Taiyo Makimura

Taiyo Makimura (he/him) is a transmasculine dancer from New Jersey, where he began his high school career at the UCVTS Academy for Performing Arts and completed it at the Rock School for Dance Education in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, under the direction of Bo and Stephanie Spassoff. Taiyo has performed as a trainee with BalletMet, where he could be seen as a swan in Edwaard Liang’s Swan Lake, in various roles in The Nutcracker, as well as in trainee productions. He later joined Louisville Ballet’s Studio Company, performing both male and female roles in ballets including Romeo & Juliet and Giselle, before moving to San Francisco in 2024 to become a member of the concluding class of the Alonzo King LINES Ballet Training Program. At the LINES Dance Center, he had the privilege of working with the choreographers Sidra Bell, Robert Moses, Dexandro Montalvo, and more. In the 2025-2026 season, he danced with the Oakland Ballet, where he toured Phil Chan's Ballets des Porcelaine and performed in the acclaimed Angel Island production. Taiyo currently lives in Oakland, CA, where he spends his time playing with his cats and exploring the visual arts. "Ballet 22 celebrates queerness as a diversion from the "normal," giving value to individuality in a world plagued by conformity. I am beyond excited to contribute to this pocket of hope and community!" 

Photo by Vin Eiamvuthikorn