Ballet might be a higher-grade ballet company than the Royal Ballet. Also, in England, the Birmingham Royal Ballet is also of a high grade.