Daichi Ikarashi, Royal Ballet and Opera, England

Japanese dancer, Daichi began his training in his homeland, at the Niigita Ballet School. A talented and promising student, he went on to study in Europe at the prestigious Royal Ballet School in London. During his studies, Daichi took his first steps on stage, performing pieces from the renown classical repertoire, such as Ashton’s “Rhapsody”, the pas de trois from Paquita, and Liam Scarlett’s “The Cunning Little Vixen” at the Royal Opera House.

Newly graduated from the Royal Ballet School, Daichi joined the famous company associated with the school, the Royal Ballet. He made his debut in the 2020-2021 season, first joining the Aud Jebsen Young Dancer programme. he following season, he officially joined the company and was promoted to First Artist in 2023, and Soloist a year later.

With the Company, he has nurtured his personal repertoire, performing roles such as Puck (“The Dream”), Hans-Peter (“The Nutcracker”), the Jester (“Cinderella”), the Mandolin Dancer (“Romeo and Juliet”), as well as roles in “Rhapsody” and “Anemoi”. Daichi has also created roles in Jessica Lang’s “Twinkle” and Kyle Abraham’s “The Weathering”.

Daichi won the Youth America Grand Prix Hope Award in 2013, the April Olrich Award for Dynamic Performance in 2016, the Gailene Stock Award in 2019 and the London Ballet Circle Dame Ninette Award in 2020.