Rie Aoki

Assistant Ballet Mistress and Faculty

Born and raised in Tochigi, Japan, Rie started training at Chiyo Ishihara Ballet School at the age of six, and finalized her ballet training at the Kirov Ballet Academy in Washington D.C. under Ludmila Morkovina. After graduating, she danced with Milwaukee Ballet II and Columbia Classical Ballet before joining FSBT in 2013. Rie has also danced all over the East Coast and Japan as a guest artist.

 At First State Ballet Theatre Rie danced many leading roles in full-length ballets that showcased her wide range, including Kitri in Don Quixote, Swanhilda in Coppélia, the title role in Giselle, Juliet in Viktor Plotnikov’s Romeo and Juliet, Lucy in Viktor Plotnikov’s Dracula, Marie and Sugarplum Fairy in The Nutcracker, and Odile in Swan Lake. Under the guidance of Pasha and Kristina Kambalov, her repertoire also included principal roles in excerpts from Diana and Acteon, Le Talisman, Le Corsaire, Satanella, Esmeralda, Paquita, The Dying Swan, and many more.

 Rie has served as a judge and master class teacher at the National Ballet Competition at The Grand Opera House and has been a scholarship class teacher at the Delaware Dance Festival. Her work has been featured in Pointe magazine, Philadelphia magazine, Delaware Online and Delaware Today. This season marks Rie’s third year as Assistant Ballet Mistress and her 11th year of sharing her love for ballet with her students at The School of First State Ballet Theatre.