Chiharu Shibata, Former Principal Dancer, LINES Ballet Company, Joffrey Ballet
Chiharu moved to the United States from Japan in 1987 to broaden her knowledge of classical and contemporary ballet. She performed with San Francisco Ballet before becoming a principal dancer with Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet and the Joffrey Ballet, and has performed internationally to great acclaim. She currently dances with the San Francisco Opera Ballet.
She began her ballet studies at the Kikuchi Ballet School in Sapporo, and performed in the National Ballet Festival in Tokyo.
In addition to teaching at the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, Chiharu also teaches in her hometown of Sapporo during her frequent home visits.