Yoshiko Kamikusa and Luis Ocaranza Will Appear as Guest Artists in the Shreveport Metropolitan Ballet's THE NUTCRACKER

YOSHIKO KAMIKUSA, principal dancer of the Indianapolis Ballet, and LUIS OCARANZA of Ballet RI, will appear as guest artists in the Shreveport Metropolitan Ballet's production of The Nutcracker on December 9 and 10, 2023 at the Riverview Theatre in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Born in Tokyo, Japan, YOSHIKO KAMIKUSA began her ballet training at the age of seven in Hawaii. Ms. Kamikusa moved to Canada to pursue her professional training under the guidance of Vera Solovyeva and Nikolai Levitsky at the Goh Ballet Academy in Vancouver, Canada.

In 2013 Ms. Kamikusa initiated her professional career in dance when she was engaged as an artist with Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet. As a member of the company, she danced such principal roles as Odile in Swan Lake, Clara in Galina Yordanova/Nina Menon's production of The Nutcracker, Puck in John Alleyne's The Faerie Queen, and the Red Girl in Mark Godden's Dracula, and principal roles in William Forsythe's The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude, and George Balanchine's Serenade.

She also danced in Rudi Van Dantzig's Romeo and Juliet, Peter Wright's production of Giselle, Val Caniparoli's A Cinderella Story, James Kudelka's The Four Seasons, and Mauricio Wainrot's Carmina Burana.

In 2018 Ms. Kamikusa joined the Indianapolis Ballet as a principal dancer and founding company member. Her repertoire has been expanded to include principal roles in both the 19th century classics staged by Victoria Lyras, and ballets choreographed by Victoria Lyras including Aurora and Princess Florine in The Sleeping Beauty, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Swanhilda in Coppelia, the Snow Queen and the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, and the title roles in Lyras' Carmen, and The Firebird.

Ms. Kamikusa has also danced principal roles in ballets choreographed by George Balanchine including Who Cares?, Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux, Serenade, The Four Temperaments, Tarantella, Rubies, Sonatine, Valse Fantaisie, Raymonda Variations, and Allegro Brillante.

In addition Ms. Kamikusa has also danced many of the great pas de deux including those from Giselle, Agrippina Vaganova's Diana and Actaeon, Victor Gsovsky's Grand Pas Classique, Esmeralda, Don Quixote, Le Corsaire, Paquita, and Asaf Messerer's Spring Waters.

  

Ms. Kamikusa has also gained significant recognition by competing and winning several awards at various international ballet competitions including the Bronze Medal at the 2016 Helsinki International Ballet Competition, 1st Place at the 2013 Japan Grand Prix, Gold Medal at the 2011 Tanzolymp in Berlin, and the Bronze Medal at the 2011 Boston International Ballet Competition.

Born in Morelia, Mexico, LUIS OCARANZA began his ballet training at Centro Pro-Ballet de Michoacán. At age 18 he was personally selected by Edward Villella to join the Miami City Ballet School where he graduated after three years working and touring with the company.

Mr. Ocaranza had also been awarded scholarships to train with the Boston Ballet and Tulsa Ballet. In 2014, he participated in the Carreno Festival under the artistic direction of Jose Manuel Carreno of American Ballet Theatre. In 2015, he and his partner were among the “Top Twelve” in the Youth American Grand Prix Finals.

In 2016, as a dancer with the Sarasota Ballet, Mr. Ocaranza appeared with the company at the City Center Fall for Dance Festival dancing alongside of Alina Cojocaru and Friedman Vogel in Sir Frederick Ashton's Marguerite and Armand.

In 2017 Mr. Ocaranza joined the Milwaukee Ballet under the direction of Michael Pink. Later in 2021 Mr. Ocaranza participated in the Theater Im Pfalzbau Dance Festival in Germany as a member of Compania Nacional de Danza.

Mr. Ocaranza is currently a member of Ballet RI, which is based in Providence, Rhode Island.

Mr. Ocaranza has performed in ballets choreographed by George Balanchine, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, Rudolf Nureyev, John Cranko, Uwe Scholz, Marco Goecke, Paul Taylor, Antony Tudor, Will Tuckett, Ninette de Valois, Val Caniparoli, Michael Pink and others.

He also choreographed the pas de deux .78 for Ballet RI.

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