Mia Asamoto is a Freshman 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 11th grade student enrolled at HTA (Hawaii Technology Academy). She has been dancing since she was 4 years old and has been dancing with Ballet Hawaii for 4 years. Emma attended San Francisco Ballet School’s summer intensive in 2020 and 2022. Her favorite roles she has performed are the Dying Swan Variation and variations from Paquita. Outside of ballet Emma enjoys hiking and going to the beach.

Emma Belatti is a 2023 graduate from McKinley High School and has been dancing with Ballet Hawaii for 14 years. She has participated in Ballet Hawaii’s The Nutcracker, Ballet Chicago’s 2022 Summer Intensive, and numerous Ballet Hawaii productions, including its inaugural Performance Ensemble. Emma also shows her love of dance by competing in hip hop competitions with the GWK McKinley Dance Team, most recently competing in the 2023 Honozulu Dance Competition where they placed third in the Varsity division. In her free time, Emma enjoys surfing, skateboarding, and assembling computer keyboards.

Drew Cai is a sophomore at Punahou School. Currently, they’ve been dancing for 8 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” from Ms. Susan and “Elements - Fire” by Ms. Christine. Aside from dancing she also enjoys eating and hanging out with her friends.

Calista Chock is currently a senior attending Punahou School. She started her Ballet Hawaii journey in 2010 at four years old. Over the past 13 years, she has participated in multiple Nutcracker and Spring Showcase productions. Due to COVID-19, she took a two-year break from ballet and restarted during the summer session of 2022. Her favorite roles include Snow Flake and Party Girl. Outside of dance, she enjoys spending time with friends and traveling.

Mckenna Finney is a homeschool sophomore. She has been dancing since she was 3 at various studios across the country. She has participated in 9 Nutcrackers, half of which have been with Ballet Hawaii. Her favorite Nutcracker roles have been dancing as Snow and Flowers. Mckenna has participated in several other ballets and she particularly enjoyed performing in La Bayadère and Alice in Wonderland with Carolina Youth Ballet. She has attended summer intensives at both Ballet Hawaii and Carolina Ballet. Outside of dance, she enjoys reading, photography, and baking.

Carley Hanson is in 9th grade at HTA. She started dancing at 4 years old. Studios attended include Floyd Ward Dance, Virginia Beach Ballet Company and Russian Ballet Academy. Performance roles include Big Butterfly, Soldier, Candy Cane, Flower, Snow Angel and Hawaiian Warrior in The Nutcracker as well as a swan and villager in Northeastern Ballet Academy’s Swan Lake. Outside of the studio Carley likes to bake and ice skate.

Alana Haydu is a senior attending Mid-Pacific Institute. She has been dancing since the age of three and has danced at Hawaii State Ballet before transferring to Ballet Hawaii at age ten, where she has enjoyed attending the Summer Intensive Program. One of her favorite pieces that she has performed is Agape during Spring Ensemble. Outside of the dance studio, Alana enjoys reading.

Meg Huffman is a Junior 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, and The Sleeping Beauty. Her favorite roles include I’iwi Bird and Snowflake from The Nutcracker. Outside of dance, she enjoys playing the piano and baking.

Harley Izu is a Junior 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 also studied acro dance, hip hop, lyrical, contemporary, jazz, and partner acro. Harley transferred to Ballet Hawaii in the summer of 2020, where her favorite pieces have been In the Shirt and as a Crowne Flower in The Nutcracker. She attended the 2023 summer intensive at Ballet Hawaii. In her free time, Harley enjoys drawing, painting and playing guitar.

Maximus Latu is a sophomore 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 like Ballet Hawaii's Summer Intensive and the Royal Danish Ballet Summer Intensive in Copenhagen. 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.

Kendel T. Martin, homeschooled high school senior and dual enrolled at the University Hawaii West Oahu, has been dancing ballet for approximately 10 years as well as various contemporary styles for the last 5 years. She was first introduced to ballet at a small ballet school in South Korea where she took classes for a year, and then later took a second year of ballet at a dance studio on Hickam Air Force Base. She has spent the following years of her dance training at Ballet Hawaii where she has been given numerous opportunities to perform in The Nutcracker and in the Performing Ensemble. Thus far Kendel’s favorite role was Crown Flower in Ballet Hawaii’s Nutcracker performance, though on the side of the commitment she has given to dance she still finds time to pursue her interests in other areas such as music, now having played drums for nearly eight years.

Cameron Miyamoto is an 8th grader 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 7-time Spotlight Diamond Award and 3-time Judge’s Choice recipient. Most recently in 2023, she received the Palladium and 9th Place Awards at the Regional JUMP competition, as well as the Diamond Award at the Spotlight Dance Cup.

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 productions 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, and Summer (choreographed by Christine Kaminski) in Ballet Hawaii’s 2023 Urashima Taro.

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 Junior 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 sophomore at James Campbell High School. She has been dancing since the age of 4 at Ballet Hawaii. Her favorite piece to dance is the Chinese Umbrella Girl in The Nutcracker. 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.

Janie Okamoto is a recent high school graduate and had been homeschooled her entire life. She began her dance training with Ballet Hawaii when she was five years old. Since then, she has participated in many of their Spring Showcases and has been a member of Ballet Hawaii’s Performing Ensemble for multiple seasons. One of her favorite pieces that she has danced has been the Kitri Act 3 variation from Don Quixote. Outside of dance, she often enjoys expressing herself with drawing traditional and digital art.

Lauren Rayburg is currently an 8th grader at The Potter School. She has been dancing since she was 4 years old with various studios. Her favorite piece to perform so far has been Breath in Creation with Prisma Dance. She has loved going to summer intensives including the Dallas Conservatory, Dance Center of San Antonio, and Ballet Hawaii. Other than dancing Lauren loves baking, reading, and hanging out with her friends.

Gabriel Salonga is a sophomore at Mid-Pacific Institute. He has been dancing with Ballet Hawaii for 11 years, but he has been dancing for 13 years. Last year, Gabriel attended the Point Park summer intensive in Pittsburgh. 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 computer programming and photography.

Sophie Sandomire is a senior at Punahou School. She has danced for 14 years. Her favorite role was an I'iwi in Ballet Hawaii's 2023 The Nutcracker. Some of her favorite pieces she has danced in are Do, Do, Do from By George and Autumn from Urashima Taro in Ballet Hawaii's 2023 Summer Intensive. Outside of dance, Sophie bakes a lot and hangs out with her pet rabbit, Jazz.

Garry Umeda started dancing at age 6 at The Movement Center, studying Tap, Hip Hop and later was introduced to Ballet. At age 9 he switched to Hawaii State Ballet to focus solely on Ballet. In 7th grade, Garry entered Mid Pacific's School of Performing Arts, majoring in Ballet and Contemporary. In January 2023, he decided to take classes at Ballet Hawaii West, since that studio was much closer to his home. He enjoys being in Ballet Hawaii's Ensemble Group, but his favorite role was Fritz in Hawaii State Ballet's Nutcracker. Garry is in the 11th grade. In addition to his dance studies at MPSA, Garry is in Mid Pac's International Baccalaureate program. When he's not dancing, Garry teaches Sunday School at Temple Emanu-El's School of Jewish Studies, or works as an editor for Mid Pac's Literary Magazine. He aspires to become a Neurologist.

Madie Young is a 9th 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 2022 summer intensives at San Francisco Ballet and Ballet Hawaii. She is attending the 2023 Carolina Ballet summer intensive. Her favorite role is Pizzicato variation from Raymonda. Outside of ballet, Madie enjoys baking and hanging out with her dog, Toby.

Elyana Belatti is an 8th grade student enrolled at Stevenson Middle School. She has been dancing since the age of 4, and has been dancing with Ballet Hawaii for 6 years. Elyana has also danced with Honolulu Dance Studio for 3 years focusing on hip hop, lyrical, and contemporary dance. She has participated in summer intensives with Ballet Hawaii and Honolulu Dance Studio. Most recently, Elyana performed a Classical solo piece to “Kitri Act III” from Don Quixote for the 2023 Miss Hawaii Teen Volunteer pageant. In addition to dancing, Elyana enjoys catching up with friends and spending quality time with her family.

Danny J Button is a 9th grader in Hawaii Technology Academy. He has danced for 10 years, 2 of them with Ballet Hawaii and 8 of them with Fort Wayne ballet. One of Danny's Favorite roles has been playing Fritz in The Nutcracker. When Danny is not dancing, he enjoys going mountain biking.

Kyndal Canianes is a 7th 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 Nutcracker's with Ballet Hawaii. Some of her favorite dances have been 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.

Kiyomi ‘Taylor’ Hunter is in the seventh 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 is 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 and 2023. Some of her favorite pieces performed included By George set by Maiqui Manosa and Chinese Umbrella Girl in Ballet Hawaii’s The Nutcracker. Outside of dance is more dance. As she says, ”dance is life!”

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.

Sherbie Lam is a Junior at ‘Iolani School. She started dancing for 13 years and has been dancing with Ballet Hawaii for about 10 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.

Gabby Sandbo is an 8th 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.