![]() ![]() But some kids can do that right away, and others can’t. It’s said that ballet is all about the “turnout,” when the feet are twisted sideways and the hips are opened. I’m conscious of the way my muscles move and are used when I’m teaching the students.” “But now, during a lesson, I’ll check my body. “When I was on the stage, I didn’t think much,” she said. She now uses her head more in class than she used to. Since she began teaching, she has a new appreciation for how difficult ballet is. You need an affectionate discipline.”įormer Pacific Northwest Ballet principal dancer Kaori Nakamura in Ronald Hynd’s The Sleeping Beauty. Photo by Angela Sterling. “You can’t just scold them and make them afraid. “Little kids need to enjoy ballet or they won’t continue,” she said. Of course, some children just want to learn a little ballet, so the balance is difficult. “Your dance is a reflection of your heart, so to become a pro dancer, your humanity is very important.” I want people to have the approach of a pro,” she said. “I don’t think of ballet as just something to learn. “If a child is talking or not focusing, I’ll gently admonish them: ‘Why are you here? Did you come to learn or play?’” She has a mild voice and gentle smile, but her look is serious enough to make me sit up straight through the whole interview. “I guess I am a strict teacher, especially with the young ones,” she said. Just like her former teacher, Nakamura teaches manners as well as ballet technique. She was so strict, and yet she had affection for me as if I were her daughter.” She drilled into me how to greet people and how to behave. I lived with her, and helped with the cleaning and washing and meal preparation. “Yamamoto-sensei wasn’t just about ballet. Of course, when I ask Nakamura what sort of teacher she is, she replies, “I don’t know.” But the image she aspires to is that of her former teacher, Reiko Yamamoto. Offering the highest standards of technique and musicality along with invaluable encouragement and support, she is an ideal role model and an inspiring teacher.” “She brings the same high level of dedication and commitment to the classroom that she brought to the stage as a world-renowned ballerina. “Kaori has been a mainstay of our faculty since her retirement from dancing,” said Peter Boal, director of the Pacific Northwest Ballet School and artistic director of the PNB. Thanks to the efforts of those people, we are able to enjoy this art form. And to understand it fully, one has to completely focus herself on the art. Talking with Nakamura, it strikes me that ballet is a traditional Western entertainment of style and grace passed down through the generations. I just try as hard as possible with the role I’m given.” When I ask Nakamura what sort of dancer she was, she replies with a smile, “I don’t know. “Playful Kaori may be, and sweet she certainly is, but the seriousness with which she serves her art is stunning to observe and admired by all who work with her,” PNB Founding Artistic Directors Kent Stowell and Francia Russell said in a statement. “It was interesting to feel these changes.” “As I got older, my dancing style and the way I interpreted my roles changed,” she said. The brown-eyed dancer was spirited all the way through her final performance, dancing with passion and elegance. When she retired from dancing in 2014, she was 44. ![]() “I’ve just continued to do what I always wanted to do.” What motivates her? “Ballet is one part of my life,” she says modestly. It can’t be easy being a star dancer year after year. Nakamura has danced the lead in classic ballets such as Swan Lake, Giselle, Don Quixote and many more. Interview conducted by Naoko Watanabe, translated by Bruce Rutledge We caught up with her to see what life is like for a star ballerina. Nakamura is also teaching in the Pacific Northwest Ballet School these days. ![]() Kaori Nakamura, a top dancer for Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB), lived that dream, dancing for years on center stage. It’s the dream of many a girl to be a ballerina. She puts on a fluffy dress, strides onto the romantic stage and dances splendidly. ![]()
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