School Directors & Staff

Naomi was born in Misawa, Japan. She began her dance training after moving to
the United States at Ballet Arts Olympia with Stephanie Wood-Ennett and Mary
Cecilia Piper. She continued to train under their direction at Studio West Dance
Academy for 13 years where she focused on many styles of dance, mainly ballet
and hip hop. After graduating, Naomi began training at the official Joffrey
Academy of Dance in Chicago. The following year, she became a Trainee at
BalletMet. In 2022, she joined DeCruz Ballet under the direction of former Pacific
Northwest Ballet principals Lindsi Dec and Karel Cruz. This will be her first
season with Ballet Tucson and The School of Ballet Tucson.

Alongside her ballet journey, Naomi joined the hip hop crew EDGE in 2013 under
the direction of Sarah Jane Bracy. With EDGE, she performed in shows and
conventions locally and across Washington for the next 7 years. After graduation,
she would return during summers to teach and continue learning different hip hop
techniques such as jazz funk, popping, house, etc. Naomi’s goal when teaching
hip hop is to encourage dancers to explore new types of movement and self
interpretation. She aims to share her passion for the style while respecting hip
hop as a culture and its roots.

Additionally, Naomi has a passion for choreography. She helped stage
productions of Cinderella and The Nutcracker for Studio West Dance Theatre
during their 2021/22 season, and created original works for them that premiered
in 2022. She also participated in choreography for EDGE during her time with the
group.