Digital Cover Star

Quickfire Questions With May/June Digital Cover Star Takumi Miyake

May 12, 2026

To get to know Takumi Miyake a little bit better, we asked him a series of quickfire questions. Read on to hear more about the American Ballet Theatre soloist’s favorite ballet, pre-performance routine, current Netflix obsession, and more.

What is your favorite step?

Pirouettes.

What is your least favorite step?

I’ve never really thought about this before—I’d say rond de jambe en l’air.

Do you have a favorite spot at the barre?

I’m a back-middle barre guy.

Takumi Miyake wears knee-length blue tights and poses in tendu croisé derriere. He cross his left arm in front of his torso and raises his right arm above his head, with his palms facing out, as he looks directly at the camera.
Photo by Emma Zordan.

What about in center?

It depends on the studio. I go to the left side in Studio 1 at ABT, but in Studio 5, I go to the right. I don’t know why.

Ballet slippers: leather or canvas?

Canvas for me, right now. I want to try leather one day, though.

Do you prefer coffee or tea, and how do you take it?

I drink coffee every morning: iced Americano, black.

What is your go-to snack?

Pringles. For something a little bigger, instant ramen.

Takumi Miyake, wearing a short white toga-style tunic, tan ballet slippers with straps up the legs, and a wreath around his head, does an assemblé devant in effacé onstage. Two ballerinas in yellow tutus stand in B plus behind him, while a corps dancers light green and pink costumes stand and watch in the background.
Takumi Miyake as Eros in Frederick Ashton’s Sylvia. Photo by Nir Arieli, courtesy ABT.

Do you have a pre-performance routine?

After I get into costume, I do the same little warm-up backstage, holding on to the boom. I’ll do four tendus to each side, then plié in second, some relevés, then do some one-legged squats and little jumps. Then I’m ready to go. 

What kind of music do you listen to?

I listen to J-Pop, mostly, and K-pop. I like Frank Sinatra sometimes, too, and Bruno Mars—I like a mix!

Are you watching anything right now?

I like this Korean cooking competition show on Netflix, “Culinary Class Wars.”

What is your favorite ballet to watch? 

Romeo and Juliet. I also like Giselle.

What has been your favorite role to dance so far?

I would say Études or the Neapolitan dance from Swan Lake.

Takumi Miyake, wearing a black unitard with black ballet slippers, jumps up, bending his left knee and crossing his leg behind his right with his arms held in a long diagonal. He looks over his right shoulder.
Photo by Emma Zordan.

What is something most people don’t know about you?

I can speak Korean. I learned it after meeting my girlfriend [ABT corps member Yoon Jung Seo]. It’s kind of similar to Japanese. 

You also have a slight English accent after spending so many years at The Royal Ballet School.

Do I? When I first joined ABT Studio Company, people used to say that I sounded British. I thought I’d lost it!


abt american ballet theatre pointe cover star q&a takumi miyake