Principal
The National Ballet of Japan
Yudai Fukuoka was born in Osaka, Japan. He started his ballet training at K Ballet Studio and studied under Kaori Yagami, Kurumi Yagami and Keiko Yagami.
He joined Zurich Junior Ballet in 2003. After two years with ZJB, he joined Zurich Ballet as Demi Soloist in 2005. During his years in Zurich, he performed many works by Heinz Spoerli such as Coppelia, Le Sacre du Printemps, Goldberg Variations No.14 and danced the role of Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream.
He won Bronze medal of Varna International Ballet Competition 2008 and 1st Prize of Seoul International Dance Competition 2009.
He joined New National Theatre Ballet (presently the National Ballet of Japan) as Soloist in 2009, was promoted to First Soloist in 2011 and then to Principal in 2012.
Yudai’s repertory includes Alexei Fadeechev’s production of Don Quixote (Basilio), Maki Asami’s La Dame aux Camélias (Armand Duval), Maki’s production of Swan Lake (Prince Siegfried), La Bayadère (Solor), The Nutcracker (Prince), Mikhail Fokine’s The Firebird (Ivan Tsarevich), Frederick Ashton’s Cinderella (Prince), Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet (Romeo), Manon (Des Grieux), Roland Petit’s La Chauve-souris (Johann), George Balanchine’s Symphony in C (1st Movement Principal), Symphony in Three Movements (Pas de Deux), David Bintley’s Carmina Burana (1st and 3rd Seminarian), Aladdin (title role), ‘Still life’ at the Penguin Café (Brazilian Woolly Monkey), Sylvia (Aminta), Take Five (Two Step), Faster (Fighter), Hans van Manen’s Grosse Fuge, Twyla Tharp’s In the Upper Room, Jessica Lang’s Escaping the Weight of Darkness. He created the title role in David Bintley’s world premiere of the latest full-length work The Prince of the Pagodas and guested with Birmingham Royal Ballet in 2013 and 2014 to perform the title role in the U.K. premiere of Aladdin and The Prince of the Pagodas. His latest created role is Prince Désiré in Wayne Eagling’s new production of The Sleeping Beauty.
He was awarded Nakagawa Einosuke Award and Dance Critic Circle’s Award 2013 in his home country.
