Instructor & Performer

Yoshiko Brunson is a professional ballerina, trained in many dance styles since the age of six, and is also a dance instructor. Yoshi started her ballet training at Hawaii State Ballet School, continued training at the school of Ballet Ariel, under Ilena Norton, William Boyette, and Patricia Renzetti, and at International Ballet School, under Mark and Sandra Carlson, German Zamuel, and Slava Mesropov. She competed and won awards such as 1st place at the Denver Ballet Guild, a regional finalist in YAGP, and a participant at World Ballet Competition. Yoshi had the opportunity to train at various summer programs, some on scholarship, including ABT CA and Austin, Boston Ballet School, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School, and Joffrey Ballet School NY.

This led to her exciting post-high school career as a performer, which she still pursues. Some of the countless ballets and full-lenth productions she has performed include: Peter Pan, A Midsummer’s Nights Dream, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella (with International Youth Ballet). She was with the Eugene Ballet Company as an apprentice, for two seasons, where she danced and toured throughout the Pacific Northwest in Toni Pimble’s classical and contemporary ballets including the Nutcracker, Cinderella, Nutcracker, Alice in Wonderland, The Beatles, The Rite of Spring, Les Noces, Swing Kings, and Romeo and Juliet. She then furthered her dance career with the Ballet Theatre of Maryland, in Annapolis, as a demi-soloist for two seasons, dancing in a multitude of Dianna Cuatto’s ballets, including The Nutcracker, Beauty and the Beast, Primal Dreams, Aladdin, Alice in Wonderland, Interlude, Coppelia, The War of 1812, The Dancing Princesses, Interlude, Pirates of the Chesapeake, and Swan Lake. After taking some time to pursue her education, completing a B.S. of Biology from UCD, she joined Ballet Ariel, in Denver. At BA, Yoshi danced solo roles such as the Sugar Plum Fairy in Ilena Norton’s Nutcracker, the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella, the Good Fairy in Fairy Tale Suite, the Bird in Peter and the Wolf, and a lead dancer in Birth of Rock and Roll.

Still residing in Denver, Yoshi is thrilled to expand her capacities as a dancer by participating in CMDance events and programs, performing administrative duties and projects, and teach. She has taught the art of ballet, jazz, creative movement, acro, and beginning tap at Denver Academy of Ballet, as well as substitute-teaches at many other local studios. During the pandemic, she has been teaching privately and performed the Nutcracker 2020 with a livestreamed, socially-distanced and masked cast. She is thankful to do what she loves for a living and to all those in her life who have supported her mission as a dance artist.