Shoko Tamai is a dancer, director, and award-winning choreographer whose work blends ballet, contemporary movement, and martial arts to explore human connection, mythology, and environmental consciousness.

Born in Japan, Tamai trained at Yumi Classical Ballet Studio, the Central School of Ballet, the American Academy of Ballet. She has performed with internationally renowned companies including Dance Theatre of Harlem, Cirque du Soleil, and Semperoper Dresden Ballet.

Her work has appeared on major stages worldwide, including the Joyce Theater, Metropolitan Opera, and Lincoln Center in New York City; Sadler’s Wells and the Royal Opera House in London; and Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival.

Shoko received the Solo Seal Award from the Royal Academy of Dance in London (2007), and was a finalist at the World Ballet Competition (2010). She also earned a Merit Award at Premio Capri Danza International (2022). She was nominated for Outstanding Choreography at the New York Innovative Theater Awards for The Tempest (2019). 

She became the first foreign and female choreographer invited to create original work for Sadhguru and the Isha Foundation’s Maha Shivaratri celebration, a spiritual gathering attended by nearly one million people annually (2027).

Photography: André van Rensburg

Her films have been officially selected including:

• Los Angeles Short Film Awards

• Hollywood Best Indie Film Awards

• Toronto Short Film Festival

• SF Dance Film Festival