Mia Asamoto is a Sophomore at Mililani High School. At the age of five, she began dancing at Pas De Deux Hawaii where she started with ballet, but also danced jazz, tap, lyrical and ballroom. In 2017, she joined the ballet competition team under the direction of Annri Opitz-Kostick where she competed in various group and solo numbers. In summer of 2023, she joined Ballet Hawaii and participated in the 2023 Nutcracker production where she performed the role of Hawaiian Warrior Girl and Big Butterfly. Her favorite ballet piece performed was Hebe’s variation from Awakening of Flora. Some of her hobbies other than dance are reading and hanging out with her friends.

Emma Baynes is a rising 12th grader who will be joining Boston Ballet's pre-professional program at Walnut Hill this fall. She has been dancing since she was 4 years old and has been dancing with Ballet Hawaii for almost 5 years. Emma attended San Francisco Ballet School’s summer intensive in 2020 and 2022. Her favorite thing she has performed are excerpts from Swan Lake. Outside of ballet Emma enjoys hiking, going to the beach, and anything that is outside and in nature.

Drew Cai is an upcoming junior at Punahou School. Currently, they’ve been dancing for 9 years, all of which were at Ballet Hawaii. Her favorite dance so far has been Snowing from the 2022 Performing Summer Ensemble by Ms. Regina. Other notable dances are Paradox, choreographed by Ms. Susan, and Elements - Fire by Ms. Christine. Aside from dancing she also enjoys eating and hanging out with her friends.

Meg Huffman is a Senior at Myron B. Thompson Academy. She has been dancing with Ballet Hawaii since she was 4 years old. She has participated in many of Ballet Hawaii’s productions, such as Ballet Hawaii’s The Nutcracker, Alice in Wonderland, Urashima Taro, and By George. Her favorite roles include Clara from The Nutcracker, the Princess in Urashima Taro, and all of her parts in By George. Outside of dance, she enjoys playing the piano and baking.

Kiyomi "Taylor" Hunter is in the eighth grade at Kaimuki Middle School. She started ballet at the age of three years old with Ballet Hawaii. Her family moved to the Island of Maui, where she continued her ballet studies at MAPA (Maui Academy of Performing Arts) for a year. Then, transferred to Alexander Academy of Performing Arts for a few years. In 2020, she moved back to Oahu and rejoined Ballet Hawaii. She has attended Ballet Hawaii’s Summer Intensive program in 2022-2024. Some of her favorite pieces performed included By George set by Maiqui Manosa and Chinese Umbrella Girl in Ballet Hawaii’s The Nutcracker. She is honored to be a part of Ballet Hawaii’s Performing Ensemble as she is experiencing so many different performance opportunities. The Performing Ensemble piece, ‘Moment I Said it’, choreographed by Regina Ahlgren was competed at the 2024 Spotlight Dance Cup. They took 1st place elite teen lyrical small group, diamond, Judge’s choice award, and category. Outside of dance is more dance. As she says, ”dance is life!”

Harley Izu is a Senior at Hawaii Technology Academy, where she is a member of the National Honor Society. Harley began her ballet training at the age of 3 and has been dancing with Ballet Hawaii since the summer of 2020. Her favorite pieces have been Rhapsody in Blue and as a Crown Flower in The Nutcracker. She attended Ballet Hawaii’s 2023 summer intensive and is looking forward to attending again this summer. In her free time, Harley enjoys drawing, painting and playing guitar.

Aria Kaneshige found her love of dance when she enrolled in her first class at Ballet Hawaii at the age of 7. Aria has since danced in their Performing Ensemble, Summer Intensives, and annual productions of The Nutcracker. Her favorite role was dancing the role of Clara in Ballet Hawaii’s Nutcracker 2022 production and sharing the stage with all the amazing Guest Artists, Principal Dancers and Ballet Hawaii dancers who made it so memorable and special. Outside of dance, Aria enjoys Photography, Movies, and spending time with friends.

Kerys is enrolled in Liberty University Online Academy. She has been dancing with Ballet Hawaii since 2013, and is honored to have participated in several BH Nutcracker and Summer Intensive performances. Her favorite roles have been the Chinese Umbrella Girl in Ballet Hawaii's The Nutcracker and a Spring soloist in Ballet Hawaii's version of the Urashima Tarō fairy tale. Kerys also participates in the Hawaii Youth Opera Chorus, and enjoys hobbies such as poetry writing and graphic design.

Maximus Latu is a junior and passionate dance certificate student at Mid-Pacific Institute's School of the Arts. His dance journey began at Ballet Hawaii at the age of 4, and since then, he has graced the stages of Ballet Hawaii's Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty. Maximus has further honed his skills through prestigious programs including Ballet Hawaii's Summer Intensive, Royal Danish Ballet Summer Intensive in Copenhagen, and Royal Ballet School Summer Intensive in London. Beyond dance, Maximus is a budding talent in digital design. In his free time, he enjoys the camaraderie of friends, whether it's exploring the mall or soaking up the sun at the beach, adding a vibrant dimension to his diverse interests.

Cameron Miyamoto Cameron Miyamoto is a freshman at Punahou School. She began dancing at the age of 3 with The Movement Center in Kaimuki, where she studied ballet, jazz, contemporary, hip hop, tumbling, rhythmic gymnastics, and musical theatre. She was a member of the TMC Dance Company (2015-2023) and has competed numerous group and solo routines. Cameron was named Overall Future Gems Division Winner at the 2017 Regional Spotlight Dance Cup in Honolulu and is a 9-time Spotlight Diamond Award and 5-time Judge’s Choice recipient. Most recently in 2024, she received the Overall 8th, 5th, and 4th Place Awards at the Regional Starpower, Energy, and Spotlight Dance Cup competitions, respectively.

Cameron joined Ballet Hawaii in the summer of 2022 and attended her first Summer Intensive shortly thereafter, performing in the Swan Lake corps de ballet excerpt. Since then, she has performed in Ballet Hawaii’s 2023 Summer Intensive production of Urashima Taro & By George, as well as in The Nutcracker dancing the roles of “Chinese Umbrella Girl” (2022), “Big Butterfly” (2023), and “Chinese Ribbon Girl” (2023). Her favorite performance pieces thus far have been Thievery (choreographed by John Selya) in Ballet Hawaii’s 2022 Dancing Among the Stars, In Any Other World (choreographed by Regina Ahlgren) for Ballet Hawaii’s Spring 2023 Performing Ensemble, Summer (choreographed by Christine Kaminski) in Ballet Hawaii’s 2023 Urashima Taro, and The Moment (choreographed by Regina Ahlgren) for Ballet Hawaii’s Spring 2024 Performing Ensemble. Cameron has a passion for performing and aspires to one day make it onto the big screen.

Outside of dance, she is an avid reader who enjoys self-expression through photo and art journaling. She also has a fondness for animals – particularly canine companions, volunteers at a local cat adoption center, and is contemplating a possible career in veterinary medicine.

Sarah Montoni is a Senior at Hawaii Technology Academy. She started dancing at the age of 3 in New York and took a break a few years later after moving to Hawaii. She found her passion for dance again at the age of 9 when she joined Punahou Dance School. Over the years she also danced with the Royal Academy of Ballet, and Prisma Dance, where she was one of the choreographers and dancers in the student lead show Seasons- Change in Motion. She joined Ballet Hawaii in the summer of 2020. She also danced in three Nutcrackers with Hawaii Ballet Theater, performing in various roles. In her spare time, she likes to read, play violin and sail.

Mia Ng is a Junior at James Campbell High School. She has been dancing since the age of 4 at Ballet Hawaii. Her favorite piece to dance is "Swans" from Ballet Hawaii’s 2022 summer intensive. Mia has participated in Ballet Hawaii's Summer Intensive and Nutcracker productions. Outside of ballet, she likes to play the piano and hang out with her friends.

Lauren Rayburg is a freshman with Hawaii Technology Academy. She has been dancing since the age of 4 with various studios. One of her favorite pieces to perform was Gamzatti’s friends in Ballet Hawaii’s Spring Ensemble. She has loved going to summer intensives including The Dallas Conservatory, Dance Center of San Antonio, and Ballet Hawaii. Outside of dance Lauren loves baking, reading, and spending time with friends.

Olivia Butterfly Rodriguez is a senior at Roosevelt High School. Olivia Butterfly enjoys focusing on improving her dancing in class and performing. She has been a part of the Ballet Hawaii family since 2019, and has performed in multiple Nutcrackers and other performances since then. Her favorite role was the Dance of the Little Swans from Swan Lake from Ballet Hawaii’s Spring Performance 2024. Out of the summer intensives that she has attended, Olivia Butterfly’s most memorable summer intensive was the Bolshoi Ballet Academy Summer Intensive in New York in 2023. Outside of dance, Olivia Butterfly is an environmental activist with Hawaii Youth Climate Coalition, treasurer of Roosevelt’s ASB, and a varsity athlete in three sports at school.

Gabriel Salonga is a junior at Mid-Pacific Institute. He has been dancing with Ballet Hawaii for 12 years, but he has been dancing for 14 years. This year, Gabriel will be attending the New York University’s Tisch Summer High School Program in New York. Gabriel also studies dance at Mid-Pacific. His favorite performances have been in Ballet Hawaii’s The Nutcracker and a variation from Raymonda. When he’s not dancing, Gabriel enjoys messing around with computers, gaming, and photography.

Gabby Sandbo is a 9th grader at Kamehameha Schools. She has been dancing with Ballet Hawaii since the age of 4. She has been in multiple productions of Ballet Hawaii’s The Nutcracker and attended many Summer Intensives at Ballet Hawaii. Some of her favorite roles she has done are excerpts of the Swan Lake corps de ballet and Big Butterfly in The Nutcracker 2023. Outside of dance, she enjoys reading and creating digital art.

Garry Umeda started dancing at age 6 at The Movement Center, studying Tap and Hip Hop. At age 9 he switched to Hawaii State Ballet to focus solely on ballet. In January 2023, he decided to study at Ballet Hawaii West, since the studio is much closer to home. He enjoys being in Ballet Hawaii's Performance Ensemble. His favorite roles are Solor in La Bayadere and Fritz in Hawaii State Ballet's Nutcracker. Garry is in 12th grade in the International Baccalaureate and MPSA Dance programs at Mid Pacific Institute. He aspires to become a Neurologist.

Madie Young is a 10th grader at ‘Iolani School. She started dancing ballet at age 3, in preschool, with St. Laurent School of Dance. She danced at Queen Emma Ballet for two years, before moving to Honolulu Classical Ballet, where she danced for the next six years. Madie joined Ballet Hawaii at the end of 2020 during the COVID pandemic. She attended the San Francisco Ballet Summer Intensive and the Ballet Hawaii Summer intensive in 2022, the Carolina Ballet Summer Intensive in 2023, and the San Francisco Ballet Summer Intensive and the Ballet Hawaii Summer Intensive in 2024. Her favorite role is the Pizzicato variation from Raymonda. Outside of ballet, Madie enjoys baking and hanging out with her dog, Toby.

Kyndal Canianes is an 8th grader attending Mid Pacific Institute. She has been dancing since the age of 6 and joined Ballet Hawaii at the age of 7 years old. She has been in numerous Nutcrackers with Ballet Hawaii. Some of her favorite dances have been dancing in The Secret Garden with Hawaii Opera Theater and dancing the Black Swan in Swan Lake with Na Maka Studio. Outside of ballet Kyndal enjoys reading, traveling, snowboarding, surfing, skateboarding, playing the piano and viola and creating various types of art.

Salome Heiderscheidt is in the 10th grade attending St. Michael’s School in Waialua. She began dancing when she was 9 years old, taught by Christin Rivers at a local church, and has been with Ballet Hawaii for about 2 years. Her favorite role was a swan from Ballet Hawaii’s Swan Lake. Outside of ballet, Salome enjoys playing piano and being with friends.

Grayson Ito will be entering the 9th grade at Mid-Pacific Institute. He has performed on stage since 9 years of age, but only began dancing after enrolling in Mid-Pacific's Certificate Dance Program in the 7th grade. Grayson has been a student at Ballet Hawaii for 1 year. He entered at level 5 and was recently promoted to level 6. He has appeared in Ballet Hawaii’s The Nutcracker and Spring Showcase.

Sherbie Lam is a Senior at ‘Iolani School. She has been dancing for 14 years and has been dancing with Ballet Hawaii for about 11 years. She has participated in a few of Ballet Hawaii’s productions, such as Ballet Hawaii’s The Nutcracker and Alice in Wonderland. However, she doesn’t have a favorite role she has played. Outside of dance, she enjoys photography and hanging out with her dogs.

Summer Larsen is an 11th grade student enrolled at HTA (Hawaii Technology Academy). Summer has been dancing for about 6 years and with Ballet Hawaii for 3 years. Summer was introduced to Ballet with Impact Dance at age 8. Then with Northstate Ballet in Chico CA where she performed in Coppelia. Finally, after a break Summer joined Ballet Hawaii in 2022 and has loved ballet ever since. Summer performed two years in The Nutcracker, and in Urashima Taro. Summer also enjoyed two years in Ballet Hawaii Summer Intensive. Outside of Ballet, Summer enjoys playing tennis, painting, and traveling.