Madoka Sugai
Madoka Sugai 菅井円加 | |
|---|---|
| Born | 12 July 1994 Atsugi, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan |
| Education | Sasaki Mika Ballet Academy |
| Occupation | ballet dancer |
| Years active | 2012-present |
| Career | |
| Former groups | Hamburg Ballet |
Madoka Sugai (菅井円加, Sugai Madoka, born 1994) is a Japanese ballet dancer who was a principal dancer with the Hamburg Ballet from 2014 to 2025.
Early life
Sugai was born in Atsugi, Kanagawa Prefecture.[1] She trained at Sasaki Mika Ballet Academy in Yamato, Kanagawa.[2]
Career
In 2012, Sugai won the Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland, for which Miyako Yoshida was a juror.[3] After her victory, she was offered an apprenticeship to The Hamburg Ballet's second company, National Youth Ballet,[4] and joined the main company in 2014. In 2016, she danced a pax de deux from Flower Festival in Genzano with colleague Christopher Evans at the Erik Bruhn Prize.[5] She became a soloist in the following year and principal dancer in 2019. Her repertoire includes works by John Neumeier, Rudolf Nureyev and Jerome Robbins, and she originated a role in Neumeier's Beethoven Project.[1][6]
In May 2025, Sugai was one of 11 soloists who resigned from the Hamburg Ballet in protest at the "toxic working environment" created by its new artistic director Demis Volpi, who took over the role in September 2024.[7]
Selected repertoire
Sugai's repertoire with the Hamburg Ballet includes:[1]
- Cinderella in A Cinderella Story
- Woman in Apricot in Dances at a Gathering
- Kitri/Dulcinea in Don Quixote
- Peasant Pas de deux in Giselle
- Princess Natalia in Illusions – like Swan Lake
- Prudence Duvernoy in Lady of the Camellias
- Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream
Created roles
- Beethoven Project
- Götterboten
- Little Requiem
- Solo for Two
References
- ^ a b c "Ensemble". Hamburg Ballet. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
- ^ "Teen ballerina brings home prize". The Japan Times. 7 February 2012.
- ^ "Madoka Sugai talks about her Prix de Lausanne win". Gramilano. 7 February 2012.
- ^ "Madoka Sugai". Prix de Lausanne. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
- ^ Rudin, David (22 February 2016). "Promise for the Future". The Dance Current.
- ^ Escoyne, Courtney (1 August 2019). "News of Note: What You May Have Missed in July 2019". Dance Magazine.
- ^ Connolly, Kate (21 May 2025). "Hamburg Ballet dancers accuse artistic director of creating 'toxic environment' – reports". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 May 2025.