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The Company Index |
Nao SakumaIntroduced by David Bintley Born in Fukuoka, Japan, Nao Sakuma trained at the Michiko Komori Ballet School and the Royal Ballet School, joining Birmingham Royal Ballet in 1995. She was promoted to Principal in 2002. Nao is a virtuoso classical dancer with a formidable technique and leads the Company in the classical repertory. She is particularly celebrated for her Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty and won great acclaim dancing that role during the Company's first visit to the Richmond Festival in Virginia, USA. A sure comic touch can also be seen in performances such as Lise in La Fille mal gardée and Swanilda in Coppélia, and she scored a particular success in the role of the Young Girl in Sir Frederick Ashton's The Two Pigeons, which the Company danced at The Met in New York during the celebrations of that choreographer's centenary. With her frequent partner Chi Cao she has represented the Company at several prestigious occasions, including the Ballet Boyz gala which re-opened the Royal Festival Hall in London in 2006. She will dance as a guest of the National Ballet of Japan in the title role of Sylvia, the role she created for Birmingham Royal Ballet, during the 2009-10 season. REPERTORY INCLUDES Frederick Ashton: La Fille mal gardée (Lise), The Two Pigeons (Gypsy Girl, Young Girl), Scènes de ballet, Symphonic Variations and Voices of Spring George Balanchine: Apollo (Polyhymnia), The Four Temperaments (Theme 1 and Melancholic Variation), Tarantella, Tchaikovsky pas de deux and Western Symphony David Bintley: Arthur (Guinevere), Beauty and the Beast (Belle), Hobson's Choice (Salvation Army), The Nutcracker Sweeties (Candy Kane, Arabesque Cookie), Les Petits Riens (lead role), The Shakespeare Suite (Juliet), Choros, Dance House, 'Still Life' at the Penguin Café, and David Bintley and Galina Samsova's production of Giselle (Giselle, Peasant pas de deux) John Cranko: The Lady and the Fool (La Capricciosa) Mikhail Fokine: The Firebird (title role) Kenneth MacMillan: Romeo and Juliet (Juliet), Elite Syncopations ('Bethena Concert Waltz') and Solitaire (Girl) Marius Petipa: Diana and Acteon (Ballet Boyz Ballet) Twyla Tharp: Nine Sinatra Songs ('One for My Baby') and In the Upper Room Ninette de Valois: Checkmate (Black Queen) Peter Wright's productions of Coppélia (Swanilda, 'Dawn'), The Nutcracker (Sugar Plum Fairy, Rose Fairy), The Sleeping Beauty (Aurora, Enchanted Princess, Fairy of Temperament, pas de quatre), and Peter Wright and Galina Samsova's production of Swan Lake (Odette/Odile) Don Quixote pas de deux CREATED ROLES David Bintley: Concert Fantasy (lead role) and The Seasons ('Spring') AWARDS Special Jury Prize, Jackson Ballet Competition, 1998; Critics' Circle Award nomination, 2001. GUEST APPEARANCES The Royal Ballet (Scènes de ballet); The Star Dancers Ballet, Japan (Coppélia, Giselle, The Nutcracker). Last updated September 2012. |
 Nao Sakuma; photo: Richard Battye |
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Related stories Video: Le Corsaire rehearsals Video: The Two Pigeons rehearsal Video: Three Sugar Plum Fairies Video: Allegri diversi rehearsal Nao Sakuma interview Video: Romeo and Juliet studio rehearsals Video: Theme and Variations studio rehearsals The Sugar Plum Fairies part one |
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