ERIKO OCHIAI

Former Principal Dancer of Hong Kong Ballet

Winner of the National Ballet Competition in Japan, Eriko was also the IBM Scholarship winner of the Asian Pacific Ballet Competition in 1987. In 1993, she was awarded the first prize at the Festival of Ballet organized by International Ballet of Luxembourg and received the Ministry of Cultural Special Award.
The soulful dance style of Eriko and technical brilliance made her one of the best ballet dancers in Asia. As a Principal Dancer of the Hong Kong Ballet, Eriko represented the company to numerous international events and was awarded the Ballet Master's Award in recognition of her achievements. In 2004, she was honored with the Outstanding Contribution to Dance Award at the Hong Kong Dance Award. She was featured in Hong Kong Dance Hall of Fame by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council.
Eriko continues to perform as well as passing on her grace and knowledge to students at performing arts and education institutions. She is the faculty member of Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and teaching full time Ballet students; senior teacher at Hong Kong Youth Ballet Academy; as well as the Ballet Mistress of Asian Grand Prix International Ballet Competition.