Born in Japan, Ms. Sayaka began her ballet training at Cerri Academy de Ballet in Kanagawa under the direction of her mother, Yuko Otani. At the age of 15, she continued her training at Kawaguchi Yuriko Ballet School and performed with the company.

Ms. Sayaka has studied the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) method, receiving high marks in the Intermediate and Advanced 1 exams. She holds an associate degree in dance from Showa College of Music. 

In 2002, she joined Ballet Chambre Ouest in Tokyo under Hiroaki Imamura. She had the opportunity to perform at the Bolshoi Theatre with the company. From 2002-2007, Ms. Sayaka performed a variety of classical ballet works in principal and soloist roles from The Nutcracker, Coppelia, Giselle, and Swan Lake.  

Ms. Sayaka moved to New York City to join a touring ballet company called Ballet for Young Audiences in 2007. She relocated to San Diego in 2008 to dance with the City Ballet of San Diego under the direction of Steven and Elizabeth Wistrich. She performed in their versions of The Nutcracker “Clara”, and Swan Lake "Little Swans". Ms. Sayaka gained experience in neoclassical ballet performing in works from George Balanchine’s Valse Fantaisie, “Principal Pas de Deux”, Serenade, Rubies, The Four Temperaments, and Walpurgisnacht Ballet. She also had the opportunity to learn and perform contemporary ballet works with City Ballet of San Diego. 

From 2017-2020, Ms. Sayaka taught and ran a ballet studio in San Diego called “Cerri Académie de Ballet.” She relocated to Honolulu, Hawaii in 2022. Ms. Sayaka is thrilled to join the team at HCB and looks forward to teaching students this summer.