About my teaching
Foundation
A solid, physically healthy foundation is important. Ballet is a progressive art. It is essential to learn and polish your fundamentals in a way that allows you to build your technique, enhance your artistry, and minimize your risk of injury.
Musicality
Ballet is an art, not a sport. Though it is excellent at improving your physical fitness, the essence of ballet is its artistry. Musicality is a key component of this. I focus on teaching musicality though dance to help you pair your movement with the timing and feel of the music.
Kinesiology
A study of the human body in motion reveals it’s largely mechanical. I focus on teaching each student strength, alignment, healthy movement and body potential.
What People Are Saying
"Yuki has been an incredible instructor and mentor to me for about ten years and I am very grateful for her training and support. Yuki combines her extensive knowledge of ballet technique and anatomy to provide individualized training to each of her students. Working with her allowed me to finally grasp so much about ballet technique that I had struggled to understand before. Yuki helped me grow as a dancer and as an artist. She is a wonderful person and an inspiring teacher!"
— Erika E
I've been taking Adult Ballet classes with Yuki for the better part of 10 years, first at the Continental Ballet Company in Bloomington, then at Yuki's home studio, and now on Zoom. I have also taken every chance to watch her perform over that time, in classic roles with CBC and in her own choreography. Yuki is a beautifully expressive dancer, an excellent teacher, and a wonderfully creative choreographer and collaborator. She is also unfailingly kind and supportive with her students, challenging us but correcting gently and encouraging us when needed. Yuki really understands body structure and mechanics, so she can explain a movement or give a quick tip that suddenly makes things fall into line. She mixes familiar warm-ups with a variety of combinations at the barre and center, telling us to "have fun" as we're learning something new. Beyond her considerable dance skills, Yuki is just a lovely person.
-Diana W