OKUDA KasumiFirst Soloist

OKUDA Kasumi was born in Fukuoka prefecture. She trained under TANAKA Chikako at the TANAKA Chikako Junior Ballet and SHINOHARA Seiichi and SHIMOMURA Yurie at the SHIMOMURA Yurie Ballet Ensemble. She won second prize in the Pas de Deux category at the All Japan Dance Competition in 2007, and second prize in the senior category at the Kobe dance awards in 2009. She joined the National Ballet of Japan in 2010. She made her leading role debut as Princess Sakura in The Prince of Pagoda and was promoted to Soloist in 2014. Her repertory includes Princess Badr al-Budur in David Bintley's Aladdin, Olympia in Tales of Hoffmann, Fairy Autumn in Frederick Ashton's Cinderella, Twyla Tharp's In the Upper Room, Street Dancer in Don Quixote, the leading role in David Bintley's Faster,Two Courtesans in Swan Lake,Peasant pas de deux in Giselle and 3rd Movement principal in Balanchine's Symphony in C. She was promoted to First Soloist in 2024.

OKUDA Kasumi

David BINTLEY: The Prince of the Pagodas (Princess Belle Sakura)

Repertoire with NBJ includes

  • Wayne EAGLING's productions: The Sleeping Beauty (Fairy Violente, Emerald), The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (Louise / Butterfly, Chinese)
  • Alexei FADEYECHEV's production: Don Quixote (A Street Dancer, Friends of Kitri, 1st Variation)
  • MAKI Asami's productions: The Nutcracker (Clara), La Bayadère (2nd Variation of Kingdom of the Shades)
  • YOSHIDA Miyako's production: Giselle (Peasant pas de deux)
  • Peter WRIGHT's production: Swan Lake (Two Courtesans, Italian Princess)
  • Frederick ASHTON: Cinderella (Fairy Autumn)
  • Twyla THARP: In the Upper Room
  • Will TUCKETT: The Tragedy of Macbeth (Three Witches)
  • Peter DARRELL: Tales of Hoffmann (Olympia)
  • Nacho DUATO: Duende
  • NAKAMURA Megumi: Beethoven Sonata (Therese)
  • Bronislava NIJINSKA: Les Noces (Villegers Soloist)
  • George BALANCHINE: Apollo (Polyhymnia), Symphony in C (3rd Movement principal)
  • HIRAYAMA Motoko: Ag+G
  • David BINTLEY: The Prince of the Pagodas (Princess Belle Sakura), Faster (Fighters), Aladdin (Princess Badr al-Budur, Rubies, Diamond), 'Still Life' at the Penguin Café (Humboldt's Hog-nosed Skunk Flea)
  • Kenneth MACMILLAN: Romeo and Juliet (Three Harlots), Manon (Courtesans)
  • Jessica LANG: Escaping the Weight of Darkness
  • MORIYAMA Kaiji: RYUUGUU - The Turtle Princess (ORIHIME (Vega))