Makino Hayashi is a choreographer based in Portland, OR. Born in Kumamoto, Japan, she began her ballet training at Kumamoto Ballet Studio. She later moved to the U.S., dancing professionally with Colorado Ballet from 2002 to 2008 before joining Oregon Ballet Theatre (OBT) in 2010, where she performed primarily soloist and principal roles. After an accomplished career, she retired from OBT in 2023.

Throughout her career, Makino has guested with several companies in both the U.S. and Japan. Since 2014, she has been choreographing and teaching ballet and contemporary dance at all levels. Her most recent work, The Message 2024, had its world premiere in June 2024 as part of Oregon Ballet Theatre’s Made in Portland program. Her other choreographic works include The Rose (2023), What Do You See… (2018), and Brothers and a Sister (2014), all created for OBT. What Do You See… was performed at Women Choreographers PNW in May 2024 and Union PDX in 2022.

In addition to her work with OBT, Makino has choreographed Inside Voice for Boulder Ballet’s New Moves in Boulder, CO, and Seven Wonder for Oregon Origins Project II in Portland, OR, both in 2023. In 2021, she created KIZUNA as part of Ten Tiny Community Healing Dances, a city arts program in Portland. Her 2019 piece, Black Earth, was performed throughout Oregon as part of In a Landscape: Classical Music in the Wild with pianist Hunter Noack and later featured in the 2020 SzólóDuó choreographer competition in Budapest, Hungary.

Looking ahead, Makino will choreograph a new work for Nevada Ballet Theatre in the spring of 2025. Her piece Footprints, performed by the Inspire Dance Centre senior group, placed in the Top 12 at the YAGP Huntington Beach, CA competition. Additionally, Be You was featured in OBT2’s Raw Pieces of Eight performance in 2021.

As a dancer, Makino has performed works by renowned choreographers such as Nacho Duato, William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Matjash Mrozewski, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Nicolo Fonte, Helen Pickett, Jennifer Archibald, Rena Butler, and Christopher Stowell. She has also guested with Washington Ballet (DC), Festival Ballet (RI), State Street Ballet (CA), and Okamoto Ballet (Fukuoka, Japan).