On June 17, after the performance of Swan Lake, Artistic Director Yoshida Miyako announced that National Ballet of Japan dancers Saho Shibayama and Shogo Hayami would be promoted to Principal Dancers for the Tokyo-based company’s 2023-2024 season.
National Ballet of Japan Dancers Promoted to Principal
Saho Shibayama was born in Tokyo and trained under Tanaka Yoko, Svetlana Osiyeva, Dennis Marshall and Marjorie Grundvig. She studied at Ballet Studio DUO, the Harid Conservatory and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School.
She joined the National Ballet of Japan as Soloist in 2014 and has danced leading roles of
The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, La Bayadère, Don Quixote, Raymonda, Moriyama Kaiji’s
RYUUGUU – The Turtle Princess, Giselle, Roland Petit’s Coppélia, Frederick Ashton’s Cinderella and The Dream. She also danced George Balanchine‘s Theme and Variations and Symphony in C 1st Movement.
She was promoted to First Soloist in 2021.
Shogo Hayami was born in Kyoto Prefecture. He studied at John Cranko School Stuttgart Ballet. He won Gold medal and Outstanding Artistry Award in the New York City Finals at the Youth America Grand Prix.
He joined the Houston Ballet in 2015, and the National Ballet of Japan as Soloist in 2018 and made his debut as the leading role in Don Quixote in 2020.
He performed the leading roles of Moriyama Kaiji’s RYUUGUU – The Turtle Princess, Giselle, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, Roland Petit’s Coppélia and Frederick Ashton’s The Dream. His repertory also includes Bronze Idol in La Bayadère, the Djinn of lamp in David Bintley’s Aladdin, Abderachman in Raymonda, Benvolio in Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet and Lewis Carroll/The White Rabbit in Christopher Wheeldon’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
He was promoted to First Soloist in 2021.
Featured Photo of National Ballet of Japan dancers Saho Shibayama as Titania in Frederick Ashton’s The Dream. Photo by Takashi Shikama.
