THE BALLET
ISMANIEN — A Contemporary Ballet by Ida Haag
World Premiere · Osaka 2026
A Story of Rediscovering the Self That Was Once Lost
ISMANIEN is a contemporary ballet and an international collaboration between Sweden, the United Kingdom and Japan.
- World premiere
- 19 September 2026 · Osaka, Japan
- Choreography
- Mayu Uesugi
- Original score
- Polo Piatti
- Story adaptation
- Martina Mars
- Original story & artwork
- Ida Haag
- Performed by
- Niconomiel Ballet Company and guest actors
Saturday 19 September 2026, 18:00Sunday 20 September 2026, 14:00Dawn Center, Osaka, Japan
THE BALLET
The Ballet: A Journey of Self-Discovery
On 19 September 2026, Ismanien will have its world premiere in Osaka, Japan.
It is a unique international collaboration between Japan, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
A contemporary ballet performed by the Niconomiel Ballet Company and choreographed by Mayu Uesugi, the production features an original score composed by Polo Piatti, dancers from the company and guest actors.
Based on the original story by Swedish artist Ida Haag, Ismanien—the ballet—portrays the quiet refuge she created in her imagination as a child.
The ballet transforms an epic battle into a personal triumph, as Vera draws upon her inner strength to rescue herself from the shadows of her past.
From the Book to the Ballet Stage
When Martina Mars adapted this mythology for the international contemporary ballet stage, the core characters remained—including Vera’s parents, Ada and Sten, and the oppressive Authority Figure.
In the original story, we follow the central protagonist, Vera, on a mission to save the Real World from the Authority Figure.
In the ballet, her mission becomes something even more profound.
Vera’s relationship with Ismanien shifts. Instead of saving the Real World, Ismanien helps Vera understand who she truly is by guiding her towards saving herself.
The Mirror of Reality
The characters on stage are drawn directly from the original paintings and sculptures—the very beings once created to protect a young girl who sought refuge in her own imagination.
By uniting this narrative with dance and music, the production finds the strength to begin again in the Real World.
Through the ballet, a deeper truth comes to light as the boundaries between fiction and reality begin to blur.
It becomes clear that Ismanien was never merely a story.
It was a gentle, subconscious sanctuary created by a child to guide her own soul out of darkness—helping her break free from the past and step into her own strength.
Today, this contemporary ballet has become a meaningful vehicle for healing. It marks the long-awaited transformation of a private survival mechanism into a shared artistic expression.
Has the circle finally closed…
or will the story continue?