Mai Nakanishi-Co-Artistic Director, Guest Choreographer & Performer

Mai Nakanishi-Co-Artistic Director, Guest Choreographer & Performer
Mai is Lorelei's twin sister, who is co-founder of dancEnlight based in Tokyo, Japan. She is a performer, a choreographer, a ballroom dance instructor, and Chinese calligrapher. A Beijing native, Mai Nakanishi is an internationally recognized calligraphy artist and highly skilled professional dancer. She began her calligraphy at the age of five. As an award-winning calligraphy artist, honoraries include being the 2009 recipient of the prestigious Tokyo Museum International Chinese Calligraphy Award. Aside from Calligraphy, Mai Nakanishi is a trained professional dancer and instructor. She began her dance training in classical ballet, and Chinese folk dance at age three. As a young adult, she was selected among thousands of dancers in Beijing, China to receive full scholarship, intensive dance training, at China's top dance institutions, working with and studying directly under world-class instructors and choreographers. Mai received numerous Certificates of Excellence at many dance competitions. She moved to Tokyo, Japan in 1993 and continued her profession as dancer and instructor. After graduating from the prestige Guang Dong Dance University, she became a founding member of Guang Dong Dance Company, China's first modern dance company.

Photo Credit: Sachiko Nagata