As a former cabin attendant, Yui Negishi now has her feet planted firmly on the ground. Except when she is leaping through the air in her new career.
Negishi, who had worked for All Nippon Airways Co., made a dramatic pandemic-induced decision to pursue a career in ballet at the age of 27, returning to her longtime passion after a long gap.
Negishi joined the National Ballet of Japan in September. As ballet requires continuous practice of fundamentals, it is rare for a dancer to be accepted into one of Japan's leading ballet companies following a hiatus in the corporate world. Despite her late debut, Negishi is already performing lavish solos.
The Tokyo-born Negishi started ballet at the age of 4 and in 2012, participated in the Prix de Lausanne, a major international competition in Switzerland for young dancers. After that, she went to Hungary to study, but after returning to Japan upon graduation in July 2014, she stopped practicing ballet.
"I didn't know what kind of dance I wanted to do," Negishi recalled. "I felt like studying abroad was my goal."
Negishi, who aspired to become a cabin attendant, enrolled in a junior college in 2015. She resumed ballet lessons, going once or twice a week as a "hobby." After landing a job with ANA, she flew to various countries for work, giving her opportunities to watch ballet performances.
"Seeing the performances of top dancers around the world made me feel the appeal of ballet again," she said.
The turning point came when the pandemic hit and the number of flights was vastly reduced. From April 2020, Negishi was put on home standby, so she started practicing ballet seriously again, taking lessons online.
Her passion was reignited, making her think, "No matter the role, I want to get on stage, even if I'm just off in a corner."
In February this year, Negishi auditioned for the National Ballet of Japan, the company for which Miyako Yoshida, 56, a former internationally known ballerina, serves as artistic director of ballet and dance. She passed the tryout.
Negishi is now appearing in the ballet company's production "Swan Lake" through Nov. 3. In the Oct. 26 performance, she had a solo as the Polish princess, which requires great leaping ability.
"The thought process of setting a goal and reflecting the result of that in the next goal, which I learned during my days as a cabin attendant, has served me well in ballet," Negishi said. "I want to become a dancer who performs with deep expression to show the real me."
Being armed with real-world experience is helping her soar on a new stage.
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