Japanese ballet dancer Miyako Yoshida to retire in Summer

January 30, 2019

Tokyo--World-renowned Japanese ballet dancer Miyako Yoshida on Wednesday revealed plans to retire as a professional dancer this summer.

Her last performances will take place at Tokyo's New National Theatre on Aug. 7-8.

"I will dedicate my efforts to the last performances. I want to support young dancers afterwards," Yoshida, 53, said on social media.

Yoshida won a prize at the Prix de Lausanne, a prestigious international competition for young ballet dancers, in 1983.

She later filled the highest position of principal dancer at the Royal Ballet of London and other ballet companies.

In Japan, she was named a Person of Cultural Merit in 2017. In September 2020, she is set to assume the role of artistic director of ballet and dance at the New National Theatre. Jiji Press