Airi Takenouchi (she/her) was born and raised in Japan, where she began her dance training in ballet and contemporary at YARITA YU BALLET STUDIO. She later continued her training at the European School of Ballet in the Netherlands before moving to Vancouver in 2022 to pursue the Post-Secondary Program at Arts Umbrella Dance under the direction of Artemis Gordon.

During her time at Arts Umbrella, Airi had the opportunity to work with and perform works by renowned choreographers including Crystal Pite, William Forsythe, Sharon Eyal, Marco Goecke, Marcos Morau, Astrid Boons, Felix Landerer, Fernando Hernando Magadan, Lukas Timulak, Ethan Colangelo, and Cyril Baldy, among many others. She also performed at the Nederlandse Dansdagen Festival and with Ballet BC during its Paris tour in April 2026. Airi graduated from Arts Umbrella in 2026 and is thrilled to be joining Ballet BC Annex for the 2026/27 season.