CUPCAKES & CONVERSATION IS BALLET NEWS’ FLAGSHIP INTERVIEW SERIES WITH PROFESSIONAL BALLET DANCERS GLOBALLY. FOR MORE THAN A DECADE, BALLET NEWS HAS BEEN ASKING THE QUESTIONS YOU WANT ANSWERS TO.
What motivates you at 8am on a Monday morning ?
A good cup of coffee will start my day.
If ballet chose you, as many dancers say it did, what is it that has made you stick with it ?
The audience. During the pandemic we all experienced the empty hall, which made us realize again that performing to the audience is so important and there is no substitute for that. The energy we receive from the audience is enormous.
Who would you most like to dance with; where would you dance & what would you dance ?
Any partner who wants to dance with me. It is sad to dance with a person who doesn’t want to dance with me. I would dance aything if the person I share the wonderful stage with wants me to dance. “Oh, you want to dance with me. You can dance anything you want to, I’ll do my best with you!” I also love to dance at the Opera Palace in the New National Theatre Tokyo, it is a wonderful stage to dance!
What is your daily routine at the moment ?
A cup of coffee in the morning.
What do you eat during the course of a typical working day ?
Anything I feel like eating. I love and enjoy eating good food, but sometime I have to be careful not to gain weight, especially sweets.
How do you prepare in the hours before a show & how do you deal with stress ?
I warm up, change into to my costume, put on my make-up. I don’t do anything special. I just prepare for the show in casual manner.
Are there any improvements you’d like to see in ballet?
Very difficult question,,,,,,. Nothing specific.
What are you looking forward to dancing this season ?
Everything which is coming next season. It will be my first year as a principal and there will be a wide variety of repertoire.
You can ask six famous people to dinner – who would you invite ?
Six famous people,,, for me they are all complete strangers. What should I talk about with them? I prefer to have dinner with my friends. They are great and fun! Yes, I will ask them to become famous in the near future.
What would surprise people about you ?
Some people seem to be surprised that I am a tidy person. I like to keep things in my room tidy and in order.
Who inspired you to dance, and how do you inspire others ?
My mother took me to a ballet lesson when I was 4 years old, as she herself wanted to become a ballerina when she was young.
Which role has tested you the most & how ?
Basilio (Don Quixote). It was my first main role and my partner also had to dance with two different partners in the same production (which means less rehearsal time with each partner). Furthermore, as the performance was streamed there was always a streaming crew around us for the whole period.
A phrase I use far too often is …
Officially, “Thank you very much,” or “I do my best.” Unofficially, “Honma-desuka? (really?)”
Who would play you in the film of your life ?
I will play by myself, I can use the computer for my younger days.
What is your favourite quote?
Work smarter not harder.
What makes you a good dance partner ?
I fully trust my partner. If you don’t trust your partner, she will not trust you.
Describe yourself in just three words.
Straightforward, faithful, romanticist.
In terms of your ballet career, where would you like to be this time next year ?
To be on the stage. Keeping a good health condition injury free. Health is wealth.
What is your exit strategy, for the time when you stop dancing, and how did you plan it ?
To be honest, my career as a principal dancer has just started and I don’t really have a strategy for the future yet. Yes, one day I will retire from dancing for sure, but I think I will stay around the world of ballet. I have been dancing since I was a little child and this is
where I live.
