Mako Nagasaki, from Japan, is in her first year as a member of The Washington Ballet Studio Company. She began her ballet training at the age of three at Nagasaki Sayo Ballet Studio where her mother teaches. She continued her training in Seattle, Washington and the Zurich Ballet School at the Opera House in Zurich, Switzerland. She then studied at the Mongila Art School where she danced the principal role in The Nutcracker for the School Performance. Ms. Nagasaki went on to become a Soloist with the Monglia National Opera Ballet and danced the Odette/Odile role in Swan Lake, as well as many other principal roles. She was a semi-finalist at the New York International Ballet Competition in 2005, and she won the Gold medal at the 2007 Youth America Grand Prix Finals in New York.