Makino Hayashi

Makino Hayashi is a choreographer based in Portland, OR. She was born in Kumamoto, Japan whereshe began ballet at Kumamoto Ballet Studio. She moved to the U.S. and has danced professionally with Colorado Ballet from 2002-2008 and with Oregon Ballet Theatre since 2010. She has performed primarily soloist and principal roles. She retired from OBT in 2023. She has guested with several companies in the U.S. and Japan. She has been choreographing and teaching contemporary and ballet for professionals and pre-professionals since 2014.

She is one of the choreographers for the National Choreographers Initiative in 2025. Her recent choreographic work ‘Split Soul’ has world-premiered for Nevada Ballet Theatre Dance Lab 2025. Her piece ‘The Message 2024’ has world-premiered for Oregon Ballet Theatre Made in Portland in Portland, OR in 2024. She also choreographed ‘The Rose’ in 2023, ‘What do you see...’ in 2018, and ‘Brothers and a Sister’ in 2014 for OBT. ‘What do you see...’ was performed for Women Choreographers PNW in May 2024 and Union PDX in 2022 in Portland, OR. She choreographed ’Inside Voice’ for Boulder Ballet New Moves in Boulder, CO, and ’Seven Wonder’ for Oregon Origins Project II in Portland, OR in 2023. ‘KIZUNA’ for Ten Tiny Community Healing Dances for the city arts program in Portland, OR in 2021. ‘Black Earth’ was performed for 'In a landscape' Classical Music in the Wild throughout the state of Oregon by Hunter Noack in 2019 and was also performed at the choreographer competition SzólóDuó in Budapest, Hungary in 2020. She will be choreographing a ‘New work’ for Nevada Ballet Theatre in 2025 spring.

She has been choreographing for students and pre-professionals since 2018. Her piece ‘Unlocked' received a choreography award at Starpower National Talent Competition in 2025, and ‘Footprints’ got into the top 12 at the YAGP Huntington Beach, CA competition in 2024. ‘Be You’ was performed for OBT2 performance OBT2 Raw Pieces of Eight in 2021.