Artistic Leaders

Kaori Nakamura is from Gumma, Japan. She trained at the Reiko Yamamoto Ballet Company and the School of American Ballet. In 1986, she won first prize at the 14th Prix de Lausanne competition in Lausanne, Switzerland. In 1988, she won a bronze medal at the International Ballet Competition in Varna, Bulgaria. Ms. Nakamura joined Royal Winnipeg in 1990, where she was made a principal dancer. She joined Pacific Northwest Ballet as a soloist in 1997 and was promoted to principal in 1998. Ms. Nakamura retired from Pacific Northwest Ballet in June 2014 and joined the faculty of Pacific Northwest Ballet School.

Ms. Nakamura has danced leading roles in George Balanchine’s Agon, Ballet Imperial, Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet, Concerto Barocco, Coppélia (Swanilda), Diamonds, Divertimento from “Le Baiser de la Fée, Divertimento No. 15, The Four Temperaments, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Butterfly, Hermia, Divertissement pas de deux), Rubies, Serenade, Square Dance,Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, Theme and Variations, La Valse, and Who Cares?; Peter Boal’s Giselle (Giselle); AugustBournonville’s Flower Festival Pas de Deux; Val Caniparoli’s The Bridge and Torque; Alejandro Cerrudo’s Memory Glow; Ulysses Dove’s Red Angels and Vespers; Nacho Duato’s Jardí Tancat and Rassemblement; Eliot Feld’s Intermezzo; Nicolo Fonte’s Almost Tango; William Forsythe’s In the middle somewhat elevated and One Flat Thing, reproduced; Kiyon Gaines’ M-Pulse and Sum Stravinsky; Paul Gibson’s Sense of Doubt; Ronald Hynd’s The Merry Widow (Valencienne) and The Sleeping Beauty (Aurora); Robert Joffrey’s Remembrances; Jiri Kylian’s Petite Mort; Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Cylindrical Shadows; Eugene Loring’s Billy the Kid; Jean-Christophe Maillot’s Roméo et Juliette (Juliet); Peter Martins’ Fearful Symmetries; Mark Morris’ A Garden and Pacific; Vicente Nebrada’s Lento a Tempo e Appassionato; Marius Petipa’s Don Quixote (Kitri), Esmeralda Pas de Deux (staged for PNB by Ms. Nakamura and Olivier Wevers), and Le Corsaire Pas de Trois;Alexei Ratmansky’s Don Quixote (Kitri); Jerome Robbins’Dances at a Gathering and In the Night; Kent Stowell’s Carmina Burana, Cinderella (Cinderella), Coppélia (Swanilda),Delicate Balance, Firebird, Kammergarten Tänze, Nutcracker(Clara, Flora), Palacios Dances, Pas de Deux Campagnolo, Quaternary, Swan Lake (Odette/Odile), and Zirkus Weill; Susan Stroman’s TAKE FIVE…More or Less; Richard Tanner’s Ancient Airs and Dances; Lynne Taylor-Corbett’s The Ballad of You and Me; Twyla Tharp’s Brief Fling, In the Upper Room, Nine Sinatra Songs, and Waterbaby Bagatelles; and Christopher Wheeldon’s Polyphonia. She originated leading roles in Andrew Bartee’s arms that work, Stephen Baynes’ El Tango, Caniparoli’s The Seasons, Paul Gibson’s Mozart Pieces and The Piano Dance, Kevin O’Day’s [soundaroun(d)dance], Kent Stowell’s Silver Lining, Twyla Tharp’s Afternoon Ball, and Olivier Wevers’ Shindig.

Ms. Nakamura performed the role of the Butterfly in the BBC’s 1999 film version of PNB’s production of Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, filmed at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, London. She has performed as a guest artist at the Hong Kong Arts Festival and the Melbourne Ballet Festival and with Dancers for Life in Vancouver, British Columbia.

(英語版抜粋)

群馬に生まれ、山本禮子バレエ団にてトレーニングを始める。1986年14回ローザンヌ国際バレ エコンクールにてスカラーシップを受賞し、スクール･オブ･アメリカンに留学。1988年ヴァルナ国 際コンクールにて銅賞を受賞。その後、ロイヤル･ウィニペグ･バレエ団に入団し、プリンシパル として活躍後、1997年アメリカのシアトルに拠点を置くパシフィック･ノースウエストバレエ団にソリストとして移籍。1998年プリンシパルへ昇格。主な作品には｢眠れる森の美女｣｢白鳥の湖｣｢ジゼル｣｢シンデレラ｣｢胡桃割り人形｣他、ジ ョージ･バランシン作品の｢インペリアル｣｢テーマとヴァリエーション｣｢バロ･デラ･レジーナ｣｢スク ウェアー･ダンス｣｢タランテラ｣｢チャイコフスキー･パ･ド･ドゥ｣、その他にはサー･フレデリック･ア シュトン、ロバート･ジョフリー、ユーリー･キリアン、アンソニー･チューダー、トワイラ･サープな ど、多くの著名振付家の作品で主役をつとめる。

2014年6月に長いダンサー人生に終止符を打ち、パシフィック・ノースウエストバレエスクール専属教師に就任。

現役時には、カナダ、ヨーロッパ、日本、香港、オースト ラリアなど、ゲストアーティストとして世界各国で活躍していた。 

Chiaki began her training at the Wakui Ballet School in Osaka, Japan and attended the Princess Grace dance Academy of Monaco at the age of fifteen. She was accepted to train at the San Francisco Ballet for the summer and continued her training at the School of American Ballet and Joffrey ballet on scholarship for the whole year.

Chiaki joined Orlando Ballet under Fernando Bujones in 2000 and worked under Bruce Marks as well as Robert Hill. She danced numerous leading roles in full length ballet, such as Giselle in Giselle, Kitri in Don Quixote, Aurora in Sleeping Beauty, Medora and Gulnare in Le Corsaire, Odette and Odile in Swan Lake, Swanilda in Coppelia, Mabel in Pirates of Penzance, Raymonda in Raymonda, Firebird in Firebird, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Carmen in Carmen.

She also performed roles in Ballet's such as George Balanchine's "Serenade" "Who cares?" "Fanfare" "Agon", Twyla Tharp's "In the upper Room" "Waterbury Bagatelles" "Sinatra Songs", Robert Hill's "Piano Concerto" "Revelry", Fernando Bujones's "Bolero" "Jazz Swing" "Grand Pas Romantique" and Jessica Lang's "To Familiar spaces in Dream".

Chiaki was also invited to dance as a guest artist at the International Gala in places such as Japan, Canada, Puerto Rico, China, India as well as many areas in the United States.

She won the best Choreographer award at the Youth American Grand Prix and the American Dance Competition. She also received achievement awards from the Mayor and Governor of Osaka, Japan. 

She worked as a principal teacher and Marketing Assistant at Orlando Ballet and She is currently serving as an Associate producer at Cultural Arts Foundation of America and a Principal Guest Artist at United Ballet Theatre.

Chiaki is a certified teacher for ABT National Training Curriculum and as well as Progressing Ballet Technique. She is very excited to be a part of this amazing team at EleNoble.

(英語版抜粋)

Coming Soon!!

Ms. Misa Yokose is a native of Japan. She trained with her parents in Japan and studied for three months at the Stanlowa Ballet School in Paris. She performed with the Boloshoi Ballet School while they are touring in Japan in 1985. Also a recipient of both the 1988 Asian Pacific Ballet Competition Bronze Medal(Junior Division) and the 1989 Kobe Dance Competition Gold Medal(Senior Division). 

In December 1989, Ms. Yokose moved to Canada and started additional training at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School and became an apprentice in 1991. She danced with the National Ballet of Canada on a scholarship of Japanese Government program for Artists for the 93/94 season. She joined the company in August 1994. Since joining The National Ballet of Canada, Ms. Yokose had performed many featured roles. After her retirement in 1999, Ms. Yokose had worked as a consultant advisor in Foreign Firm Cooperation in Japan and then became the owner(partnership)/president of a company named “SOLO Ontario Limited” based in Toronto, Ontario in 2001. 

In July 2007, “SOLO Ontario Limited” reformed itself to Sole Proprietorship in Japan and changed the name to “SOLO Dance Education and Consulting”. “SOLO” provides various types of supports, dance career consultations and high quality dance training to Japanese young dancers who wish to pursues their career in dance profession, more than 500 cases have been consulted and many of her clients joined professional ballet schools and/or companies around the globe to grow their desire. 

Ms. Yokose is very well experienced in teaching various levels. She had worked for her parents’ school as a principal/guest teacher since 1988 to 2004. She also travels throughout her native country working as a guest teacher for local schools and coaching privately for individuals. 

(英語版抜粋)

4歳より両親に師事。第 2 回アジア・パシフィックコンクールジュニアの部第 3 位、IBM 賞受賞、第 2 回神戸洋舞コンクールバレエシニアの部第 1 位、兵庫県知事賞、神戸新聞社賞受賞。ロイヤル・ウィニペグバレエスクールに半年在籍し、その後1年間アプリンティスとしてカンパニーと活動を共にする。文化庁新進芸術家海外研修員としてナショナルバレエ・オブ・カナダに渡加。その翌年、契約。ジョン・クランコ、ジョージ・バランシン、ジェームス・クデルカ、サー・ケネス・マクミラン、

アンソニー・チューダー、ジョン・ノイマイヤー、ウィリアム・フォーサイス、ポール・テイラー、ベン・スティーブンソン、ピーター・ライト、イリ・キリアンなど世界でも著名な振り付け家の作品の多くを主役、ソリストとして踊り、また日本国内では、青山バレエフェスティバル、日本バレエフェスティバル、ヤングバレエフェスティバル(日本バレエ協会主催)、ドリーム・オブ・ヤングダンサーズ(札幌)、中部バレエコンクール・ガラコンサート、その他日本バレエ協会、神奈川芸術舞踊協会主催公演など、数多くの舞台にゲスト出演している。ナショナルバレエ・オブ・カナダにて 7 年間活躍後、引退。外資系企業にて、マーケティング、コンサルティングなどを経験後、2001 年に SOLO Ontario Limited を設立。以後、SOLO Ontario Limited の代表を務めながら、国内外でゲスト講師としても活躍後、2007 年7月に SOLO Dance Education & Consulting として独立。代表を務めながら、サンフランシスコ近郊にあるMarin Ballet、City Ballet School、Berkeley Ballet Theater School のゲスト講師も務め、日本と海外のプロを目指すダンサー達の指導、およびそのご家族へのキャリアコンサルテーションを提供。また 2017 年より、コンテンポラリーダンスプロジェクト Opto(オプト)のアーティスティックスタッフ補佐兼マネージャーも務める。

2021 年 8 月、パシフィックノースウエストバレエの元プリンシパルの中村かおりとオーランドバレエ元プリンシパルの安川千晶と共に、バレエに携わる子供達の心身の成長を最優先に考えるバレエトレーニングプログラムを提供する EleNobleを日本にて開講。