Rika Onizuka

A native of the Bay Area, Rika Nina Onizuka began her training locally with Richard Gibson and Zory Karah. She then went on to study at the San Francisco Ballet School, and as a scholarship student at the Joffrey Ballet School and David Howard Dance Center in New York. As a founding member of Smuin Ballets SF, Ms. Onizuka danced many leading roles such as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Miranda in The Tempest, Shinju, and many other roles created for her by Michael Smuin.

Ms. Onizuka most recently danced with Ballet San Jose (formerly Cleveland Ballet) where she enjoyed leading roles in the Nutcracker, Who Cares?, Death and Eros, and Appalachian Spring. She also danced with Joffrey II, Ohio Ballet, and San Francisco Opera, and worked with such choreographers as Alonzo King, Donald Byrd, Laura Dean, and Donald Mckayle. She appeared in the nationally televised “Ira Gershwin at 100” at Carnegie Hall and in feature films such as The Fantastiks and The Matrix Revolutions. Ms. Onizuka has taught ballet throughout the Bay Area, most recently at Los Gatos Ballet, Pacific Ballet Academy, and is on staff at the Ballet San Jose School.

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