Saeko (Rio) Hayashi

Associate Director/Dancer

     Saeko (Rio) Hayashi started ballet in Japan with Yoshie Irisawa of Asami Maki school of ballet. At age ten, she moved to New Zealand and studied Royal Academy of Dance syllabus at Philippa Campbell School of Ballet with Philippa Campbell, Joye Lowe and Dorothea Ashbridge.

Saeko later attended The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, where she gained the Batchelor of honors degree in Fine Arts, received RAD Solo Seal, HSBC Scholarship and an opportunity to perform at the Shanghai Exposition.

​

     Saeko is a former company member of The Philippine Ballet Theater, American Liberty Ballet and teacher/performer at the Youth Ballet and S ballet of Japan.

​

     Past repertoire includes; ‘Raymonda’ in <Raymonda>, lead in <Paquita>, ‘Summer’ in <Cinderella>, ‘Gypsy’ in <Romeo and Juliette>, and ‘Giselle’ in <Giselle>. She has also performed <Dreaming Puppet> and <Sugar Fun> choreographed by Joan Liu as well as her own choreography <Book of Circus> and <Etude in D Minor>.