The Courage to Follow Your Passion: A New Beginning for the Girl Who Dreamed of the Paris Opera

What inspired you to aim to become a professional ballerina?

It was when my mother bought me a DVD of the Paris Opera Ballet's "Cinderella" for my 8th or 9th birthday. When I saw it, I felt a longing to work in that kind of world. That was the catalyst for me to aim for a professional career and to decide on France as the place for my future activities.

What was your motivation for devoting yourself to ballet?

At one point, Agnès Letestu, who appeared in "Cinderella," came to Ueno for a performance. She is someone who reached the very top as an Étoile of the Paris Opera. Looking at the photo I took with her, I would inspire myself by saying, "One day, I'll dance like her." Before moving to France, there were times I practiced until 11:00 PM after school, but I never felt it was painful. It was just fun, and I devoted myself to it because I wanted to get better.

Please tell us about the process of becoming a professional. I heard you graduated at the top of your ballet school; what was the secret?

I passed an audition in France around February of my third year of junior high school and moved there alone at age 15. From then on, I studied at a local high school in the mornings and took lessons at the ballet school from 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Balancing studies and ballet was difficult, but I had a fixation on being the best at whatever I did. Regarding ballet, I had a strong will that I would "definitely enter this world," and I simply maintained that mindset until the end.

Please tell us about your life when you were active as a professional.

After graduating from ballet school, I spent three years as a professional. I performed at theaters owned by the ballet company and went on tours across Europe, including Germany, Italy, and Switzerland.

Usually, I would arrive early at the site around 8:30 AM to do Pilates. After facing my body during the warm-up class from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM, I would have rehearsals until 6:00 PM to finish the day. Since I wasn't just confronting my own body but also dancing with other dancers, I was conscious of communicating sincerely with both myself and others.

Did you face any difficulties during your activities?

Ballet is a unique art form where you think about many different things in your head and express them through your body. It's great when it goes well, but when it didn't, I would keep it inside and ruminate on it.

As my life abroad grew longer, there were times when I completely lost my sense of belonging. When I returned to Japan, I would realize its good points, but when I went back to France, my life was there too. I used to brood over this, but since Europe was a relatively multinational environment, I would consult with local friends about how to perceive it and tried to accept it positively. I believe that having various cultures increases one's inner richness. Because I can choose both Japan and France, I tended to think I had to give one up, but I try to maintain a mindset that it's not an either-or choice and that I can go to either one at any time.

For you, having been active globally, I imagine there were numerous career options. Why did you choose to go to a university in Japan?

Because I wanted to value time for self-reflection and time with my family.

Ballet was one of the fields hit hardest when the pandemic occurred, and at that time, I realized the need to rethink my career. Furthermore, I suffered an injury in 2023. While I still love ballet as much as ever, as I thought about the future, I began to want to build a career that is true to myself from a long-term perspective, rather than just continuing to chase a dream.

Also, because I had been devoted to ballet since I was young, the time I spent with my family was limited. Even though we could connect via video calls, the time we could actually be together was short. In the midst of that, there was a death in the family, and I began to feel strongly that I wanted to cherish the time I can spend with my family and loved ones more than ever before.

Taking both these career and private aspects into account, I decided to return to Japan and go to university as an environment where I could take on new challenges while expanding my possibilities.

I understand you are currently in a seminar on the sociology of family and kinship. What sparked your interest in that?

It started when I took a lecture by Associate Professor Yuichiro Sakai, who is in charge of the seminar, for the first time in my second year and found it interesting. I often feel that while the family is the first society you see after being born, the values you gain then remain with you even as you grow up. I became interested in what it means to look at society not from a macro perspective, but from the even smaller unit of the family.

In your opinion, what are the good points of Keio?

It's a place where there are many highly motivated students, and you can always be stimulated. I feel that there are many different kinds of people, or rather, people with various backgrounds enrolled here. Seeing elderly people coming back to study has encouraged me, making me realize that one can continue learning at any point in life.

Please give a message to Keio students, prospective students aiming for Keio, or those who are hesitating to take a step toward a challenge.

I think it is a very good thing to try diving into a world you don't know. When you dive in, a new world opens up again. Through my experience in ballet, I felt that if you have the courage to act without fearing change and put in the effort, a path will naturally open up in the direction you want to go.

It's natural to feel anxious about doing something different from others, so instead of comparing yourself with others, I think it's good to compare yourself vertically with who you were a few months or years ago and think about how you have grown now. By continuing to work hard for your dreams, you should be able to gain confidence in your actions.

It's okay not to worry more than necessary about the opinions of those around you regarding what you truly love. In any situation, there will always be people who say negative things. I also received various opposing opinions in the past, but it is because I acted believing in what I "love" that I am where I am today. If you are hesitating to take on a challenge, I want you to move forward with the courage to dive into the unknown without comparing yourself to those around you.