About Makino
Makino’s choreographic work is focused on finding, shining, and blooming each dancer’s unique beauty. She loves working on this during the rehearsal process and collaborating with the dancer’s movements and creating something special. During the collaboration process, there is always some kind of chemistry that appears that makes it a unique experience. New ideas open new possibilities, and passion and love during the creating process excites her and takes the collaboration to the next level. Choreographing is one way for her to tell her story and ideas. She loves witnessing when different dancers perform her choreography, because they add their own expressions and they speak a different story and how things change in their body and show a different beauty in their own way.
“Dancer life is like having a big family. We work together so close that we get to know each other so well. Whether good or bad, that is one of the beauties of the art/dance world. Let’s bloom something new that only we can create between us, where we are at this moment.”
Makino is a choreographer based in Portland, OR. She was born in Kumamoto, Japan where she began ballet at Kumamoto Ballet Studio at the age of nine. She danced professionally with Colorado Ballet from 2002-2008, has guested with several companies in the U.S. and Japan, and danced with Oregon Ballet Theatre from 2010-2023 and has performed in primarily soloist and principal roles. She has retired from full time dancing in June 2023. She has been choreographing professionally since 2014.
Choreography and Film History
2024
- “The Message 2024” World premier for Oregon Ballet Theatre performance Made in Portland 2024
- “What do you see…” was performed at Women Choreographers go the Pacific Northwest performance
- “Footprints” Inspire Dance Centre competition group piece
2023
- “The Rose” World premier for Oregon Ballet Theatre performance Made in Portland 2023
- “Seven Wonder” World premier for Oregon Origins Project II performance
- “Inside Voice” World premier for The Boulder Ballet performance New Move
2022
- “What do you see…” was performed at Union PDX performance in Portland OR in 2022
- “Another Me” World premier for Ballet Space Future annual performance in Kumamoto Japan
- “The Message 2022” was screened at Art 2 Action by Artists Climate Collective
- “Beauty in you” was screened at BB Dance Film Fest in Boulder, CO
2021
- “Be You” World premier for OBT2 Raw Pieces of Eight performance
- “KUKAN” World premier for Ballet Space Future annual performance in Kumamoto Japan
- “Rock ’n’ Sugarplum” was screened at Aaron Meyer Christmas Special Rock the Holidays
- “KIZUNA” World premier for Ten Tiny Community Healing Dances for the city arts program in Portland OR
2020
- “Black Earth” was performed at SzólóDuó choreographer competition festival in Budapest, Hungary
- “Breathing” was screened at We Are The Moving Stories
2019
- “Black Earth” World premier for IN A LANDSCAPE Classical Music in the Wild by Hunter Noack
- “TSURUnoMAI” World premier for Portland Japanese garden concert
- “Beauty in the Nature” was screened at 2019 Lady Filmmakers Festival in Beverly Hills, CA and Moving Images videodance festival
2018
- “What do you see…” World premier for Oregon Ballet Theatre performance Closer
- “On the other side of the door” World premier for Kumamoto Ballet Studio performance Summer Ballet Concert in Kumamoto Japan
- “From here From now” World premier for Ballet Space Future annal performance in Kumamoto Japan
- “Beauty in the Nature” was screened at VIDEOSKIN film festival in Yukon Canada
2017
- “Mother Earth” World premier for Ballet Space Future annual performance in Kumamoto Japan
2014
- “Brother and A Sister” for Oregon Ballet Theatre performance Create
