Yuriko Kajiya

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yuriko Kajiya (加治屋百合子 Kajiya Yuriko, born in 1984) is a Japanese ballerina with American Ballet Theatre (ABT). She was promoted to soloist on 5th July 2007 after 5 years with the company. ^[1]

Yuriko was born in Nagoya (Japan) and trained at Matsumoto Michiko Ballet and then the Shanghai Ballet School. She joined the ABT Studio Company in 2001 and joined ABT as a member of the corps de ballet in 2002. Her repertory with ABT includes a Shade in La Bayadère, Blossom in Cinderella, a Flower Girl in Don Quixote, the pas de trois in Swan Lake, the Waltz in Les Sylphides and the Fairies of Fervor and Joy in The Sleeping Beauty. ^[2]

[edit] Career

Entered Shanghai Ballet School in 1994.
Won the Best Performance Award at the Tao Li Bei National Ballet Competition in 1997.
Chosen as the finalist at the 3rd International Ballet Competition in Nagoya in 1999.
Won the Prix de Lausanne in 2000 and received a Scholarship to the National Ballet of Canada.
Joined the American Ballet Theatre's Studio Company in 2001.
Became a member of the corps de ballet of the ABT in 2002.
Performed as one of the soloists of the American Ballet Theatre at Opéra national de Paris in 2007.
Was named soloist of American Ballet Theatre in July 2007.