Madoka Kariya

Madoka Kariya is a Japanese professional dancer, model, movement director, and creative collaborator whose artistic journey spans prestigious theaters and international projects across the globe.

Madoka began studying classical ballet at the age of five in her hometown of Sendai, Japan. In 2009, she won a Silver Medal and received scholarships at the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) New York Finals in the Senior Age Division.

At 16, she moved to Dresden, Germany, to study at the Palucca University of Dance. In 2010, she was awarded the DAAD Prize for outstanding achievement by a foreign student. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 2012, she joined Ballet Zürich Junior in Switzerland for two years under the direction of Christian Spuck. During her time in Zürich, she performed works by Christian Spuck, Douglas Lee, Stephan Thoss, and Heinz Spoerli, and in 2013 received the Dance Prize of Friends of the Zürich Ballet.

In 2014, Madoka joined one of the world’s leading contemporary dance companies – Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT2) in the Netherlands. In 2017, she was promoted to NDT1, where she danced until the end of 2024. With NDT, she performed works by renowned choreographers including Jiří Kylián, Marco Goecke, Sol León & Paul Lightfoot, Crystal Pite, Ohad Naharin, Hofesh Shechter, William Forsythe, Sharon Eyal, Alexander Ekman, and many others.

In 2021, she was honored with the Miyagi Prefecture New Selected Artist Award for Fine Arts.

Since 2025, Madoka has been working as a freelance artist, collaborating with companies, creators, and organizations worldwide. In addition to her stage career, she leads dance and movement workshops internationally, driven by a passion for bridging dance with other art forms and business sectors.