Misa Kuranaga

Principal

Misa Kuranaga began her training at the Jinushi Kaoru Ballet School and later continued at the School of American Ballet. Kuranagahas been a member of San Francisco Ballet. Kuranaga joined Boston Ballet in 2003. She was promoted to second soloist in 2005, soloist in 2007 and to principal dancer in 2009.

She is the recipient of numerous awards and honors including a gold medal in the Junior Division of the Ninth Moscow International Ballet Competition and the gold medal in the senior division of the 2006 USA International Ballet Competition.

In 1993 Kuranaga performed in Moscow Ballet Competition Gala at Bolshoi Theater as a guest of Yuri Grigorovich. In 2009 she performed Serenade with New York City Ballet.

Her repertoire includes Nureyev’s Don Quixote (Kitri), Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet (Juliet), Maina Gielgud’s production of Giselle (Giselle, peasant pas de deux), Florence Clerc’s La Bayadere (Nikiya), Le Shylphide (Prerud), Frederic Ashton’s La Fille mal gardée (Lise), Bournonville’s La Sylphide (the Sylph), Marius Petipa’s The Sleeping Beauty (Princes Aurora, Songbird Fairy and Princess Florine), George Balanchine’s Coppelia (Swanilda),  Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker (Sugar Plum Fairy, Snow Queen and Clara), and Swan Lake (Black Swan pas de deux, pas de trois, pas de cinq), Harald Lander’s Etudes (the Ballerina), James Kudelka’s Cinderella, lead role in George Balanchine’s Theme And Variations, Ballo della Regina, A Midsummer Night Dream,  Rubies, Divertimento No. 15, Serenade, Who Cares?, Concerto Barocco, Symphony in Three Movements, Helen Pickett’s Tsukiyo, Layli o Majnun, Tabula Rasa, Mark Morris’ Up and Down, Boyko Dossev’s Crane, Twyla Tharp’s In the Upper Roomand  Jiri Kilian’s Black and White, William Forsythe’s The Second Detail, Jorma Elo’s Slice to Sharp, Lost by Last, Peter Martin’s Barber Violin Concerto; and Christopher Wheeldon’s Polyphonia.