Biography

Japanese dancer Hikaru Kobayashi is a former First Soloist of The Royal Ballet. She joined the Company as a First Artist in 2003 and was promoted to Soloist in 2006 and First Soloist in 2009. She retired from The Royal Ballet in October 2018. Her repertory includes Princess Aurora and Bluebird pas de deux (The Sleeping Beauty), Gamzatti and Nikiya (La Bayadère), Marie Larisch (Mayerling), Myrtha and pas de six (Giselle), Fairy Summer (Cinderella) and roles in Ballo della regina, Birthday Offering, Symphony in C, La Valse, Concerto and In the Night.
Kobayashi was born in Tokyo and fell in love with ballet through watching a television broadcast of Swan Lake aged three. Early professional work included appearing as a child model for television advertisements. She trained locally and joined the Paris Opera Ballet School aged 15, becoming the school’s first Japanese student. On graduation in 1995 she joined the Jeune Ballet de France, and joined Zürich Ballet in 1996 and Dutch National Ballet in 1999.
Kobayashi’s awards include first prize in the 1998 International Competition of Vignale Danza. She has danced in numerous galas and as a guest artist around the world, with companies including New National Theatre Tokyo, Star Dancers Ballet, Cape Town City Ballet and Sofia Ballet.
Photos
Hikaru Kobayashi as Gamzatti and Sergei Polunin as Solor in La Bayadère

Hikaru Kobayashi photographed for The Language of the Soul

Hikaru Kobayashi in Giselle, The Royal Ballet

Hikaru Kobayashi and Samantha Raine as Blue Girls in Les Patineurs.

Hikaru Kobayashi as Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty

Hikaru Kobayashi as Princess Aurora and Sergei Polunin as Prince Florimund in The Sleeping Beauty

Elizabeth McGorian as Baroness Helene Vetsera and Hikaru Kobayashi as Mary Vetsera in Mayerling, The Royal Ballet

Mara Galeazzi, Hikaru Kobayashi and Genesia Rosato in Mayerling, The Royal Ballet

Hikaru Kobayashi as Gamzatti in La Bayadère

Hikaru Kobayashi

Hikaru Kobyashi photographed for What Lies Beneath

Hikaru Kobayashi as Nikiya in La Bayadère, The Royal Ballet

Hikaru Kobayashi in The Sleeping Beauty, The Royal ballet

Hikaru Kobayashi in Giselle, The Royal Ballet

Hikaru Kobayashi as Princess Aurora and artists of The Royal Ballet in The Sleeping Beauty

Hikaru Kobayashi as Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty
