Aoi Anraku, Principal Dancer

Aoi Anraku began his training with his mother in his hometown of Hiroshima, Japan. He attended San Francisco Ballet School and Miami City Ballet School, and has danced with Texas Ballet Theater, Columbia Classical Ballet and The Suzanne Farrell Ballet. His repertoire includes Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante, Serenade and many other contemporary roles. In 2006, Aoi was awarded 1st prize in the All Japan Ballet Competition in Nagoya. Last season, Aoi was featured as Romeo in EBC's Romeo and Juliet, the cavalier in The Nutcracker and in the Beatles ballet All You Need Is Love. This summer he is one of 97 competitors worldwide invited to compete at the Helsinki International Ballet Competition.