Celebrating 10 Years of "Pointe" Magazine

When Pointe featured Romi Beppu in its Spring 2003 issue, the young dancer had just performed her first principal role with Boston Ballet: the lead in Stanton Welch’s Madame Butterfly. “That was an exhilarating time for me, and the article was such a confidence booster,” she recalls. “I was so excited to be in the magazine.”

What she didn’t know was that Madame Butterfly was just the first of many major roles she would perform. Shortly after Pointe covered her, Beppu was promoted to soloist, and in 2005, she became principal. Her delicate frame, elegant port de bras and articulate feet made her a natural in classical roles like Aurora and Odette/Odile. In 2008, she joined Ballet West as a principal, where she recently reprised her breakout role in Madame Butterfly.

“In ballet it’s about the right timing,” Beppu says, “and that article came at the perfect moment for me. I felt so fortunate.”

—Margaret Fuhrer