Saia Kuwata is originally from Osaka, Japan where she began her training. In 2016, she moved to Victoria, Canada to continue her training in the Post-Secondary Bridge Program at the Victoria Academy of Ballet, which she graduated from in the spring of 2018. While at the Victoria Academy of Ballet, Saia had the opportunity to work with many guest teachers such as Alysa Pires, Wen Wei Wang, Jorden Morris and Christopher Anderson. Saia placed in the top 12 at the Youth American Grand Prix semi-finals in Seattle, Washington. She has performed in Ballet for the Future (2014, 2015) under the direction of Gen Horiuchi (Artistic Director of the Saint Louis Ballet Company), as well as Alberta Ballet’s  The Nutcracker (2017), and Ballet Kelowna’s A Streetcar Named Desire (May 2018). This is Ms. Kuwata’s first season with Ballet Kelowna.