Aya Okumura

Biography

Aya Okumura was born in Tokyo. She began her ballet training at the age of three and soon demonstrated remarkable talent. In 2006, she won first prize at the NBA Ballet Competition in Japan, which earned her a scholarship to the prestigious John Cranko School in Stuttgart. After graduating in 2009, she joined Dutch National Ballet and was promoted to soloist in 2017. In 2019, she became a soloist with Staatsballett Berlin and joined the Czech National Ballet in January 2023, where she was soon appointed first soloist.

Aya is known for her technical precision, expressive sensitivity, and commanding stage presence. In the classical repertoire, she shines as Odette/Odile in Swan Lake (John Cranko), Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty (Márcia Haydée), Juliet in Romeo and Juliet (John Cranko), Tatiana in Onegin (John Cranko), Swanilda in Coppélia (Ronald Hynd). In 2025, she debuted as Manon in the Czech premiere of Kenneth MacMillan’s L’Histoire de Manon.

Her modern and neoclassical repertoire includes works by Jiří Kylián (Bella Figura, Gods and Dogs), William Forsythe (The Second Detail), George Balanchine (Jewels – Emeralds, Theme and Variations), Hans van Manen, David Dawson, Marco Goecke, Wayne McGregor and Mauro Bigonzetti. She has also performed in Pas/Part from William Forsythe.

A prize-winning dancer, Aya was nominated for the Thalia Award in 2023 and was named one of the Dancers of the Year by Dance Europe in 2024. She has also appeared as a guest artist with the National Ballet of Canada, dancing the role of Titania in The Dream (Federick Ashton).

Classical Repertoire

• Coppélia – Swanilda (Ronald Hynd)
• Don Quixote – Kitri (Victor Ullate), Amor (Alexei Ratmansky)
• La Sylphide – The Sylph (Johan Kobborg)
• The Nutcracker – A Christmas Story – Clara (Youri Vámos)
• Onegin – Tatiana (John Cranko)
• Romeo and Juliet – Juliet, Gypsy (John Cranko)
• The Sleeping Beauty – Aurora, Fairy of Strength, Princess Florine (Márcia Haydée - Marius Petipa)
• Swan Lake – Odette/Odile (John Cranko)

Contemporary and Neoclassical Repertoire

• Beyond Vibrations – Moving Rooms (Krzysztof Pastor), Frank Bridge Variations (Hans van Manen), Fly Paper Bird (Marco Goecke)
• bpm – Artza (Eyal Dadon), Bill (Sharon Eyal)
• Cinderella – Cinderella (Jean-Christophe Maillot)
• Chroma (Wayne McGregor)
• Dances at a Gathering – Apricot Girl (Jerome Robbins)
• Empire Noir (David Dawson)
• Jewels – Emeralds – Soloist, Pas de trois (George Balanchine)
• Kylián – Bridges of Time – Bella Figura, Gods and Dogs (Jiří Kylián)
• Labyrinth (Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui)
• L’Histoire de Manon – Manon, Lescaut’s Mistress (Kenneth MacMillan)
• On the Move (Hans van Manen)
• Overture (David Dawson)
• Pas/Parts 2016, The Second Detail (William Forsythe)
• Requiem (David Dawson)
• Sarkasms – Katastrof (Eyal Dadon)
• Scheherazade – Confidants (Mauro Bigonzetti)
• Serenade (George Balanchine)
• Stravinsky Violin Concerto – Principal couple (George Balanchine)
• Symphony in Three Movements (George Balanchine)
• T.O.M.L. – SOL Dance Company
• Tarantella – Pas de deux (George Balanchine)
• Theme and Variations (George Balanchine)
• Voices (David Dawson)