Iori Araya began her early training in Japan. The Idemitsu scholarship prize at the Asian Pacific International Ballet Competition allowed her to complete her training at The Australian Ballet School. She danced with Singapore Dance Theatre (now Singapore Ballet) and New Jersey Ballet prior to joining Ballet Memphis in 2017. Her noted roles include Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Fate in Gho Choo San’s Romeo & Juliet, In Dreams by Trey McIntyre, Water of the Flowerymill, and Party of the Year by Matthew Neenan, Chant by Val Caniparoli, Age of Innocence by Edwaard Liang, and numerous works by George Balanchine.