Born and raised in Honolulu, Ms. Beppu began her ballet training with Hawaii State Ballet under the direction of Mr. John Landovsky while attending Punahou School. She also studied at the Boston Ballet School and spent summers in New York City training with various teachers and coaches such as David Howard, Wilhelm Burmann, Alaine Haubert, Finis Jhung and Diana Cartier.

Romi danced professionally with three major ballet companies on the mainland - American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, and Ballet West. During her tenure with these companies she toured internationally, dancing in Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey and Japan as well as in the continental US.

She danced professionally for 16 years and attained the rank of “Principal Dancer,” a highly regarded position given to only a few in the field. She remains Hawaii’s first and only ballerina to have achieved this status.

During her dancing career she worked closely with leading directors, choreographers, coaches and highly respected teachers in the field. They include: Sir Anthony Dowell, Adam Sklute, Mikko Nissinen, Stanton Welch, Franco De Vita, Raymond Lukens, Lola De Avila, Merrill Ashley, Susan Hendl, Sandra Jennings, Christopher Wheeldon, Roslyn Anderson, Anna-Marie Holmes, Kathryn Bennetts, Anthony Randazzo, Trinidad Vives, Patrick Armand, Patricia Barker and Jane Bourne.

She has been a guest instructor with various schools and organizations locally and abroad. They include: Boston Ballet School, Ballet West Academy, Maui Academy of the Performing Arts, Hawaii State Ballet, Ballet Hawaii and Drill Team Hawaii.

Romi retired in the spring of 2011 from dancing professionally to begin the next phase of her career as the Artistic Director of Honolulu Classical Ballet. She looks forward to sharing her talents with future generations of Hawaii’s youth.

Professional Performing Repertoire

Swan Lake. “Odette/Odile,” Mikko Nissinen
Sleeping Beauty. “Aurora,” Sir Frederick Ashton
Cinderella. “Cinderella,” James Kudelka
Don Quixote. “Queen of the Dryads,” Rudolph Nureyev
Madame Butterfly. “Cio-Cio San,” Stanton Welch
The Nutcracker. “Sugar Plum Fairy,” Mikko Nissinen
The Dream. “Titania,” Sir Frederick Ashton
Taming of the Shrew. “Bianca,” John Cranko
Onegin. “Olga,” John Cranko
Giselle. “Peasant Pas de Deux,” Maina Guilgud
Lady of the Camellias. “Marguerite,” Val Canaparoli
Rubies. “Principal Pas de Deux,” George Balanchine
Serenade. “Waltz Girl,” George Balanchine
Duo Concertante. “Pas de deux,” George Balanchine
Agon. “Solo Woman,” George Balanchine
Brief Fling. “Principal Couple,” Twyla Tharp
In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated. “Principal Couple,” William Forsythe
Falling Angels. “Company Women,” Jiri Kylian
Sinfonietta. “Company,” Jiri Kylian
Polyphonia. “Adagio Pas de Deux,” Christopher Wheeldon
Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes. “Company,” Mark Morris
The Grey Area. “Pas de Deux,” David Dawson
Bolero. “Principal Couple,” Nicolo Fonte
Three Preludes. “Principal Couple,” Ben Stevenso