Aki Saito

Biography

Born and trained in Japan. Aki Saito won the first place at the Japan Competition For Young Dancers in 1991. She also won the Gold medal at the Concours International de Danse in Houlgate in France and a Scholarship at the 1991 Prix de Lausanne which allowed her to train at the Royal Ballet School in Antwerp (Belgium). She joined the Royal Ballet of Flanders in 1994 as a half soloist. She became a first soloist in 1998.
In 2004, she got promoted to principal dancer. She danced all the principal roles of the company's repertoire as much for classical as for the contemporary choreographs. She is often invited as a guest dancer in various international gala performance. Her repertoire includes "The Sleeping Beauty", "Giselle", "Romeo and Juliet", "La Bayadere", "Swan Lake", "The Nutcracker", "Coppelia", William Forsythe's "In The Middle, Somewhat Elevated", "Herman Schmerman", George Balanchine's "Theme and Variations", "Divertimento No. 15", Maurice Béjart's "Sonate", Jorma Elo's "Lost by Last".
She was nominated to Fresh Prize by the Board of Education Iwate, Les Etoiles de Ballet 2000 and invited as a member of jury to Prix de Lausanne in '03, '05, '07.