Eriko Ochiai
• Former Principal Dancer of the Hong Kong Ballet
• Faculty member of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts
• Asian Grand Prix appointed Ballet Mistress
• Senior Ballet Tutor of the Hong Kong Youth Ballet Academy
• Winner of National Ballet Competition Japan
• First Prize winner of Festival of Ballet, International Ballet of Luxembourg
Eriko OCHIAl was the winner of the International Ballet Festival of Luxembourg in 1993, and the IBM Scholarship winner of the Asia Pacific Ballet Competition in 1987. She was also the recipient of the Ministry of Culture Special Award in Luxembourg.
Born in Japan, the soulful dance style and technical brilliance of OCHIAl made her one of the best ballet dancers in Asia. A former principal dancer of the Hong Kong Ballet, OCHIAl danced in major repertoires including Odette/Odile in Swan Lake; Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty; the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker; Giselle in Giselle; Nikiya in La Bayadère; Cinderella in Cinderella; and Lise in La Fille Mal Gardée.
She has performed principal roles including not only Paquita, La Sylphide, The Two Pigeons, Raymonda, Anna Karenina, The Lady of the Camellias, Beauty and the Beast, The Emperor and the Nightingale, Balanchine's Tarantella, Who Cares?, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, Sylvia Pas de Deux and Allegro Brillante.
OCHIAI represented the company in numerous international events. She was awarded the Ballet Master's Award and was honoured with the Outstanding Contribution to Dance Award at the Hong Kong Dance Awards.
OCHIAl continues to perform as well as passing on her grace and knowledge to local and international dance students alike. She is the Ballet Mistress of the Asian Grand Prix International Ballet Competition, and a principal teacher of Hong Kong Youth Ballet Academy. In recognition of her achievements and contributions, OCHIAl was featured in the Hong Kong Dance Hall of Fame by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council.